Читать книгу The Three of U.S.: A New Life in New York - Peter Godwin - Страница 46

Joanna has insisted that I accompany her to the obstetrician to check him out. I am there to give her a second opinion. He seems a bit young, in his late thirties, with an odd guffaw. His spiel is a dizzying recitation of the odds. This business is more like the tote than the practice of medicine. Now that Joanna is thirty-six, the odds of her having a ‘normal’ baby have declined to 150:1. The odds of amnio going wrong are 350:1. In the 1000 that’s he’s done, he’s lost two babies, so his own personal odds stand at 500:1.

Dr Levy is evidently the bookmaker of obstetricians. I wonder if he takes side bets on his births.

As we leave he tells us that he will be away for the next two weeks.

‘I’m going on vacation,’ he beams.

‘Where to?’ I enquire pleasantly.

‘Las Vegas.’

It figures.