Unplanned
Page 31
“Sir, you can’t be in here,” the nurse said.
“It’s okay. I’m the father,” he said.
The nurse looked at Renee, and she nodded.
“Stand over there.”
Bryce moved to stand by the window and watched as Renee pushed. Her mother counted to ten beside her, and she relaxed. Three more pushes, and Alyssa’s head crowned.
“How many more?” Renee complained.
“That’s up to you. Give us some really strong pushes, and we’ll have this baby,” the nurse answered.
Renee sucked in a big breath and blew out slowly as she pressed her chin to her chest. She heard her mother squeal happily as the baby slid out. Renee’ listened intently for the telltale cry, and she laughed as Alyssa wailed loudly in the doctor’s arms.
“Happy birthday, little lady,” the doctor said, placing her on Renee’s stomach.
Renee reached down and took her daughter by the hand. “She’s perfect.”
“Do you want to cut the cord?” the doctor asked Bryce.
“No.”
Renee wasn’t surprised. He’d been hands off the whole pregnancy; why should now be any different. Still, he did ask to hold her. As he handed the baby over, he leaned close to Renee’s ear.
“You did good, Renee.”
“Thanks. I’m glad you were here.”
“I’m sorry I was late.”
“You were here for the important part.”
“How is it you just went through six hours of labor and you still look beautiful?” he asked.
“Don’t push it,” she warned.
He smiled and backed off. Renee looked down at the baby in her arms and let the rest of the world melt away. It didn’t matter what was going on around her; she finally had her little girl.
36
April 19th
Erika sat in her aa meeting but couldn’t focus. She’d been to see Renee in the hospital and was starting to feel nervous about delivering her own baby. It didn’t help that Shannon and Lisbeth had delivered already. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have the baby until the end of the month, but she kept thinking that they might take Peter early because of the FAS.
“Hey, are you all right?” Nate asked, tugging on her shirtsleeve.
“Just…thinking. I’m kind of worried about the baby. Renee had Alyssa kind of unexpectedly. And Lisbeth had to have a C-section to deliver the twins. I guess I’m just…I’m not ready for this.”
“Come on, let’s go for a walk,” he said.
“But the meeting isn’t over.”
“That’s okay. You look like you need some air.”
They walked out of the church and into the crisp night air. The sky darkened on the horizon while they walked up and down the sidewalk.
“You’re worried something could happen during delivery?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I just don’t know what to expect. I mean, I know he’s going to have some problems, but what if that means he can’t come out…normally?”
“Have you talked to Michelle and Andrew about it? Did they have an opinion?”
“They said to do whatever I was most comfortable with and what was best for Peter. But how am I supposed to know what that is if I’ve never done this before?”
“That’s okay. You’ve got time.”
“It doesn’t feel like I do. I feel kind of sick. And my stomach hurts. Has been for the last couple of hours.”
“Hurts how?”
“Like cramps. But I mean…I can’t actually be having the baby now. It’s not like my water broke or anything.”
“Maybe we should go to the hospital, just to be sure?”
“I don’t want to make Andrew and Michelle pay for a visit if they don’t have to.”
“This is your baby we’re talking about, Erika. I don’t think you should worry about the money right now.”
She bit her lip. “I…okay.”
They headed for the T, and Erika pulled out her phone. She dialed Michelle’s cell number first. She answered on the first ring.
“Hi, Erika.”
“My friend is taking me to the hospital. I think I might be having contractions.”
“Which hospital? We’ll meet you there.”
“New England Medical. I don’t know if it’s anything, but…I don’t want to do something that could hurt the baby.”
“I understand. We’ll see you there, honey. Do you need me to call anyone?”
“Do you have Dane’s number? I want him there if anything happens.”
“I think we have it, yeah. I’ll call and let him know.”
“Thanks.”
A short while later, Erika lay in a hospital bed with monitors hooked up to her and the baby. Michelle, Andrew, Nate, and Dane surrounded her while she tried not to burst into tears from the pain.
“Don’t they have drugs to make the pain go away?” she begged.
“We’ll see if we can find a doctor,” Dane said and led Nate out of the room.
Erika gripped the bed rail as another contraction ripped through her. She couldn’t take much more of this. Feeling a hand on top of hers, she looked to see Michelle leaning over.
“You are doing so well. You can get through this.”
“I can’t. I can’t do it. It’s too hard.”
“Just keep trying. I promise, you’ll make it.”
The fetal heart monitor went haywire just as Dane and Nate walked back in. It spiked and then nosedived.
“What’s happening?” Erika asked. Her voice was barely audible over the beeping machines.
A team of nurses pushed through and checked the monitors and her progress with labor.
“What’s wrong?” Erika demanded.
“We’re not sure. The baby’s heart rate is decreasing,” the head nurse said. She turned to one of her colleagues and said, “Get an ultrasound tech down here now.”
“That’s bad. Tell me what’s going on.”
“You need to try to stay calm. Just take slow breaths and relax.”
“Don’t tell me to relax! What’s wrong with my baby?”
“Ma’am, you’re not helping the baby right now. You need to lie down and try to take deep breaths.”
Dane wrapped his hand around Erika’s and squeezed it hard. “We’re right here.”
It eased her worry the tiniest bit and lasted long enough for the ultrasound technician to come in and scan. Grim worry was etched in every line of his face.
“What?” Erika gasped.
“It appears the cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck and is cutting off oxygen.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means in order to get your baby out safely, we’re going to need to perform a C-section.”
“Won’t that hurt him?”
“No. It will be less stressful than trying to make it through the birth canal.”
“Does she have to sign anything?” Nate asked.
“A consent form. We’ll get it right now.”
Fifteen minutes later, Erika and her entourage hustled into the OR. Erika watched as doctors scrubbed down and wheeled in a tray of sharp instruments. She held onto Dane’s hand the entire time. The epidural dulled the pressure below her belly button. She strained to hear some semblance of a cry. It was almost an eternity before she heard it.
“He cried,” she said.
“He did,” Michelle agreed.
“Can I hold him? Just for a minute?” Erika asked.
Michelle and Andrew exchanged a look before Michelle nodded. After the nurse cleaned him up, they brought Peter over.
“You can hold him for a minute, but he has to get checked out in the intensive care unit.”
Erika stared at the baby in her arms. He seemed so small and perfect. His cheeks were puffy, and his skin was tinted purple, but he was regaining normal color. That was more to do with the cord being wrapped around his neck than the FAS.
“Happy birthday, Peter.”
She kissed the top of his head,
and he squirmed in her arms. She gasped as he surveyed the world for the first time and looked right at her. In that moment, she could feel her resolve falter. For just an instant, she thought she could raise him on her own. Then she looked at Michelle and Andrew, waiting in expectation of holding their son, and Erika knew she couldn’t keep him. He would be well looked after with his adoptive parents. She handed him to Michelle.
Epilogue
September 20th
Shannon pushed the stroller up the path on the Common, and sun shone through the trees, dappling the grass with patches of light. She spotted a small group with blankets and baby carriers and stopped. “Sorry I’m late/” She unbuckled Aiden from the stroller and laid him on the blanket beside the other babies.
“No worries. God, he’s getting so big,” Lisbeth said, leaning over to tickle Aiden’s stomach.
He kicked and gurgled in response.
“They all are. I can’t believe it’s been six months already,” Renee said and stuck a pacifier in Alyssa’s mouth.
“I miss seeing you all at yoga,” Erika added from beside Renee.
“I think we should start our own little class. Just the four of us. We can do it over at my place. We have the room now,” Shannon offered.
“So the addition is finished?” Lisbeth asked.
“Yeah. They finished at the end of August. I was actually surprised how fast they worked. And I only lost my mind a couple of times. The kids were really good about staying out of the way. And things are good between Mike and me. I think we just needed an outside observer to help us work through our issues.”
Everyone laughed and watched the four babies squirming around on the blanket.
“Are you ready to go back to work?” Renee asked Lisbeth.
“Yeah. Candace is working a shorter schedule, and since the twins are pretty good about their naptimes, she can bring them to work with her. I’m going to miss them. The school is actually letting me start back earlier than I expected.”
“I’m sure they’ll miss you, too.”
“You still think you made the right choice?” Erika asked.
Lisbeth smiled and said, “Yes. I knew the minute I held them for the first time that we’d made the right choice. It wouldn’t have been right to only have one of them.”
“How are things with your family?” Shannon asked, smoothing the blanket by Aiden’s head.
Lisbeth shrugged. “They’ve seen the twins a bunch of times. Mom adores them. They babysat a couple weekends ago when we went out to dinner. Our first real date since we brought them home in April.”
“Have they said anything about…?” Renee trailed off.
“They are civil to Candace and have even called her my partner, so I think I should be happy with that. They’re back in my life, and they’ll get to know their grandchildren. That’s all I can ask for. Besides, Elena’s been great.”
“That’s great. I knew they couldn’t stay away once Rachel and Patrick came along,” Shannon said.
“So, It’s September, and a certain somebody hasn’t opened their other boyfriend’s present yet,” Renee said, prodding Erika.
“He’s not my other boyfriend.”
“Just your super-hot friend who you still think about kissing sometimes. If you don’t want him, can I have him?” Renee asked.
“He is pretty cute,” Shannon agreed.
Erika spun the small box between her fingers and laughed at her friends. “I guess you can have him. Just be gentle with him.”
“Come on. I want to know what he got you,” Lisbeth said.
“Okay, okay.”
Erika unwrapped the package and pulled the top from the box. A golden coin with her name etched in one side sat nestled against a little red velvet pillow. She picked it up and turned it over. The other side simply said one year.
“There’s a note in there,” Shannon said.
Erika didn’t bother with the note, so Shannon reached over and picked it up. She unfolded it and read it aloud.
“It says, ‘Erika I had this made for you while I was away. You deserve something special on your first anniversary of sobriety.’”
“That’s so sweet,” Renee said.
“He had it made for me. I…I can’t believe he did that.”
“I can,” Lisbeth said. “He’s a good guy, and he really wants to see you succeed.”
“How am I supposed to say thank you?”
“With your mouth,” Renee teased.
Erika blushed and snatched the note back from Shannon. She tucked it back in the box and stuck it in her purse for safekeeping.
“How have things been with the two of you?” Lisbeth asked, nodding her head at Erika and Renee.
“It was hard at first when Renee brought Alyssa home. I broke down a few times, but I’m good now. It was just harder than I thought it would be.”
“What about you and Bryce?” Shannon asked.
“It’s going okay. I mean, he’s forgotten a couple of times, but so far, he hasn’t done anything stupid while he’s had her. So I guess I can’t complain.”
Shannon nodded and watched Erika fish something out of her purse. “Michelle and Andrew sent this to me the other day.”
She passed around the photograph of Peter, and everyone said how cute he was and how big he was getting.
“They say he’s doing really well. Not really delayed that much. Though I guess it doesn’t show up until he gets older.”
“That’s great. Are you still happy you gave him up?” Lisbeth asked.
“Yeah. I am. I wasn’t ready for all of this. Next time—and there will be one—I’ll be ready.”
“Maybe we all will,” Renee mused.
“Oh no. Four is my limit,” Shannon said.
“And I think we used all of our good luck with Rachel and Patrick,” Lisbeth agreed.
Beside them, Rachel rolled over and landed partially atop her brother. Alyssa half-crawled, half-wormed her way closer to the other babies and reached out her hand toward Aiden’s arm. He cried out as she pinched it. From his position beneath his sister, Patrick kicked out a leg, and Alyssa released her grip.
“She’s never done that before,” Renee said, giving Shannon an apologetic look.
“She’s probably never had anyone her size around that she can play with.”
“Well, that’s going to change. They can’t very well go through all of their milestones alone,” Renee said.
“You’re right. We’ll just have to bring them along when we get together so they have each other to play with,” Erika said.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I need to thank my parents for believing in me and encouraging me to follow my dreams. Without them, I don’t think this book would have come about. A big thanks goes out to the team at Musa Publishing for taking a chance on me back in 2012. They allowed me to share Shannon, Lisbeth, Renee and Erika’s journey with the world for the first time. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Sharon, my lovely editor, without whom I couldn’t have combated all of that repetitive phrasing and exclamation point overuse. You were a joy to work with.
I have to give a shout out to Lori and Nena for muddling through those early drafts and imparting their invaluable advice and suggestions which made this book so much stronger and the characters so much deeper. In an odd way, I also need to say thank you to Professor Greenberg, who taught my Torts class my first semester of law school. If it hadn’t been for her, I’m not sure this story would have even taken shape.
About the Author
Sarah lives in Massachusetts with her boyfriend. She is a licensed attorney and spends her days combatting employment discrimination as an Investigator with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
Unplanned is her debut novel and quite appropriately, was inspired by a course during her first year of law school. Sarah is a self-professed TV junkie and in her spare time (what’s that?), she runs a TV recap blog with her best friend (and sorority
sister), Jen.
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You can connect with Sarah at her website: www.sarah-biglow.com and follow her on Twitter @SBiglowWrites.
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For those TV-obsessed souls, you can head on over to the recap blog: www.more-tv-please.com. You can also follow the blog on Twitter @MoreTVPlease and check it out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoreTVPlease.
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