The Storyteller's Secret

In the summer of 2000, Jaya, a journalist, sits in her office looking at a sonogram of her child. She is unable to concentrate on work. Two hours earlier, she started bleeding, signaling that she was experiencing another miscarriage—her third. Her husband of eight years, Patrick, calls. Jaya confesses that she has started bleeding, and they arrange to meet at the doctor’s office. Jaya is devastated and wishes she could be as strong as her husband: “I envy him his strength and yearn for my own, but it eludes me every time I reach for it” (3).

At the doctor’s office, Jaya undergoes a dilation and curettage (known as a D&C) procedure to clear her uterus and remove the dead, 14-week-old fetus. Jaya’s first question upon waking is to find out when she and her husband can begin IVF treatments again. The doctor cautions them to wait at least a year. Jaya is devastated—this seems an unbearably long time for her.

When the doctor leaves the room, Jaya suggests they consult with another doctor in the hopes of starting treatment earlier. Patrick asserts that they should focus on Jaya’s healing, but she doesn’t want to listen.