Chapter 2

Samantha returned home feeling both apprehensive and excited. She couldn't wait to see baby Rose, Dad and Angela. And attending Angela at her upcoming delivery thrilled her tremendously. Now that she had two full semesters of nursing school under her belt, she was confident about her role in the delivery room. She remembered Rose's birth fondly and looked forward to doing it all over again. Maybe Sally, the craggy old nurse who had encouraged her towards a nursing career would be there again. Sam also relished having some time away from her studies; the curriculum was intense and difficult. The biology and physiology classes weren't her forte and she found herself needing a lot of time to study. Despite the pressure though, she had found time to party. It was Dublin after all . . . she'd even spotted Bono from a distance.

And she'd met somebody. She hadn't intended to—she knew that Jon was waiting for her but the unexpected arrival of Kevin into her life had thrown a fierce curve ball in her plans. Kevin . . . tall, dark and smoldering was a bartender at The Frog near campus. With his musical Irish lilt and hypnotizing shamrock green eyes, he'd mesmerized Sam from the start. He'd made no secret of his interest in her and had blatantly pursued her until he'd crashed through her resistance. To him, she was exotic, American, different from the local girls. He liked her Italian fire, dark eyes and bright smile; their attraction was physical and explosive like fireworks for all to see. Kevin was attentive, sexy and passionate. But his quick trigger anger and jealousy made Samantha uneasy. She also felt guilty about Jon because she still loved him but it was all so complicated. Being with Kevin was acceptable and she didn't need to explain it to anybody. Nobody was upset and it wouldn't throw her entire family into hours of therapy either. Samantha wanted easy. She knew that a four year wait for Jon meant sitting around in her dorm room while her classmates partied without her. So Kevin it was. At least Dad and Angela would be happy about it, but she was nervous about seeing Jon again. He'd be so hurt and disappointed in her. But hadn't he told her he'd always be her friend, even if she dated others? And in all probability, he'd started dating too. Yes, that would make sense, she convinced herself, feeling the guilt evaporating with that thought.

Besides, she had other things to think about. Angela was due to give birth any second now. Sam had been so worried about not making it home in time but the baby was still hanging in there, seemingly waiting for its big sister to come and help deliver it into the world. Samantha stretched out on her childhood bed, thrilled to be back in her own room. She'd missed being home and now that Jonathan was away at college, she was allowed to live at the house. She knew the rules; they couldn't both stay here at the same time. When Jon came home to visit, Sam would probably be sent to Mona's again. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, falling into a deep, jet-lagged sleep.

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"Wake up! Sam? Wake up! It's time!" Tony tried to shake his daughter awake but she continued to snore. He felt badly about the timing—she'd only arrived from Ireland a few hours ago but Angela was in labour and needed her delivery couch now.

At first it seemed to Samantha that her father's voice was coming from a great distance but it gradually became louder, rousing her out of the deep sleep she'd eagerly embraced after her exhausting journey across the Atlantic. The urgency in his voice cleared the remnants of foggy sleep from her head.

"Is it Angela?" she asked as a loud yawn escaped her.

"Yes, her water broke while we were sleeping and now she's having really bad contractions . . . we have to go now!" Tony sounded very anxious.

Sam sat up and rubbed her eyes hard. Adrenaline was coursing through her bloodstream, more effective than caffeine. With a jolt, she ran to Angela's room to check on her.

"Angela? Did you time the contractions?" Samantha was so much more knowledgeable about birth this time around. With her additional understanding of anatomy, she felt calm taking control now. She confidently walked over to Angela and began timing the contractions.

"They're coming fast Sam. I haven't timed them but they're close. And . . .", Angela chewed her lip apprehensively.

"And what? What is it?" Samantha felt that something was off.

"I'm bleeding- a lot. It didn't happen like that with my other deliveries." Angela twisted her fingers into a knot and clenched her teeth. Her skin was pale and lightly beaded with sweat. She did not look well at all.

Samantha's heart began to pound. Heavy bleeding during delivery wasn't a good thing. But she needed to reassure Angela and follow proper procedure, not freak out.

"Angela, I'm going to check you and we're going straight to the hospital. Dad, call Mona to watch Rose, then call an ambulance", she ordered.

"An ambulance? But I can drive her!" Tony protested.

"No Dad. An ambulance. Now! There's a complication!" Samantha shouted to her father as she tended to Angela. She took a deep breath but the alarm in her voice had unsettled both Tony and Angela. She needed to remain calm but upon seeing the amount of blood that Angela had lost, Samantha panicked. She grabbed some towels to soak up the blood and tried to reassure Angela. She suspected a placental abruption and knew that both Angela's and the baby's lives were in danger.

"Angela? I want you to remain calm, okay. But this bleeding isn't normal . . . you're going to require an emergency C-section when we get to the hospital. I think that your placenta has become detached from the uterine wall and . . . and . . . we just need to get you to the hospital right now!"

"What are you sayin' Sam? Is this dangerous?" Tony asked in horror.

"Yeah Dad! Oh God, when is that ambulance going to be here? Hurry, please God make them hurry!" Sam prayed out loud while continuing to monitor the amount of blood loss. Her stomach churned and she almost passed out herself when Angela suddenly slumped over, the colour completely drained from her face.

"Oh no, Angela?!" she screamed. Samantha checked for a pulse, not finding it at first. When she finally located it, the weak and thready pulse was slowing down. Tony was at his wife's side trying to wake her but Angela was in a dead faint, the blood gushing out of her at an alarming rate. The next moments of frenzied activity moved in agonizing slow motion for Angela's loved ones; the paramedics arrived looking grim as they hoisted her onto the gurney. An oxygen mask was placed over Angela's nose and mouth just as Mona entered the room. She saw her daughter's grey face and the bloodied towels strewn all over the bedroom floor and staggered back in shock.

"What's happened?" she cried.

"Excuse me ma'am", the paramedic exclaimed as he pushed past Mona. They practically ran down the stairs with their patient while Samantha frantically tried to explain that she suspected a placental abruption. But Tony and Sam didn't have time to comfort Mona—they ran into the ambulance and prayed all the way to the hospital.