by Julie Rowe
“Well, that won’t be hard to miss. It’s the only road they’ve got.”
Liam checked his map. “What kind of medical emergency are we dealing with?”
“A woman in labor.”
“Are we flying her to the clinic or Fairbanks?”
“I won’t know until I see her, but people up here don’t call 9-1-1 unless they really need it.”
“Be ready for anything then, eh?” He glanced at her with the half smile of a man laughing at himself.
“Yeah,” she said, unable to meet his gaze for long.
“You feeling any better?”
“The sleep helped.” She wanted to ask if he was okay working with her, but it seemed a silly question. Neither of them had a choice.
She glanced out the windshield. “There’s Three Rivers.”
There wasn’t much to it. A dozen houses, a couple of stores, three street lamps and a gravel road that dwindled into a two-rut track to nowhere.
Liam angled the plane for descent.
As they approached Willa could see someone running across the road they were lining up to land on. A road broken by numerous pits carved out of the ground. “Are those potholes?”
“They look more like swimming pools to me,” Liam drawled. “It should be an interesting landing, hang on.” He glanced at her and added, “I’ll try to make this as smooth as possible.”
“Good grief.” She grabbed the edges of her seat as the plane dropped toward the ground.
The wheels touched and held onto the road. They hit a pothole with a loud bang and jolt, then another. If it weren’t for her death grip on her chair Willa would have been sent flying without the plane.
Liam moved the flaps and they turned suddenly, heading straight for a house. He turned them again and they switched back to follow the road.
“Had to avoid a couple big potholes,” he explained.
A few more feet and he brought the plane to a stop.
“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic smile. “That landing isn’t going to win any awards.”
“At least we’re down.” She undid her seat belt and got out. A boy, about twelve years old, ran up to her. “Are you the nurse?”
“Yes.”
He breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. “My aunt Maddy needs you. She’s having a baby right now!”
Willa grabbed two of the equipment kits out of the back, nodding at Liam as he took the rest. She turned to the boy. “Where is she?”
The boy ran off, leaving them to trot after him. He opened a door to a tiny brown wooden house, steam rising from its blackened metal chimney.
Willa could hear a woman moaning before she walked inside.
The air smelled of cookies.
A woman lay on an area rug in the middle of the living room, her legs drawn up, feet planted on the floor, panting.
Willa stepped forward, Liam right behind her. “Maddy?”
The young pregnant woman looked at her and tried to smile. “The baby’s early,” she whispered.
Willa pulled out a stethoscope and knelt next to Maddy. She wore a knee-length nightdress and Willa lifted it up to put the stethoscope on her protruding belly. Willa listened for the baby’s heartbeat and found it after a second or two. One hundred thirty beats per minute. “The baby’s heartbeat is normal.”
“Thank God,” Maddy said, her body visibly relaxing in relief.
Willa checked her pulse. One hundred fifty, high. She was also sweating, the rug beneath her damp.
“Did your water break?”
Maddy nodded. “About two hours ago.”
“When did the contractions start?”
“I’m not sure. They woke me up about three hours ago. I thought it was just false labor.”
Willa frowned and looked around. Maddy’s nephew stood near the door watching them. “Where’s your husband?”
“He went hunting with my father-in-law and the rest of the men two days ago. They’re not due back until tomorrow.”
“Your mother and mother-in-law?”
“The ground is finally dry enough to drive an ATV, so she and most of the women went into Stony Creek yesterday afternoon. I didn’t feel like getting bounced around. I have to pee every thirty minutes as it is.” She breathed deeply for a couple of moments. “They’ll be back later this morning.” Maddy laughed, a short high-pitched sound that spoke of pain rather than joy. “We weren’t expecting the baby to come for another three weeks.”
Willa smiled at her. “Babies have their own schedule and it rarely follows their mother’s. We’re going to start by finding out how far you’ve dilated. This is Liam, he’s an Emergency Medical Technician and my pilot. He’ll be helping with the delivery, okay?”
“Morning, ma’am,” he said with a smile and a nod.
“Hi,” Maddy panted.
Willa turned to him. “Could you take her blood pressure for me?”
“Sure.” He moved around to Maddy’s right side, pulled a sphygmomanometer cuff and another stethoscope from one of the boxes then slipped the cuff around her biceps and began inflating it.
Willa pulled on a pair of gloves and moved between Maddy’s legs to feel how far she’d dilated. “Eight centimeters and fully effaced,” Willa said to Liam. She nodded at Maddy. “You’re almost ready, not too much longer.”
“Thank God, these feel awfully strong.” Maddy breathed through another contraction.
“That’s it,” Willa said, holding Maddy’s hand. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
“BP is one twenty-nine over one hundred five,” Liam reported.
That was high.
Willa stared at him. He looked back, his lips compressed and his jaw tense. He nodded and she knew he understood.
Maddy clutched at Willa’s hands. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Knowing she had to keep her patient calm, Willa smiled at her. “Nothing except that this baby has decided to make an entrance very soon. We’re going to have to improvise.”
“Will he be all right?”
“Three weeks isn’t that early. Your body knows when it’s time.”
Maddy closed her eyes and groaned, squeezing Willa’s hands hard. “It feels like right now.”
“Should we move her?” Liam asked, looking at the hard floor, his voice rough with concern.
“No, this will do. Lots of elbow room here. Let’s get a couple of blankets under her though, and I’ll need some clean towels standing by.”
“Hey, sport,” Liam said to Maddy’s nephew, who hadn’t moved from his position near the front door. “Can you help me find some blankets and towels?”
“Is she having the baby?” the boy asked, high and fast.
“Pretty soon.” Liam followed him toward the back of the small house.
“Aren’t guys supposed to boil water or something?”
Willa blocked out their conversation and concentrated on Maddy. Her high blood pressure was the biggest worry. If she started to hemorrhage, she could bleed to death in minutes.
“Have you been feeling dizzy lately?” Willa readied her equipment, taking out a suture tray, IV set, scissors, wire clamp for the cord and a large suction bulb for clearing the baby’s airways.
“Yeah, all the time the last couple of days, but I thought it was just because I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Baby keeping you up at night?”
“Yeah, every time I lie down, he starts punching and kicking.”
Willa nodded. “Movement like that is a good sign. Did you sleep at all tonight?”
“A couple hours, I think.”
“How long did it take you to bake the cookies?”
Maddy’s laugh ended on a moan and she clutched her belly.
“I thought it would be nice for the kids to have some fresh baking in the morning.”
Willa glanced over her shoulder. Maddy’s two little ones stood in the hallway watching them. How long had they been there?
Liam walked past the kids with Maddy’s nephew in tow, laden with blankets.
“Can you help her sit up so we can put a blanket under her?”
“No problem. Please excuse me, ma’am.” He slid his hands under Maddy and lifted her into a sitting position while Willa spread one blanket on the floor. “I brought a couple pillows too,” he added, piling them behind Maddy’s back.
“You just earned a merit badge.” Willa sent him a quick smile.
The look he gave her changed rapidly from surprised to happy. “I learned from the best.” He smiled and his grin could have scorched steel.
For a nanosecond all Willa could think of was the heat he created in her when they made love. The next second she was filled with shame. She’d assured him she couldn’t get pregnant, but she had.
“What’s next, boss?”
“I’d like you to monitor Maddy’s blood pressure and physically support her when it comes time to push.” She turned to Maddy’s nephew. “What’s your name?”
“Jim.”
“Jim, could you find something for your cousins to do?”
“Okay, just don’t ask me to do anything gross.”
Willa grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t. In fact, your aunt made some cookies earlier. Why don’t you three give them a taste test?”
“Eating is a good job. Come on,” he said to his cousins, taking them by the hands. “Your mom made cookies.” He pulled them into the kitchen.
Maddy moaned through another contraction.
“They’re coming every thirty seconds now.” Willa checked her patient’s cervix again. “Fully dilated and effaced.”
“Blood pressure is one twenty over one hundred,” Liam reported.
Another contraction hit Maddy, hard on the heels of the last.
Willa put her hands on Maddy’s belly just as the baby kicked and rolled. The undulating motion started her own belly rolling and for a moment Willa thought she might vomit on the spot. She managed to jump up and dash into the kitchen, making it to the sink before her stomach heaved.
“Willa, you okay?” Liam’s concerned voice followed her into the kitchen.
“Yeah,” she answered as soon as the heaving stopped.
“Good, because we need you out here. This baby is in a hurry.”
She wiped her mouth, glancing at the three kids staring at her with wide eyes.
“Yuck.” Jim screwed up his nose.
Willa smiled an apology and hurried back to see Maddy clenching her jaw and pushing. “Wait, Maddy, wait.”
Willa quickly looked between the woman’s legs. There was no mistaking the baby’s head for anything else. “I see him. He’s ready and you’re ready. On the next contraction, push hard.”
“Okay,” Maddy gasped. She took two more huge breaths. “Here it comes.”
Willa nodded at Liam, who moved in behind the pregnant woman to give her something to push against. Willa grabbed a couple of towels and placed them on the floor between Maddy’s legs. “Okay, as soon as you feel the urge, push as hard as you can.”
Maddy nodded then growled and gritted her teeth.
“Push, push, push,” Willa yelled.
The baby’s head slid through the cervix.
“Keep pushing, he’s almost here.”
Maddy screamed low in her throat and the baby slid out onto the towel in Willa’s waiting hands. She held him with one hand, facedown, her palm cradling his chest and abdomen, and used a corner of the towel to rub his back and feet. So small, so perfect. She could hardly wait until she held her own little miracle.
The baby let out a wail and began to cry, his skin quickly changing from a muted blue to pink. Willa wanted to laugh out loud at his healthy protest, her heart lighter than it had been in days.
She turned the baby onto his back and used the suction syringe to remove mucus from his nose and throat. She looked him over, checking his eyes and limbs, then smiled at his mother. “He looks great. A beautiful boy.”
Tears rolled down Maddy’s face and she smiled through the waterfall.
Liam laid her down and moved over to kneel next to Willa. “Wow, listen to those lungs.” He grinned at the boy’s mother.
“You’re sure he’s okay?” she asked.
“He’s just fine.” Willa wrapped the corners of the towel around the baby and placed him on his mother’s deflated belly. “Good job, mom.”
Maddy grinned and caressed her son’s head with a shaky hand. “Hello, Jacob.”
“That’s a strong name.” Liam stroked one large finger across the baby’s closed fist. He laughed. “But he’ll have to grow into it. Look how tiny he is.”
Willa watched him examine the baby as she clamped and cut the cord tethering child to mother. The huge smile on his face made it seem as if he was the father not just some bystander helping with the delivery.
She would give anything to see him react with the same joy and wonder to the birth of his own child.
Anything.
Chapter Fourteen
“Hey, Willa, are you okay?”
She glanced up. Liam was looking at her, his forehead furrowed. He reached out with one hand and very gently wiped something from her face. His hand came away wet.
She pulled back, her heart sinking. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. Willa pinned a smile on her face. “I’m okay. Births are emotional events. For everyone.”
His expression didn’t change. “You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Yep.” She turned away to fiddle with her equipment, hoping, praying he’d accept that explanation. “I also cry at sappy TV shows and movies.”
“Your stomach okay now?”
“Seems to be,” she said in a deliberately casual, breezy tone. “Would you get some warm water for me? I’d like to clean him up a little.”
Liam continued to stare. “Sure,” he said finally. He left the room, returning with a large bowl of warm water and a face cloth.
Willa washed the baby, talking softly to him when he cried. “Don’t cry little one, you’re okay.” Liam took the dirty water away and brought her back another fresh bowlful, so she was able to get Jacob cleaned up. She put a tiny diaper on him and wrapped him snugly in a couple of baby blankets.
Liam watched every move she made as if taking mental notes.
Maddy moaned and Willa looked for Liam “Can you take the baby while I deliver the afterbirth?”
“Sure.” He scooped the child out of her arms. “Hey, big guy,” he crooned. “You’re looking good.”
Liam looked relaxed with the baby in his arms. Happy and comfortable, as if he had several children.
He bent down and put his nose on the baby’s head. “How come babies smell so good?”
“I think there’s a law of physics explaining it,” Willa said absently as she dealt with the afterbirth.
He laughed and cradled the boy more snugly. “I think I could get used to this.” He turned his head and looked right at her.
The bottom fell out of Willa’s stomach. “What?” Buzzing in her ears had her attempting to breath deep, but there was no air.
“Wait until he gets hungry,” Maddy replied, breaking through the static. “You probably wouldn’t like that quite so much.”
Yes, yes, she was right. Willa took another breath, injecting oxygen into her lungs. “Babies are a lot of work,” she added. “They need constant care and feeding around the clock too.”
She was able to get Maddy cleaned up a little and settled on the couch with her son in her arms when the
sound of engines outside caught their attention. The front door burst open. Two men and several women crowded into the house.
“Maddy?” the man in front shouted.
“I’m here, Hank, and everything’s fine,” Maddy told him, laughing.
He rushed to her side and knelt next to her, touching his wife and newborn baby with shaking hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it for the delivery, sweetheart.”
“You couldn’t have known. I wasn’t due for another three weeks. I thought it was false labor until my water broke. Jim called 9-1-1 and Willa and Liam arrived just in time.”
Hank turned to look at them as if he hadn’t been aware they were even in the room. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad we got here in time,” Willa said with a smile. “We’ll have to take Maddy and your son into Fairbanks for a checkup, but I don’t anticipate any problems. The delivery was very simple and straightforward.”
At the hospital, Willa made arrangements to have mother and child flown home after several days’ recovery time and treatment for Maddy’s high blood pressure.
“How are you feeling now?” Liam asked once they were back in the air and on their way to Stony Creek.
She rubbed her hand over her belly. “Not so good. I probably should’ve eaten something in Fairbanks. I get queasy if I skip a meal.”
“I grabbed a banana for you while you were talking with the doctor.” He angled his thumb over his shoulder and she spied a bag just behind his seat.
“Thank you.” She opened the bag and discovered it had more than one banana. “Do you want one?”
He shrugged. “Maybe later.”
She peeled one and opened her mouth to take a bite.
She paused as she realized Liam was staring at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not a damn thing.”
She nearly dropped the banana. “What?”
His gaze rose until it met her eyes and she caught her breath as it singed her skin.
“You can’t possibly find me…” She paused, searching for the correct word—hell, any word—that might make sense in the situation.
“Sexy,” he suggested in a growl that made a suggestion of its own.
