by Katie Dowe
That was not good at all.
*****
Maya cried out and clutched at her stomach again. It had been agony the whole way over. Rodrigo had driven as quickly and as smoothly as he could but it didn't help. The contractions only got worse and Maya was struggling.
The tightening in her belly had got worse in the last fifteen minutes and were closer together. Now they felt like they constantly locked everything in Maya's stomach, making it feel like she couldn't breathe properly. But Maya was more concerned about the bleeding. She had learned from her OBGYN that if there was bleeding after twenty-eight weeks there could be a chance that something serious is wrong with the baby and she had to get to hospital as soon as possible.
She was thirty-five weeks. She wasn't full-term for another two weeks. Would her baby be okay?
Rodrigo pulled up in the emergency bay, allowing Jenny and Maya to climb out. Jenny was virtually holding Maya up as they staggered into the emergency room door. Jenny sat Maya down in a chair and hurried to the desk.
"My friend's in labor." She panted to the nurse behind the desk. "She's thirty-five weeks and she's bleeding."
The nurse didn't stop to ask questions. She signaled for her colleague to fetch a wheelchair and hurried to Maya. Maya nearly toppled off the chair with the next contraction and the nurse caught her, easing her into the wheelchair.
"Come with me, love. We'll sort you out."
Maya had no idea where they were going; she was almost passed out with the pain. But soon they were in a room and a midwife was hurrying in.
"Easy there, honey. We'll get you sorted." She reached for a pair of gloves in the dispenser against the wall. "What's your name?"
"Maya Featherstone." Maya to say through gritted teeth. "This is my friend Jenny."
She reached out for her friend. Jenny gripped her hand tightly. The midwife came back to the bed.
"Okay, Maya," She said gently, "I know it's painful right now but I need to check how dilated you are. You need to lie back and stay still if you can."
"I'll try."
Maya leaned back and shut her eyes as another wave passed over her. She felt the midwife ease her legs open and her voice over the pain.
"Jenny, behind you there's some gas and air with a mouthpiece. Give that to Maya. That should ease the pain a little."
Maya felt something go into her mouth and Jenny's hand moved hers to grip the mouthpiece. Maya had used gas and air before when she had broken her arm as a teenager. She breathed it in and out, keeping her eyes shut to stop the dizziness. The pain subsided a little. Not much but enough to be comfortable.
Chapter 11
The midwife's expression when she checked Maya's cervix was not good. Maya could feel the fear taking hold even above the contractions. The midwife sent for a doctor and strapped a heart rate monitor to Maya's belly, trying to find the baby's heartbeat. Maya gripped hold of Jenny's hand. Was her baby okay? Or was she losing him?
The doctor, a kindly-looking woman in her mid-forties, hurried in wearing scrubs. She and the midwife checked the heart rate monitor. Maya's heart dropped when she saw the grim expressions.
"What? Is something wrong? Is my baby okay?"
The doctor turned to Maya, schooling her expression until she didn't look as grim.
"Maya, your baby's heart rate is dropping. Adding to your bleeding and it shows he's in distress. We need to get your baby out as soon as possible."
Maya went cold.
"What does that mean?"
"I'm going to call theater and arrange an emergency C-section."
Maya began to tremble. She didn't want to go under the knife. She was still trying to prepare herself for a vaginal birth. To have someone cut her open and then fish her baby out, to her, was even worse.
"Oh, God."
Jenny gripped her hand and hugged her.
"Take it easy, Maya." She kissed her friend's head. "It'll be fine."
For a fleeting moment Maya wanted Alexei to be there. He could calm her down. She felt better with him close by. But he wasn't there. He was running away from his life and back in Russia.
Now Maya felt even lonelier, even with her best friend at her side.
The midwife looked up at Jenny.
"You're allowed one person in the theater with you for support. Do you want your friend to come in as well?"
"Yes." Maya wailed around a contraction, shoving the gas and air mouthpiece into her mouth and breathing as evenly as she could.
She really wanted Alexei in with her but that was out of the question. Jenny was the next best thing.
Maya wanted to cry but she was using up her energy riding the contraction waves. When people told her labor hurt, they hadn't been kidding.
"What about the father?" asked the midwife. "Do you want us to call him and let him know?"
"No." Maya shook her head. "He's in Russia right now. I don't have a contact number."
She wasn't going to say she had been abandoned by the baby's father; that was too embarrassing. But judging from the midwife's face, she had guessed. But she didn't judge or say anything. She simply called for a couple more orderlies and they wheeled her bed down to theater, Maya writhing around and trying to breathe through the pain. Jenny stayed behind to wait for a set of scrubs so she could go in.
Maya didn't know how she managed the next ten minutes on her own. The midwife came with her and helped her out of her clothes and into a gown, which she tied at the back, putting a cap on her head. The midwife also got into scrubs and came into the theater with her, helping her sit upright and as still as Maya could manage while the doctor stuck a needle into her back. The midwife explained she was being given a drug to numb everything from the chest down so when the doctors cut into her stomach she wouldn't feel the pain.
But Maya was so upset right then and struggling with the contractions that she didn't care if she felt pain or not. All she cared about was making sure her son was okay.
The midwife laid her down and they began erecting a curtain across Maya's chest so she wouldn't see what was happening. Maya lay back and stared at the ceiling, trying to think about anything other than what was going on. Alexei floated into her mind again and Maya pushed him away. She didn't need him. She was here with Jenny; they could cope absolutely fine.
So why was she feeling like she couldn't cope?
"The anesthetic should be working now." The doctor declared. "I'm just putting pressure on your belly. Can you feel that?"
Maya concentrated but felt nothing.
"No."
"That's good. You'll feel a little tugging in your belly shortly but that's it. That will be us taking your baby out. Now relax."
Maya didn't know how anyone could relax when they were virtually strapped down to an operating table about to have a scalpel slicing her open. The midwife talked to her as the doctors started but Maya barely heard her. She answered briefly but she couldn't hold on to the conversation.
A few moments later the midwife murmured something about someone else was joining her and moved away. Maya looked around, thinking Jenny had finally arrived. But it was Alexei who sat on the stool beside her, dressed in scrubs and a cap over his hair. He smiled and stroked her head.
"Hey, Printsessa."
"Alexei! What are you doing here?"
"I wasn't going to miss this, was I?" Alexei leaned forward and kissed her. "But let's not talk right now. Let's focus on getting our baby out safely."
Maya couldn't believe it. What was Alexei doing there? He was supposed to be in Russia.
But he was right. They had more important things to worry about. She managed to bring a hand up and found his. A tear rolled down her cheek.
"I'm so glad you're here."
Alexei smiled and stroked her head.
"So am I. I'm not going anywhere."
*****
It only took twenty minutes. Maya was amazed it was that quick. She was a lot more relaxed when she wasn't having the contractions and Alex
ei was there, holding her hand and stroking her head. He was a soothing presence, whispering words in Russian to her that she didn't understand but were reassuring.
When Nikolai was finally shown to her, moments after he was born, Maya couldn't help but feel the rush of love towards the little mite. But the midwives were concerned he wasn't breathing and hurried him away. That was the most fraught time for Maya, clutching Alexei's hand as they waited to hear if he would cry.
And he did a few seconds later. He let out a massive scream that had Maya sagging in relief. He was okay.
Nikolai reappeared moments later in an incubator. The midwife explained they had had to give him oxygen to held him breathe so they were taking him to the neo-natal unit. Maya understood but she felt a pang of regret she wouldn't be able to hold him. But the midwife took pity on her and eased Nikolai out of the incubator, settling him in her arms. Nikolai wriggled a little and then settled down, his head against Maya's chin. He had gorgeous light brown skin with dark curly hair.
He was perfect.
Shortly after, Nikolai was taken up to the neo-natal unit and Alexei followed them, promising to come back. Maya had to wait until they stitched her back up and they took her back to her room. She was told that she wasn't to get up for a day or two and she couldn't do any heavy lifting for six weeks or the stitches would come out.
Maya wasn't sure she was looking forward to six weeks of doing virtually nothing. Although cuddling her son almost constantly would make up for it.
A short while later Alexei came in. He had divested himself of his scrubs, his hair still out at odd angles. It was then Maya noticed how pale he was looking. Dark circles were under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept.
Maya didn't care right then that they had been arguing. She was just glad to see him there. She reached out to him and Alexei came immediately, leaning over and kissing her enough to take her breath away. He pulled back and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey." Maya ran her fingers through his hair and smoothed it down. "How's our baby?"
"Nikolai's fine. The midwife said she's confident he'll be allowed to stay with you in a couple of days."
"Thank God for that." Maya closed her eyes in relief. "I can't wait to hold him again."
"Neither can I. Other than not breathing for a couple of minutes he's a good weight and his checks are perfectly normal. The midwife joked he probably would've been about ten pounds if you'd carried him full-term."
Maya shuddered. Ten pounds. She couldn't imagine having to push ten pounds of baby out.
Alexei stroked her head and kissed her forehead.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Sore but I'll be fine. They've given me some iron tablets for the bleeding as my iron count was down. And they want to keep me in for a few days to make sure I'm okay."
"That's good." Alexei's smile faded and he drew back a little, Maya's hands falling from his head. He looked uncomfortable. "Look, Maya, I'm sorry about what happened. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that."
Maya wanted to forgive him. She really did. But she still remembered how much he had upset her and how things were left between them. That was a lot to forgive.
"You hurt me, Alexei." She pointed out. "You let your paranoia take over and it got too much. I wasn't taking it."
"I know. You didn't have to put up with my crap." Alexei sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "I flew to Russia so I could get away from it all. But as soon as I entered customs in Pulkovo airport I knew I had to come back. I couldn't keep running away when things got hard and overwhelming. Plus there was little Nikolai. I couldn't desert him." Alexei looked away. "I knew deep down you hadn't cheated on me. That was just my past talking to me again."
Maya had known it was. But there was only so much she could take. She tugged at his hand and urged him towards her, cupping his unshaven jaw in her hand.
"You should've trusted me." She whispered.
Alexei closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He kissed her hand and Maya felt the warm tingle from his mouth travel up her arm. He still had an effect on her.
"I'm so sorry, Maya. Can you forgive me for this?"
Maya pretended to think, pulling faces until Alexei groaned.
"Don't be like that, Maya. Please tell me. Can you forgive me for being such a bastard to you?"
Maya giggled. Then she sighed.
"It's going to take some time. You did a lot that I can't forgive overnight. But our son needs a father. I'm not going to take that away from him because we've got things between us."
The relief was clear on Alexei's face as he closed his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. He moved up the bed and drew Maya gently into his arms. Maya hugged him tightly, breathing in the cologne he wore and feeling his familiar hold around her. She had missed this. She had missed him.
"Thank you." Alexei pulled back and kissed her. "I love you, Maya. Will you still be my wife? I haven't got rid of the ring. If you want it, you can have it."
Maya wanted the ring back. She wanted to get married. But she wanted to let Alexei stew for a little longer. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"I'll let you know once I get up and moving."
*****
Maya didn't want a lavish wedding. She just wanted somewhere they could have their friends in an intimate gathering.
It was Alexei's idea to have the wedding in the gallery. Maya worried about a wedding license as the gallery didn't carry one but Alexei got a special license so they could get married there. Jenny teased that as soon as the wedding vows were over Alexei would be hiding in his office as he usually did. But Ivan had promised to keep Alexei with the guests and he was locking the office to make sure the groom didn't hide.
The wedding couldn't have gone better. Maya was up and walking fine after her C-section and the pregnancy weight she had been carrying had fallen off her easily. She slotted perfectly into the white wedding dress one of her designer friends had made for her, a simple bodice with spaghetti straps and an A-line skirt. Her friend had even made a special outfit for Nikolai, who spent the vows curled up sleeping in Jenny's arms.
The service was in English at Maya's request. She knew some Russian weddings were known for being long and Alexei was happy to accommodate. So once the service was over, they set up the gallery for the reception and Maya changed into a dark red dress that clung to her curves with a skirt short enough she could move around in. From the looks Alexei had been giving her after she came out the staff bathroom, she had made the right choice.
He was watching her now across the room while Maya stood talking with Jenny and Caroline. They had offered to stand in as family with Howie giving her away. Maya had sent invitations out to her family in Arkansas but only her aunt, uncle and her two cousins had turned up. Her parents had refused to reply and all of her siblings had messaged back saying she wasn't part of the family anymore. That had hurt and Maya had had a good cry about it for a couple of days. But, she had surmised in the end, it would be a better day without them. They had always been criticizing her and Maya wasn't having that on her day.
Most of Alexei's family, however, had turned up. His parents were warm, loving people and adored Maya. Nikolai was a big hit with them as well. Alexei had taken them to one side and had a heart-to-heart, which had resulted in Alexei himself shedding a few tears along with his mother. Maya was glad she had sent the invitations out.
Both his sisters and even his brother had come along with their children. There was a little bit of tension between Alexei and his younger brother but it eased after a while, especially when Nikolai was being passed around; that really broke the ice.
Alexei's young nephew also came with his brother but not Katya. Alexei had expressed explicitly that Katya wasn't to attend but he wanted his nephew to be there. Apparently Katya had kicked up a fuss about it but had given up once she was told and no one was paying her attention. They were finally seeing her for what she really was.
Je
nny sighed as she looked around the room, juggling a glass of water and Nikolai as he rested his head on her shoulder, drowsing peacefully.
"This is beautiful, Maya. Alexei knows how to create a scene. And you look amazing."
Maya grinned and gave her a small spin, pouting like many of the models she had photographed. She laughed when Jenny made a face.
"Maybe you should stick behind the camera with that look rather than in front of it."
"Oh, stop it." Caroline chuckled, tapping Jenny's arm. "Maya looks incredible."
"Flatterers." Maya stuck her tongue out. "I'm not getting signed up just yet."
"Let me know when you think about it." Caroline gazed at Nikolai, who opened his eyes briefly to look at her before shutting them again. "Your son is just adorable."
Maya smiled with pride.
"He is, isn't he?" She passed her glass to Caroline and gently eased her son from Jenny's hold. "Let's have the little man back."
Jenny pouted but let him go. Maya cuddled Nikolai, kissing his head.
"And he's good. I didn't hear a whimper through the ceremony."
"He was too busy cuddling his auntie." Jenny giggled.
Then Maya noticed something. Jenny had been acting a little broody in the last few days, taking more cuddles than normal from Nikolai and looking at him with a certain light in her eye that Maya recognized. Not long ago she had had the same glint.
"Jenny, is there something you need to tell me?"
Jenny bit her lip. Suddenly she was looking nervous. She fiddled with her glass.
"I don't want to say. I only found out this morning and this is meant to be your big day."
"Forget about this being my big day. What did you find out?"
Jenny hesitated. Then it came out in a rush.
"I'm pregnant."
Caroline gave a squeal and hugged her. Maya then took her turn, careful not to squash Nikolai.
"Oh, my God! Congratulations, Jenny! What does Rodrigo say?"
"He's delighted." Jenny reached into her purse and drew out a sparkling ring, which she put on her finger. "He asked me to marry him."
