by Sarah Biglow
“I think we need a nurse,” she said, reaching for the call button.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Candace asked.
“I’m not sure, but something feels wrong.”
She hit the button, and a minute later, a nurse and Doctor Melissa came rushing in.
“I think something’s wrong,” Lisbeth said.
“Lay back,” the nurse instructed.
Lisbeth did as she was told and grimaced as another contraction sent a ripple of discomfort through her lower back and stomach. The monitors beside her started to beep erratically.
“We have some fetal distress,” the nurse said, looking at Melissa.
Melissa pursed her lips and took a couple of steps closer to the head of the bed. “We have two options at this point.”
“I’m listening.”
“We can see if the babies calm down on their own and wait for you to dilate so you can deliver them vaginally, or we can do a C-section and get them out in the next hour.”
Lisbeth looked at Candace, and an understanding passed between them. “C-section. I don’t want to put any more stress on them than we have to.”
“All right. We’ll get you prepped, and we’ll be having these babies in about an hour.”
“Great.”
The nurse came back in with an anesthesiologist, and they gave her an epidural. She also signed off on the consent form for the C-section.
“It should start to work in a few minutes,” the anesthesiologist told her.
“I can stay awake for the procedure, right?” Lisbeth asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Forty minutes later, a group of nurses rolled Lisbeth into the operating room. She gripped Candace’s hand as they set up a curtain right above her belly button.
“How are you feeling?” Melissa asked.
“Nervous.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll have these babies out in no time. You just relax and let us do the rest.”
Lisbeth tried not to listen to the voices beyond the curtain talking about cutting and scalpels. All she wanted to hear was the sound of her babies’ first cries. As long as they cried, she would be the happiest mom in the world.
“Lisbeth, look,” Candace whispered.
Lisbeth blinked, and one of the nurses showed her a squirming baby girl. Exactly twenty-one seconds later, a little boy appeared above the curtain, wailing just as loudly as his sister.
“We did it,” Lisbeth gasped as tears streamed down her cheeks.
All worries about whether it would have been right to reduce to a single baby disappeared when the nurses walked over and presented them with their newborn bundles.
“Can we hold them?” Lisbeth asked.
“Sure. They look pretty good for thirty-seven weeks. We may need to keep them for observation, but you should be able to take them home in a few days.”
34
April 10th
Shannon stood beside her bed, folding laundry. Tanner sat on the floor next to her, playing with trucks.
“I want to help,” he said, casting his toys aside.
“Okay. Come here. You can be Mama’s sock sorter.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Climb up here, and I’ll show you.”
He jumped onto the bed and sat in a pile of unfolded clothes.
“Find all of the socks and match them up.”
“Okay.”
He rooted around until he had a pile of socks in his lap. Shannon smiled as she continued to fold shirts and pants. Every few minutes, she felt a twinge in her stomach. It’d been there all morning, but she’d done her best to ignore it. Aiden is being overactive. She was due any day now, but still, she couldn’t be having contractions now. A very familiar sensation knocked her out of lying to herself.
“Tanner, stay here. Mama will be right back.”
“Okay, Mama.”
Shannon made her way to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. She felt a pop and a gush. Clear fluid filled the toilet bowl.
“Damn,” she swore.
After sitting for a few more minutes, she got up and went back to the bedroom. She pulled a bag from her closet.
“Tanner, come on. We have to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“The hospital. Mama’s going to have the baby.”
Tanner leapt off the bed and thundered downstairs, Shannon right behind him. She grabbed her purse, keys, and a jacket.
“Mama, I need help,” Tanner said as he struggled with his shoes.
Shannon did her best to help, but bending triggered another contraction.
“You can put your shoes on in the car.”
Five minutes later, they were on the road, and Shannon dialed Mike’s work number. It rang three times.
“Hon, I’m about to go into court. Can this wait?”
“No. It can’t. My water broke about ten minutes ago. I’ve been having contractions all morning. I’m on my way to the hospital with Tanner. I need you to meet us there.”
“Are you sure you can drive?”
“I’m sure. Just get there.”
Shannon ended the call and focused on driving.
“Mama?” Tanner asked as they pulled into a parking spot at the hospital.
“Yes, Tanner?”
“Can I play with the baby?”
“Not right now. He has to come out first. And he’s going to sleep a lot when he first gets home. Remember how we talked about that?”
“Yeah. When is he coming?”
“Soon, buddy. Very soon.”
Shannon pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. She took Tanner by the hand and walked through the front entrance. She stopped at the front desk and explained her situation. A nurse marched over with a wheelchair, and Shannon sat down.
“I want to do it,” Tanner said.
“Be careful, and don’t push too fast. And you go where this nice lady tells you,” Shannon said.
Going slow and doing exactly as the nurse instructed, he did a good job getting her to her room. She was grateful for his good behavior as another contraction winded her. This one felt stronger than ones before. The nurse gave her a gown to put on and Shannon changed. The contractions were closer together. Maybe five or six minutes at most. Definitely the fastest labor she’d had. She hoped that Mike would make it before it was over. Breathing through a contraction, Shannon relaxed just as her doctor came in.
“Well, it seems we’re right on time,” he said.
“Seems so.”
“I’m going to check you to see how dilated you are.” He lifted the sheet, and Shannon felt pressure. “How long have you been having contractions?”
“I think all morning. But my water broke only maybe forty minutes ago.”
“You’re already five centimeters. We’re going to have this baby really soon.”
“The benefit of being a mother,” Shannon mused.
Mike raced in. “You made it,” he said.
“Of course I did. I told you I’d be fine. I hope the judge understood you having to rush off.”
“Don’t worry about that now, honey. How are you doing?”
“Five centimeters. If I keep progressing this fast, we may have our little boy within an hour and half,” Shannon said.
“Wonderful.”
They’d come far since January. Shannon was happy that, at least right now, he was being so supportive and understanding. The doctor ducked out of the room, and Mike leaned over the bed. He kissed Shannon on the lips and rested his forehead against hers.
“Can I do anything?” he asked.
“Make sure someone picks the kids up from school.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I helped,” Tanner said proudly.
“You did?”
“He pushed me from the lobby all the way here like a big boy.”
“I am a big boy.”
“Yes, you are.”
Around noon,
Shannon started pushing. One of the nurses took Tanner to the kid’s wing to play with some of the toys since he was too young to be in the room for the birth. Shannon gripped Mike’s hand, pressed her chin to her chest, and exhaled slowly, counting to ten in her head.
“You’re doing great, Shan.”
She heard suction and knew that at least Aiden’s head had made it through the birth canal. She felt another contraction and pushed.
“Good, keep going. We’re almost there,” the doctor said.
Shannon whimpered as she felt the pressure dissipate between her legs. A moment later, the nurse deposited a healthy-looking baby boy on her stomach. She toweled him off, and he began to cry loudly and vigorously. His tiny arms and legs flailed in time to his cries.
“Happy birthday, Aiden,” Mike said and then followed the nurses to the scale with his phone.
Shannon lay back to catch her breath before the afterbirth, listening as Mike babbled to the baby and snapped pictures on his phone.
“Healthy boy. Twenty inches and seven pounds, two ounces,” the nurse said, handing him over.
Shannon grinned, kissed the top of his head, and ran a finger over his cheek.
“Hi, little man.”
He squeaked at her, and she couldn’t keep from crying. “He’s perfect,” she said.
The door opened, and Tanner burst in. He climbed up the bed rail and into his mother’s lap.
“Oomph,” she said at the added weight.
“Why’s he wrinkly?”
“That’s the way babies look. But you have to be quiet and gentle, Tanner.”
Tanner leaned over and kissed his baby brother’s forehead. “Hi, Aiden. I’m your big brother.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Shan, I’m going to run home and get a few things.”
“Okay. Why don’t you pull the kids out early?”
“I’ll be back.”
An hour later, the door opened again, and Christian and Meghan walked in. Tanner sat by the window, watching the ambulances and other cars whiz by outside.
“He’s little,” Meghan said, kissing Aiden’s cheek.
“You were that small once, too,” Shannon said.
“Can I hold him?” Christian asked.
“Sure. Sit down first.”
Christian pulled a chair over, and Shannon handed Aiden to him. He held his little brother like a pro.
“I want to hold him, too,” Meghan said.
“In a minute, Meg.”
Shannon looked over at the door, and Mike walked in with a balloon bouquet. She laughed as he set it by the bed.
“See, it all turned out fine,” Mike said in her ear.
“You’re right. It did.”
35
April 12th
Renee stepped out of the elevator and started down the hallway, scanning each name she passed until reaching the one she was looking for. She knocked and walked in to find Shannon sitting up in bed, nursing Aiden.
“Hey,” Renee said.
“Hi. I didn’t think anyone was going to stop by.”
“I heard that you delivered, and I wanted to see the little guy. Lisbeth said she and Candace just brought the twins home yesterday.”
“I did see them in the nursery for a few minutes the other day. They’re beautiful babies.”
“So is this little guy. Hey there, Aiden,” Renee cooed.
“He’s been pretty good about nursing, and he’s a good sleeper. Thank God for small favors. How about you?”
Renee pulled a chair over and leaned on the edge of the bed. “I’m okay. Just waiting for things to get moving. How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right. Tired still, but I’m starting to get my energy back. You should be ready to go anytime now, right?” Shannon answered.
“Don’t remind me.”
“You’ll be happy to hold her when it’s all over.”
“I am excited. I just want everything to be perfect.”
Shannon placed a hand on Renee’s arm. “I hate to tell you this, but giving birth is rarely perfect. Take it from someone who’s been there four times.”
“I guess I’m a little scared about the whole thing. I know they drug you up and stuff, but…I’m probably being silly.”
“You’re not. It’s a very profound experience. But you’ll have people who care about you there to help you through it and to share it with you.”
Renee nodded and leaned back in the chair. Aiden made soft sucking noises as he continued to nurse, and Renee couldn’t help but smile at him. She couldn’t wait to see her little girl for the first time.
“Can I use your bathroom?”
“Of course.”
Renee got up and headed to the bathroom on the other side of the room. She sat down, and her muscles tightened across her midsection. Like a cramp, but twenty times worse. The pain didn’t go away when she bent double. Inhaling through her nose as deeply as she could, she held it for a count of five and then exhaled just as slowly. By the time she hit five, the pain subsided, and she tried to stand, but the room spun.
“Oh shit.”
Once the feeling passed, she stepped back into the room.
“Do you think you could call a doctor?” she asked Shannon.
“Oh no. Did your water break?”
Renee paled. “I don’t know. But I think I just had a contraction.”
“Just sit down and stay calm. Take deep breaths and try to focus through the contractions.”
“Okay.”
Renee watched Shannon reach over and hit the call button beside the bed. They waited until a nurse stuck her head in.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah. I think I’m going into labor,” Renee said.
“Oh, my. Wait right here, and I’ll get a wheelchair.”
“So much for some time to get over panicking,” Renee muttered.
“You’ll be fine. They’ll admit you and call your mom.”
“Right. And she can stop by the apartment and get my bag. At least I was all packed.”
“See, being worried beforehand can have its advantages,” Shannon said.
The nurse returned and wheeled Renee down the hall to a nurses’ station, where they admitted her and let her call her mother.
“Mom. It’s me. The baby’s coming. I need you to get here as soon as you can.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, honey. Just try to stay calm.”
“I have to call one more person,” Renee said.
“You need to get into a bed, hon,” the nurse said, starting to roll her away from the desk.
“But…the baby’s father needs to know. It will only take a minute. Please.”
“Make it fast.”
Renee dialed Bryce’s number but got his voicemail.
“Bryce, it’s Renee. It’s about noon on the twelfth. I’m at New England Medical, and I’m in labor.”
She hung up and let the nurse wheel her down the hall to the labor and delivery ward. By the time her mother arrived, Renee was almost two centimeters dilated and gripping the bed rail in pain.
“I’m here, sweetheart,” her mother said.
“Make the pain stop,” Renee begged.
“I don’t think they can give you an epidural yet. But you’re doing great.”
“It hurts so much.”
“Squeeze my hand. It will make it hurt less.”
“No, it won’t.”
“It will. Trust me.”
Renee took her mother’s hand and on the next contraction, squeezed as if her life depended on it. To Renee’s surprise, it actually made the pain lessen. She lay back a few minutes later and looked at her mother.
“How’d you do that?”
“It makes you focus on something else.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you want anything? Some water?”
“No. I think if I drink anything, I’ll just throw up.”
“Let me get a cloth to wipe your face.”
Renee didn’t object as her mother wet a cloth from the bathroom and dabbed her forehead and cheeks.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt work,” Renee said.
“Honey, don’t be silly. You know I’d be here no matter what time of day. Your dad and brother will stop by later tonight.”
“Okay. I called Bryce, but he didn’t pick up. I don’t know if he’ll get here in time or not.”
“He’ll be here. I know he’s trying.”
“He says he’s trying. I guess the real test will be once she’s here.”
“You’re going to tell me what to call my grandbaby, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, Mom. I’m naming her Alyssa.”
Tears welled in her mother’s eyes. “Your sister would be so proud of you right now.”
“I hope so. She’s going to grow up knowing her aunt loves her very much, even if she’s not around to say it.”
By four o’clock that afternoon, Renee was seven centimeters and doped up on an epidural. Bryce had yet to show up. There was a knock at the door, and Shannon appeared, walking slowly, as if stiff joints plagued every inch of her.
“How are you doing?” Shannon asked.
“Better now that I have drugs. This is my mom. Mom, this is Shannon. One of my friends from yoga. She had her little boy two days ago.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Shannon said, shaking Renee’s mom’s hand.
“Your first?” Renee’s mom asked.
“Fourth. If you need anything, I’m right down the hall,” Shannon said.
“You haven’t seen Bryce have you?”
“No. I haven’t. I did let Erika know where you were. She says she’ll stop by later tonight if she can.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You’re doing amazing,” Shannon said and gave Renee a quick hug.
Six fifteen p.m. rolled around, and Renee started pushing. Just as she bore down for the first time, footsteps thundered in the hallway. She tried to block them out, figuring they were just an orderly or a nurse, but gasped when Bryce appeared.
“I’m here. I made it,” he gasped.
