As a new father, I quickly learned the true meaning of maternal instinct. Late one night, I was summoned to the hospital to attend to one of my patients. I quietly got up in the dark but tripped over a toy and crashed to the floor. As I lay there rubbing my sore leg, my wife slept on.

　　Then there was a faint cough from the nursery. Debra leaped out of bed, running past me down the hall to our baby's room. When she returned, she looked at me and said, "What on earth are you doing on the floor?"

刚刚作了父亲，我就很快体会到母性本能的涵义了。一个深夜，医院召我去照应一位病人。我悄悄地在黑暗中起了床，但一只脚绊在一个玩具上，扑通一声摔在地板上。我倒在那里，揉着疼痛的腿，妻子毫无反应地继续睡着。

　 突然，婴儿房传来轻微的咳嗽声。戴博拉跃下床来，从我身边跑过，下了客厅到我们婴儿的房间。她返回来时，看了看我说：“你究竟在地板上干什么？”