As Crystal had still not shown up for work, I expressed my concern for her to Linda in a moment we had to ourselves in the back office. She finally filled me in on the details.
It turns out that Crystal’s baby was afflicted with a chromosomal condition that causes severe intellectual disability and physical abnormalities in many parts of the body. Crystal was told that infants with this condition do not usually survive the first few days of life, and her baby would likely not even make it to birth.
It seems that Crystal and her husband were faced with an unthinkable decision. They wanted that baby so badly. I can’t imagine going through my first pregnancy and learning something like that was wrong. There was so little hope. My prayers go out for Crystal and her husband and their baby. My heart breaks for them. Sometimes this imperfect world is so harsh.