Back to: CBSE Class 11th English Summary
Table of Contents
Introduction
Birth of a child changed the life of a doctor. The story is an excerpt from The Citadel.
Sad Andrew
While waiting for Andrew, Joe was relieved to see him, and together they set out for Number 12 Blaina Terrace. Upon reaching the destination, Andrew was very tired. Inside the apartment was the patient (Joe’s wife) beside whom stood an old lady of about seventy and a nurse. She offered Andrew a cup of tea. Andrew smiled and assured the lady of proper checkup and treatment.
Duty Comes First
Andrew decided to stay there until the patient was alright. He checked the patient once more and sat near the fire along with the old lady. Joe was obsessed with what happened at Cardiff. He remembered Bramwell, who devoted all his life to a woman who deceived him. Also, he thought of Edward Page, whose bad marriage made him live separately from his wife. All this time, Joe’s attention was towards Christine (the girl he loved and had an argument with).
Dead Child
The old lady asked him some questions, to which he kindly answered. It was half-past three, and Andrew thought it was the time. Joe’s wife was expecting a child. An hour passed, and after some struggle, a lifeless child was born. Andrew was shocked to see the dead child. He was in a dilemma whether to revive the child or attend the mother. He abruptly gave the child to the nurse and attended the mother, who laid there without any pulse. He gave her an injection and revived her.
Genius in the Making
Now, he turned his attention toward the child. Upon examining the child, he concluded that the child had been asphyxiated (lack of oxygen). He, at once, remembered the same case he once attended back in time.
He asked the nurse for some hot and cold water. The two basins had hot and cold water in them. He plunged the child into hot water and then into cold water. He did this for about fifteen minutes.
Andrew was very tired but still decided to try one last time. The nurse thought that the child was dead, but miraculously, the baby survived. Andrew drank water and left the house. He told Joe that both the child and the mother were alright.
