Downright Dead

by Barbara Ebel

The woman gripped the side of the bed like she held the bow rail of the sinking Titanic. Her face grimaced with pain and she gritted her teeth. Perspiration matted her hair around her forehead and, for a second, she locked her imploring stare on Annabel.

  Spared of dealing with the amniotic sac, Annabel saw that Mother Nature had ruptured it already. She put her hand over the crowning baby’s head and it delivered nicely. Fumbling with inexperience, she lightly suctioned the baby’s nose and scanned all around the infant’s neck. She would stroke if the cord was wrapped around and between the head and shoulders, but the neck was clear.

  Then her heart banged against her chest and her hand trembled. What if … what if … the baby had shoulder dystocia? She would be at a loss, or Emmett would need to assist her with the McRoberts maneuvers, which her team members had performed. However, she remembered a big risk factor for shoulder dystocia from her studies. Her patient was not obese, so, most likely, she need not worry about it.

  In a flash, a shoulder went down and a shoulder went up, and a whole new human being slithered out.

  Annabel placed the newborn baby girl with her mother and a smile of sheer joy replaced the woman’s pained expression.

  For Annabel, her dread was replaced with a pure magical moment. She clamped the cord.

  “Emmett, how about cutting the cord?”

  The imposing man widened his smile. His adventure with Annabel just kept getting better. He did as she asked.

  “Can you please hunt down Pam, the RN?”

  Emmett took off.

  “I’m Linda,” the woman said. A tear hung on the inside of her eye and she left it there with pride.

  The baby’s color looked rosy and she wiggled her little fists around in the air. No worries there, Annabel thought. “What’s her name?”

  “Wilma.”

  “Welcome, Wilma.”

  “What on earth?” Pam said as she rushed in with Emmett at her heels. “I’ll page the senior resident.”

  “Can you first draw cord blood?”

  Pam nodded.

  With a curved clamp, Annabel held the umbilical cord, and ever so gently, gave a bit of traction. The placenta slithered out into a round pan.

  She felt drained but nearly tearful like Linda.

  After being summoned, the night resident came in to take over the minor remaining details and was impressed with Annabel’s accomplishment. Before Annabel could leave, however, she needed to document the delivery. She felt like a senior resident performing such a chore, one she never imagined doing as a student.

  She left the room different from when she went in: revitalized yet fatigued; ecstatic yet blue. She had done it. If she decided not to go into obstetrics, that might be the only baby she ever delivered.

  She grabbed the patient’s chart from the desk, but on second thought, placed it on the counter top for the time being. There was someone she really needed to see before leaving.

  Annabel waited patiently for a few minutes and then Emmett strolled out of the male locker room.

  “I’m sorry I dragged you into that delivery,” he said, looking down at his shoes. “It’s just that nobody else was around.”

  “Emmett, you had no choice. Thank you for grabbing someone … I happened to be handy. I am so glad you yanked me in there. We made a great team. Can you believe it? We delivered a baby!”

  He smiled wide enough to expose his chipped tooth. “I guess we did a decent job, Dr. Annabel.”

  “Not too shabby, Emmett. And we stayed over beyond our hours of duty. We both could have been out of here a long time ago.”

  “No gym for me tonight. This evening was enough excitement for one night.”

  “Me too. Good night, Emmett.”

  She burst with excitement as she rode home in a bright yellow Uber car in back of a woman with a ponytail sticking out of the hole of her cap, but all she really wanted was to call Bob and spill out the details. That would freak out her driver, she thought, so she stayed clammed shut.

  -----

  Annabel shoved everything on the kitchen counter after running up the stairs as fast as she could. She whipped out her iPhone and called Bob.

  “Hey,” he said.

  She had a difficult time composing herself, so she grabbed a deep breath and then puffed out quickly. “You are not going to believe it.” The words raced out of her mouth.

  Bob’s interest piqued. “Did something happen while you were running?” He took a short cut through the apartment’s pool area after Oliver’s last walk, but stopped short, dropped down on a lounge chair, and held the phone with his free hand.

  “Nope. I just got home late. It was like a female seal slipping out of the ocean and squirming onto a rock and I caught her! A baby!”

  “What? Are you telling me you delivered a baby? The resident actually let you do that?”

  “No. I mean yes. I mean nobody, nurses or the night team, was around.

  One minute I walk into this lady’s room where she’s in a pain score of eleven out of ten and her abdomen has this wave moving on top like a basketball is moving to her vagina. I went in there to clean white sheets on her bed and left behind the dirtiest linen imaginable.”

  “Wow. That is crazy. So what was it like? What did you do … exactly? Was the baby okay?”

  “There were no complications. Mother Nature took care of most of it.”

  “Still. Don’t be so humble. You knew what you were doing. What about the afterbirth and all that? Details, please. What if I have to do the same thing before I even start OB? What if I have lousy residents like what happened to you the first few days?”

  Bob leaned back and Oliver sat politely next to him, so he put the leash loop on the end of the chair. He listened attentively while she told him the whole story of her emergency obstetric care.

  “I may not do that again,” she said, “ever.”

  “Wow. In a way, you took a big risk. People are so litigious these days, but you had no choice. You may need to have an attorney write a new law for us - a ‘Good Samaritan medical student law’ protecting us from liability if unintended consequences befall us from rendering our assistance.” He laughed at his legal jargon.

  Annabel chuckled as well. “My poor dad. Maybe I should ask him for more money for legal counsel.”

  “I know. While you’re at it, why don’t you ask him if he wants to be a behind-the-scenes dog owner of Oliver and support his expenses?”

  “Ha. I’d better not and I’d better get off the phone. My whole night is shot and I’m due on the wards tomorrow morning. One more day doing OB before I pop by your place and pick up Oliver.”

  “See you Sunday, but let me know tomorrow what your attending thinks about what you did.”

  “Okay, later.”

  -----

  Saturday morning, Dustin woke up with a loud grumble and made the analogy of what he perceived in his chest to a hangover. The physical discomfort on his chest wall was not from drinking alcohol and suffering a day-after effect to his head, but a steering wheel’s day-after insult to his sternum. He grimaced as he swung his feet to the side and pushed off from his bed.

  He contemplated his weekend off … the only secondary gain of his stationary car accident. Not that he minded his job, but the weekend would serve a useful purpose. He would rest like they told him, however, he was going to implement his plan - his idea to ask Annabel to marry him. With no uncertainty, he cared for her more than any female in his life before. He must be in love with her; otherwise, he did not know what love was.

  He washed and dressed and went downstairs gingerly. “Good morning, Solar.”

  The bird bobbed his head when Dustin entered the kitchen. “What’s your problem?” he chattered.

  “I’m hurting, Solar, which is my problem. Be a good bird, be polite, and put up with me today. And for your information, I’m making an important purchase this morning.”

  Dustin spooned instant coffee into a cup, added water, and slipped it into t
he microwave. He popped a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pill into his mouth and chased it down with water. As much as he could, he was going to avoid the narcotic prescription sitting next to the fruit bowl. Every once in a while, however, he needed to pull a deep breath, and that was no fun. No fun at all.

  He looked out the kitchen window to his small front yard. The sky was partly cloudy and the trees gently swayed. It would be a nice morning for his one and only excursion; a trip to the mall. He hated shopping, but this would be different. He would buy an engagement ring as fine and polished as Annabel.

  “Alexa,” he said, “what’s the temperature?”

  “Alexa,” Solar mimicked, “what’s the temperature?”

  The Echo Dot device voice control became mixed up with the two questions asked one after the other. “I’m sorry, I don’t know that answer.”

  “Solar,” Dustin said, “let me ask the question.”

  “What’s your problem?” Solar asked Dustin.

  “For Pete’s sake, Solar, butt out.”

  “Butt out.”

  Dustin shook his head. “I’ve created a monster.”

  -----

  At least Dustin had some knowledge about engagement rings. Searching the internet for reputable information about diamonds had proved fruitful. Advice he received from Sean helped too. More than that, he wished Sean could accompany him to render his opinion, but he was pulling an eight-hour day.

  He strolled into the store with a generic title, “The Diamond Jewelry Store,” which was a misnomer since they sold all types of jewelry. The see-through display cases were meticulously clean. Not a smudge on them. When the salesperson came over, he thought he needed to speak the “language” of diamonds so he didn’t appear to be a pushover for a quick sale. He at least knew about color, carat weight, clarity, and cut.

  A very shapely female with puffy red lips headed his way from one aisle over inside the maze of cabinetry.

  “May I help you?” she asked. “You have ‘engagement ring’ stamped all over your forehead.”

  The woman was so distracting, he had to rein in his thoughts about her figure. His visit here was all about Annabel and he was dead certain about his choice in women.

  “Smart guess,” he replied.

  “How much would you like to spend?”

  “My buddy told me the cardinal rule. I should spend two months of my salary on my girl’s ring.”

  “The trend anymore is to be flexible in what you can afford. However, the average cost that men pay is five thousand dollars.”

  Dustin shrugged his shoulders. It would depend more on what he liked rather than settling on her suggested price of five grand. She motioned him to the end of the counter and pulled two diamond rings out and set them on a white velour piece of material. He listened to her sales pitch and noted the differences in the two rings. However, the aching in his chest ramped up and he silently scolded himself for not bringing his next pain pill with him.

  The beautiful brunette noticed his discomfort. “Can I get you some water?”

  “I have muscle soreness after an accident yesterday, so I can’t spend a long time deciding. Just bad timing, that’s all.”

  She smiled like she sealed the deal and made the sale, took a step, and pulled out another ring. “She’ll love this 1.3 carat oval diamond set in a gold band. It’s a beauty at a little over five thousand dollars and its 4Cs are listed on the tag. You won’t need to look at one more.”

  Dustin turned it around in his hand, held it to the light, and asked her to put it on her own finger. “She has long, trim fingers like yours. Do you think it will fit her?”

  “If it doesn’t, bring it and your fiancée back in, and we’ll adjust it. You won’t be sorry. This is one of my favorites.”

  Dustin doubted if Annabel had the same taste as the woman, but to him, it was a pretty ring. He would never know unless he sprang it on her.

  “I’ll take it,” he said.

  -----

  The next morning, Annabel ran ten minutes late from a weekend traffic diversion that her driver had not anticipated. As she approached the obstetric nurses’ station, heads glanced her way and she made a full stop. Emmett placed his hand behind her and tapped her backpack. She reciprocated and lightly put her hand on his back. They were now bonded because of a hair-raising situation they had handled together.

  “Since I’ve worked here,” one of the nurses said, “you are the first medical student to deliver a baby. Which means in the last seven years.”

  Caleb peered up from a chart and gave her a warm smile. “Did you experience a euphoria with your accomplishment? Maybe you’ve decided to go into obstetrics?”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but Dr. Harvey showed up in the doorway behind the desk.

  “It’s Annabel Tilson,” he said, “baby-catcher extraordinaire.”

  Kristin walked out from the supply room. “You did it without the benefit of anesthesia for the patient! You’re going to put me out of business. How did you perform such a feat anyway?”

  Annabel clutched the strap to her backpack and grinned. “You all, I just did what I watched Dr. Gash do. Isn’t that how this medical school thing works? Teach one or see one and then do it?”

  The physicians exchanged glances, leaving Annabel out.

  “That refers to a student watching someone start an IV and then trying it themself,” Caleb said.

  “Or watching someone do an ear exam with an otoscope and then doing it,” Kristin said.

  “Or watching your new medical team devour a box of donuts and then jumping in yourself,” Roosevelt said seriously.

  Annabel stood dumbfounded and narrowed her eyes.

  Roosevelt thrust his hand to the top of his head and then leaned forward to hide his smile. When he straightened up, his face beamed. “We’re yanking your chain.”

  “Nice work, Annabel,” Caleb said. “I couldn’t have pulled off what you did.”

  “And I hope I never have to,” Kristin said. “Congratulations.”

  Annabel shook her head and chuckled. “You are a tough bunch. You had me worried.” She glanced at Emmett. “Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the excellent help I had in the room.”

  “I just did what you told me,” he said, modestly looking to the floor.

  “No. You go beyond your job description, Emmett, and you’re an asset on this floor.”

  “I’ll second that,” said one of the nurses.

  “I think the whole medical staff feels the same way about you, Emmett,” Dr. Harvey said. He scanned everyone’s faces. “Now let’s quit patting ourselves on the back and get this stellar team to work.”

  CHAPTER 29

  When Annabel finished her scut work, and before rounds, she hastened over to the newborn nursery. Thinking about the baby she had delivered, she crossed her fingers. Just because the infant’s first few minutes of life had appeared normal, it didn’t mean she cleared a thorough evaluation by the pediatricians. Those doctors were wizards at detecting abnormalities. But, hopefully, baby Wilma was just fine and the only baby born the last week with a problem was Bonnie Barker’s Samantha.

  Annabel felt encouraged by the family dynamics when Bonnie and Tony left the hospital with their baby girl. Although Bonnie had incurred two medical problems during her stay, the two adults’ relationship had solidified during her hospitalization. The baby was in suitable and loving hands. With diligent medical care, maybe her life with osteogenesis imperfecta was going to be a minor inconvenience.

  Annabel peered through the squeaky clean window at the bassinets. Some babies were asleep, some were squirming in their blankets, and one cried like he wanted to break out of the place. She rapped on the window for the nurse’s attention.

  A bespectacled RN in vibrant scrubs pushed open the door. “Who are you looking for?”

  “Baby Wilma, born yesterday.”

  “You’re not that medical student who delivered her, are you?”

  �
�Yes. Uh-oh, is she okay?”

  “She sure is. She’s a perky little thing. Dr. Thomas said maybe more medical students should deliver babies. He’s not here right now, but he’d probably give you five stars for your accomplishment.”

  “That is very kind of him, however, the delivery was an emergency and I only acted as an accessory to Mother Nature. Mom was healthy, knowledgeable, and mature about the whole thing.” The two women still cluttered the doorway. “May I see her?”

  The woman nodded and Annabel followed her in between the back row of infants. Annabel noted the card at the foot of baby Wilma’s basket … her birth weight a hearty 9.7 pounds. Her eyes fell on the swaddled infant, she interlocked her fingers, and put her hands up to her mouth. The baby was precious, with scanty brown hair, vibrant eyes, and full cheeks. Her whole body fidgeted with movement and her feet kicked within the blanket. Because her tiny lips moved as well, it was like she already wanted to form words.

  “May I?” Annabel asked, nodding towards Wilma.

  “I’m sure her mom wouldn’t mind.”

  Annabel picked her up securely in both arms, stared at her attentive eyes, and lingered while she implanted the memory. Certainly obstetrics has pluses and minuses, she thought, and delivering a baby was a real kick. She had something to do with this little bundle of innocence and the result couldn’t have been better. The nurse stepped away and Annabel slid her fingers over the baby’s cheek.

  “You won’t be forgotten, baby Wilma.”

  -----

  With Saturday on the ward over, and the first week of obstetrics behind her, Annabel only had the second final week of obstetrics to finish before her two weeks on gynecology. On Monday, her schedule would change to night call and the most significant event would be her grand rounds presentation, which had been moved up to Monday morning.

  With Kristin’s help, she was quite prepared for the lecture. Dr. Harvey also promised to be close by, “co-present” with her, and answer any difficult questions that might arise from residents, medical students, or other attendings.