The Reality Bride's Baby

by Lorana Hoopes

  Laney garnered a few odd looks as she entered the building and made her way to the office. Was her fear evident on her face? Or did the tear in her sleeve and the blood have people freaking out?

  “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” Dana, the nurse, asked when she entered the small room that always held the odor of Band-Aids to Laney. She did not understand how Dana worked in this small room all day.

  “I fell. Not sure what I tripped on. Maybe ice.”

  Dana’s eyes widened. “You’re going to get the baby checked out, aren’t you?”

  The fear in her voice ratcheted up the feeling in Laney’s heart. “Yes, I’m going to call as soon as we’re done.”

  “Good, don’t wait. I’m sure we can get you a sub for the last class.”

  “Do you think I hurt the baby?” The fear became a waterfall as the words spilled from her mouth. Saying them somehow made them more real.

  Dana’s lips folded into a tight line. “I’d like to say no, I mean a lot of fluid surrounds babies but you’re what? Thirty-six weeks?”

  “Thirty-five.” Laney sat on the small cot-like bed and rolled up her sleeve.

  “I wouldn’t want to wager a guess. My suggestion is to fill out a worker’s compensation form and then head to the doctor.”

  Laney nodded and tried not to grimace as Dana swabbed the scrape on her arm. The stinging sensation was minor compared to the squeezing one occurring on her heart. She took a deep breath to calm herself. There was no use getting all riled up until she knew for sure. Besides, God was in control.

  “Okay, all done. Let’s get you that paperwork.” Dana strode to the secretary’s desk and rummaged in a folder set until she found what she wanted. She handed the white form to Laney. “Fill this out and you can return it to Linda tomorrow or when you get back.”

  “Thank you.” Laney took the form trying to keep her fingers from trembling. It was one thing to say God was in control but it was much harder to believe when it concerned her unborn child.

  Tyler pulled out his cell phone as he turned the truck engine off. He would only be gone the evening making this trade, but he missed Laney. And even though he would only be away from home for the evening, it was still too long. Especially right now. The baby could potentially come any time. And he just wanted to hear her voice—to hear about her day and tell her he loved her before she passed out from her pregnancy induced exhausting day.

  Though he envied a few of the feelings she described, like the movement of the baby, he held no jealousy of the rest. Her hips had begun aching so badly at four months that she could rarely walk longer than a few hundred yards and a month later she’d developed a wicked case of heartburn that required prescription pills. Plus, there was the nauseous sensation that overwhelmed her around certain foods. He couldn’t even eat bacon in the room with her because she swore the smell of it turned her stomach. Yes, those things he did not envy.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey beautiful. How’s your day going?”

  “It’s been… interesting.”

  Why did she sound tentative? “Interesting? What does that mean?” Red flags set up camp in his mind. Had something happened to her? Had something happened to the baby?

  “Okay, don’t freak out-” Don’t freak out? Those were not the words to say to him to keep them from freaking out. “But I fell at work today.”

  She fell? Visions of her hurt and lying on the pavement invaded his mind. “Oh my gosh. Are you okay?” He should never have left her alone. She had a klutzy tendency on the best of days and now she couldn’t even see her feet.

  “Um, I’m not sure. I’m at the doctor’s office. They have me hooked up to some heart rate monitor. So far everything seems fine but they aren’t letting me leave yet.”

  Tyler looked at his watch. It was nearly five. If he finished his business quickly, he could get back on the road within an hour and be home by ten. “I’m coming back, but I can’t get there until later tonight-”

  “Don’t drop everything and hurry back, Tyler,” she said interrupting him, “What you’re doing is important for the ranch and I’ll be all right.”

  “It is, but it’s nowhere near as important as you and the baby. Can you keep me informed through text if you get released? Otherwise, I’ll head straight there. And call Nancy. Someone should be there with you.”

  “Okay, I will. Tyler? Can you pray?”

  “Without ceasing,” he answered.

  Chapter 4

  “All right, well it looks like everything is fine,” the doctor said as she began removing the heart monitoring belt stretched across Laney’s belly.

  A sigh of relief billowed forth. “Oh thank goodness. I was so worried-” A rapid beeping noise cut her words short and she and the doctor turned simultaneously to the machine. “What does that mean?” Laney’s voice trembled with emotion.

  “That means your baby’s heart rate just dropped again. I want to continue monitoring you, so I’m going to send you to the hospital.”

  The hospital? Laney had never held a fear of hospitals but the expression on the doctor’s face and the tone in her voice sent a cold shock of trepidation down her body to her toes. “Okay, I’m parked just outside. I’ll go straight there.”

  The doctor shook her head. “No, you can’t drive. I’m ordering an ambulance to take you there.”

  An ambulance? What wasn’t the doctor telling her? “But the hospital is right across the street,” Laney protested.

  “And I don’t know why your baby’s heart rate dropped. I want you monitored continuously, and the only way I can do that is if the ambulance takes you over.”

  Laney was not prone to panic attacks, but she was certain she was having one now. The room started to close in, and a suffocating feeling blanketed her.

  The doctor squeezed her arm. “Hey, stay with me. I’m sure it’s nothing major, but I’d rather be cautious.”

  “Okay.” But it wasn’t okay. Laney felt small and helpless and scared. The stillness of the room weighed on her after the doctor left. There was just the beeping of the monitor, the scratching of the machine on the paper it printed out and the sound of her heart which was loud. So loud in her ears.

  A few minutes later, two paramedics entered the room. Without a word of encouragement they transferred her to a stretcher and wheeled her out of the doctor’s office. Laney closed her eyes against the onslaught of fluorescent lights that flashed by as the motion stirred her nausea.

  When she opened them again, it was the inside of the ambulance she saw. One paramedic sat beside her. He pulled out a band and wrapped it around her arm.

  “I’m going to put an IV in.”

  Laney scoffed. “Good luck.” She’d inherited terrible, hard to find veins from her mother and though they seemed to have gotten better during this pregnancy, it still took the techs a few tries to find one.

  The paramedic tapped her veins, shook his head and tried again. With a sigh, he pulled the band off. “You’re right. I’m going to just let the hospital handle that if they want one.”

  A few minutes later, they wheeled her into the hospital and directly to a room. Dr. Lopez, one of her doctors, entered seconds later.

  “Hi, Laney, Dr. Johnson called me and filled me in. Don’t worry, I will take superb care of you and the baby.”

  Laney relaxed a little at the sight of Dr. Johnson. She was Laney’s favorite of the rotating doctors. There were three OBs at her office and she had met with each of them but she connected with Dr. Johnson the most. “Okay, just tell me he’s fine.”

  Dr. Johnson squeezed her arm. “I’m sure he is. We just want to monitor his heart rate a little longer.”

  Laney let out the breath she hadn’t known she was holding as Dr. Johnson adjusted the heart monitor belt across her belly.

  “Now, try to relax. I know it’s hard but the baby will relax more if you aren’t tensed up. Watch some TV and take it easy. I’ll be back to check on you.” She handed the remote to Lan
ey and checked the machine one more time. “Do you have anyone coming for you? Should I call someone?”

  “No,” Laney shook her head, “my husband is on a trip and won’t be back until later but I have my friend coming.”

  “Okay, get some rest.”

  Laney flicked on the television but none of the shows interested her. She wished she had her books and her Bible. Reading the Word would be the perfect distraction right now. Her phone. She had books on her phone and she could text Nancy to see if she would stop by and grab her Bible if she hadn’t left yet. She knew she could get the Bible on her phone, but there was something comforting in holding the actual book.

  Laney patted the bed around her. She was certain they had placed her purse next to her before loading her onto the stretcher. Her fingers hit a large bulge in the sheets and a smile pulled at her lips. Yes!

  Tyler tried not to show his impatience as Jefferson looked over the deal, but his foot would not stay still. Tap, tap, tap. He placed his hand on his thigh to control the fidgety movement.

  “Am I keeping you from something?” Jefferson’s eyes remained on the paper.

  “No, it’s-” Tyler stopped. There was no need to lie about this. It was obvious the time held his focus. “Okay, yes. I called my wife as I pulled up here and she told me she fell at work. She’s eight months pregnant, and I’m a little worried about the baby.”

  Jefferson folded his hands and looked up. “Why didn’t you say so? I have no desire to keep a man from being there for his wife in a time of need. This looks good, and I’ll be happy to do this deal.”

  “Thank you, sir.” The two men shook hands and Tyler was back on the road half an hour later

  He sent up a prayer for Laney’s safety and his own peace of mind as he pulled onto the highway. The next four hours could not go fast enough.

  Chapter 5

  Nancy burst into the room with baby Sarah strapped to her chest in a sling, a tote bag in one arm and her purse in the other. Her eyes were wide with concern as she crossed the room in three long strides. “Laney, have they told you anything yet?”

  Laney shook her head. She was so glad Nancy had arrived. Being in the room alone had allowed her mind to focus on everything that might go wrong.

  “I’m sure everything is fine, but I brought you your Bible like you asked and a phone charger. I know you didn’t ask for one but if someone stuck me in the hospital for an indeterminable amount of time, I know I would want mine.”

  “Thank you.” Before Laney could say more, the nurse entered.

  “Okay, let’s get you unhooked.”

  “Is she going home?” Nancy asked stealing the words right out of Laney’s mouth.

  “It looks like it but the doctor wants an ultrasound just to be sure. So, I’ll take you down for one and then we’ll begin the discharge process and get you on your way.

  Laney didn’t mind. The ultrasound was mainly for them to know what was going on with the baby but it would ease her fears as well to hear the baby’s heartbeat and see him move.

  The ultrasound was quick and painless. Laney was back in the room less than half an hour later but the nurse wasn’t around.

  “Where is she? Should I call someone?” Nancy asked looking at her watch. Baby Sarah was stirring in the sling and Laney knew Nancy would have to nurse and change her soon.

  The nurse appeared then but instead of bringing in discharge papers, she hooked Laney back up to the monitoring machine.

  “Wait, what’s going on? I thought I was going home?” Panic threaded Laney’s voice.

  “Sorry, I’m not sure. I was just told to hook you back up. Dr. Johnson should be in shortly to give you more details.”

  Laney’s heart thundered in her chest. What was going on? The ultrasound tech had said nothing but Laney knew they generally couldn’t.

  “Don’t worry,” Nancy said taking her hand after the nurse left, “God’s got this.”

  Laney knew God was faithful and she tried to focus on that but her mind was racing down a hundred rabbit trails. Was something wrong with the baby? Had her fall caused it? What would she do if she had injured her baby? She sent up a silent prayer for peace as Nancy prayed aloud.

  A knock sounded as they said “Amen,” and Dr. Johnson entered. “Hey, Laney, I’m sure you’re wondering why we hooked you back up to the monitor.”

  Laney bit the inside of her lip and nodded. She would not cry.

  “The ultrasound showed that you have lost a lot of amniotic fluid. Enough that I’m not comfortable sending you home. I’m placing you on hospital bed rest so we can monitor it.”

  Hospital bed rest? What did that even mean? “For how long?” Laney asked.

  “Until the baby’s born.”

  “But that’s another five or six weeks. I’m only thirty-four weeks. Am I stuck in the hospital that whole time?”

  Dr. Johnson flashed a small smile and patted her arm. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. You’ll get to catch up on rest and you won’t have to worry about cooking.”

  Laney wasn’t worried about cooking. What she was worried about was her insurance coverage. She had no idea what a six-week stay in the hospital would cost and as she would need to take much more maternity leave than she planned, she worried there wouldn’t be enough money to cover it. “Did I cause this? With my fall?”

  “I don’t think so. I can’t explain why your amniotic fluid has decreased as it was normal the last time you came into the office but I would say it’s actually very lucky that you fell. Now, we are aware and can monitor you and the baby. We’re also going to give you some steroids to help his lungs develop in case we have to take him early.”

  “Why would you need to do that?” Was thirty-four weeks enough? She ached to jump on her phone and google side effects of such an early birth.

  “Because his heart rate keeps dropping and we aren’t sure why. It could be something simple but we aren’t sure. If it drops for too long, it could affect his development so we’d rather get him out early if that happens.”

  Laney nodded, but she wasn’t sure she understood the impact of what Dr. Johnson was saying. What she did understand was that she wasn’t going home tonight or tomorrow.

  It was just after ten when Tyler pulled into the hospital parking lot. He barely remembered to lock the doors as he raced toward the front entrance.

  “Can I help you?” a nurse asked as he thundered in.

  “I’m Tyler Hall. They brought my wife in earlier. Laney Hall.”

  “Just a moment please.” The nurse tapped a few keys on the computer and then smiled. “Your wife is doing fine. She’s in labor and delivery room three.”

  “Labor and deliver? Did she have the baby?” Had he missed the birth? How was that possible? She had five weeks left.

  “No, but they want to keep her for observation. You can go back after I get you a visitor tag.”

  Tyler answered her questions, but his patience was wearing thin. He wanted to see his wife with his own eyes and make sure she was okay. Finally, she handed him the tag and buzzed him through to the maternity ward.

  Eyes peeled for the room numbers, Tyler raced down the hall pushing open room three without even knocking. Laney looked up as he entered and offered a tight smile.

  “What’s going on?” Tyler asked taking her hand in his.

  “Low amniotic fluid and the baby’s heart rate keeps dropping so I’m on hospital bed rest until he’s born.”

  Tyler’s eyes widened. “The whole five weeks?”

  She nodded and he could tell by the glistening in her eyes that she was fighting tears. “Or until he comes. If his heart rate keeps dropping they want to induce labor and take him early.”

  “Okay, well it isn’t what we planned but we’ll make it work. I’ll finish the crib and get the room all set up. You focus on resting and doing whatever the doctors tell you to do.” He wiped a solitary tear from her cheek and then placed a kiss on her lips. “We’ll get through this because we hav
e God and each other.”

  Chapter 6

  The beeping startled Laney when it began. It had been so boring the last three days in the hospital, and she was tired of laying down. They didn’t even allow her walks; she was only allowed out of bed long enough to go to the bathroom. Then it was back in bed and the nurse hooked her back up to the monitoring machine. She’d finished three books on her phone and watched entirely too many stupid movies but it had been relatively quiet. Now it was not.

  The nurse rushed in followed by Dr. Johnson. Neither of them said a word to Laney but studied the paper printout of the machine.

  “Get me the portable ultrasound machine please,” Dr. Johnson said to the nurse who hurried out of the room.

  “What’s going on?”

  “The baby’s heart rate has dropped. It usually goes back up, but it’s been almost three minutes. I want to do another ultrasound in case he flipped but your baby was breach the last time we looked.”

  Laney knew he was upside down, but they’d told her he had plenty of time to get into the right position. “What does it matter if he’s breach?”

  “We can’t induce labor if he’s not in the right position. If things haven’t changed, we’ll have to do an emergency C-section.”

  “What? No.” Laney wasn’t even sure why she objected but having a doctor cut her open and rip out her baby didn’t sit well with her.

  “I know it’s not what you would want but C-sections are a relatively normal procedure. It is what’s best for your baby. Some mothers think this means they’ve failed as a mother because they couldn’t give birth naturally but that isn’t true. You’ve had a long term relationship with this little one and we just want to keep him safe and healthy.”

  Laney hadn’t even thought about being less of a mother; she was more concerned with her son being developed enough.

  The nurse reappeared with the ultrasound machine about the same time Tyler re-entered with snacks and a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. His wide eyes asked silent questions as he approached her side but Laney simply shook her head. She knew little more than he did right now.