Ricky and Amy shared a look of sheer terror and Amy started to cry. Ava sprang into action and started giving out orders.
"Ricky, hand me Amy's sweater and take off one of your shoelaces." Ricky handed Ava Amy's sweater and began unlacing one of his shoes, even though he didn't know why. "Amy, I need you to scoot forward a little bit more." Amy did so just as Ricky finished unlacing a shoe and handed Ava the lace. "Okay. Ricky, I need you to sit behind Amy and let her lean back against you slightly. You're gonna help keep her bent forward when she pushes and be her support when she's not." Ricky moved so he was sitting behind Amy and helped her shift slightly so she was comfortably sitting between his legs. "Okay, Ricky?"
"Yeah?" he replied, his voice coming out a little hoarsely.
"You're gonna be Amy's coach. When I tell her to push you're gonna count to ten for her out loud. Amy?"
"Yeah?" she replied, her voice thick with tears and fear. She reached for Ricky's right hand for support and comfort.
"When I tell you to push you're gonna bear down and push as hard as you can until Ricky gets to ten. When he does you can lean back and rest for a moment. Okay?" Amy just nodded. "Ricky, while she's pushing I may need you to apply pressure to her bikini line." And where the heck is that? Ava could tell from the look on his face he had no idea what she was talking about. She took his left hand and placed it on Amy's bikini line just as another contraction hit. Ricky wracked his brain for the knowledge of what was going to happen next and came up empty. I don't think they covered this part in sex ed. Another round of excruciating pain surged through his hand before it started to go numb again as Amy squeezed it; his mind went blank. Nope, they definitely skipped this part in sex ed.
"AAAAHHHHHH!" Amy cried out. Her forehead broke out in a sweat, dampening her bangs, and she began crying. "I can't do this! I need my mom! I can't do this by myself!" Amy sobbed.
"You're not alone, Amy. Ricky and I are gonna be here with you the whole time," Ava assured her calmly.
"I'm not going anywhere," Ricky assured her as well. Ava checked Amy again and saw that little John's head was halfway out.
"Okay, Amy. Here we go. And push!" Amy bent forward as she began pushing and Ricky leaned forward with her to help her stay in that position. He suddenly remembered he had another job to do as well.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten!" He leaned back against the elevator wall and Amy practically collapsed back against him and she tried to catch her breath. She brushed her damp hair out of her face and Ricky tucked it behind her ear. Ava positioned Amy's sweater in front of her to place little John in once he was all the way out and then gingerly supported his head, which was now fully out.
"You're doing great, Amy. On the next contraction I want you to bear down again, okay sweetie?" Amy nodded. Three seconds later another contraction hit and she bent forward to push again, Ricky leaning forward as well and he began counting.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten!" He leaned back and Amy fell backwards against him once more, breathing hard and sobbing.
"This hurts too much! I can't take any more!" she sobbed and tried in vain to wipe her face as tears of pain and fear fell from her eyes like a stream. "I can't do this!" Ricky's heart broke at the sound of Amy's voice and the heaving of her chest. With her leaning back against him he could feel her struggling to catch her breath and he couldn't help but notice the heat radiating from her as the effort of labor made her sweat. How could I do this to someone!? How do women do this more than once in a lifetime!?
"His shoulders are almost out, Amy. You're doing great," he heard Ava inform Amy when suddenly the sounds of people moving around outside the elevator and the clanking of tools reached their ears. Ricky's heart started to beat faster. Help had finally arrived!
"Hurry it up out there!" Ricky shouted. "Please!" he pleaded with the responders. As if in answer to his plea the doors magically opened. The elevator had stopped just six inches below the second floor. While Ricky inwardly sighed with relief, Amy was in too much pain to care; she just wanted this kid out of her. Ava remained calm and turned to face the EMTs.
"I'm a nurse. The head and part of the shoulders are out and so far the delivery's been normal." One of the EMTs hopped down into the elevator and pulled on a pair of gloves to switch places with Ava. She gingerly took hold of John's neck and Ava moved aside. The other EMT pulled out a warming blanket and then hopped into the elevator with the supply bag and took up a position on Amy's right side. He pulled on a pair of gloves and then opened the bag to remove small rubber tourniquets and a pair of surgical scissors. Anne was about to join them in the elevator when the second EMT saw her out of the corner of his eye and motioned for her to stop.
"Please wait there, ma'am."
"That's my daughter!"
"I understand, ma'am, but right now you can best help her by staying where you are and letting us do our job." Anne nodded unhappily and stayed where she was, but moved so she was standing in Amy's line of sight. When she did, she and Amy locked eyes for a moment.
"You're doing great, Amy!" Anne encouraged her. "And I'm right here sweetie." Amy nodded and then broke eye contact to look at the EMTs.
"I need to push!" The EMT holding her son's head answered her.
"Okay, Amy. I want you to bear down as hard as you can on your next contraction." Amy waited for the contraction and then bent forward for the third time; Ricky leaned forward with her and counted for her again.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten!" John's shoulders were finally all the way out. She collapsed back against Ricky and tried to catch her breath for a moment.
"You're doing great Amy," the EMT holding her son's body informed her. "Alright, Amy, one more big push and your baby will be out. Ready?" Amy nodded tiredly and took a deep breath. On the next contraction she bent forward one last time and pushed with every bit of strength she could muster. Ricky leaned forward with her but didn't bother to count this time, knowing this would be the last push. Even though she was only pushing for a little over a minute, time somehow seemed to slow for Ricky. He felt the heat of exertion coming off Amy, felt her damp hair brushing against his neck, and felt the tension in her body as she beared down one last time. And then suddenly the elevator was filled with the sound of a newborn baby's cry. The EMT quickly wrapped John in the warming blanket.
"Here's your son, Amy," the EMT told her with a smile as she placed John in Amy's arms. She stared down at her baby with happy tears streaming down her cheeks and a look of wonder and maternal love came over her face. Amy just smiled, unaware that the second EMT was busy tying off the umbilical cord. Ricky likewise was staring at his son with a look of wonder and amazement. I have a son. I'm somebody's dad!
"Would you like to cut the cord, dad?" the second EMT asked him. Ricky pulled his eyes away from his crying son to look at the man. He looked at Ava as if to ask for instructions. When she just smiled at him he turned to look at Anne and silently ask for her permission, not sure he had a right to do what the EMT was offering him the chance to do. She tearfully smiled at him and nodded her head. Ricky took the surgical scissors the EMT offered him and cut his son's umbilical cord where instructed to. Amy hadn't taken her eyes off her son and Ricky quickly returned his attention to John, who had stopped crying and was just looking at them. Amy felt pressure in her abdomen and looked at Ava quickly.
"Ava…" she began nervously.
"It's okay, Amy," Ava assured her. "Even though you've just delivered this little guy your body still needs to deliver the placenta," Ava informed her. Ricky's stomach turned over at this revelation. They really should've covered what actually happens during labor in sex ed. I will never look at sex and childbirth the same way ever again! It's one thing to know sex ends in childbirth and it's a long, painful process. But had I known exactly what childbirth entailed for the girl I never would've had sex with Amy without a condom. John suddenly cooed, yawned, and then went to sleep. I guess it was a long day for him too. As Ricky watched his son sleep in Amy's arms he knew he wouldn't have used a condom even if he'd had one. He wouldn't trade having his son for anything. I wish there was a less painful way for you to get here but I'm glad you're here, John. I love you.
Amy delivered the placenta in a matter of minutes and the EMTs got her and John cleaned up a little. The elevator wasn't big enough to accommodate the stretcher so the EMTs opted to lift Amy up and set her on the floor and then help her up onto the stretcher once they climbed out. Ricky slide out from behind Amy and climbed out first to hold John while the EMTs boosted Amy up the six inches to the floor level so she could sit on it. Ava gathered everyone's bags and waited for her turn to climb out. Anne helped Amy stand up while the EMTs climbed out of the elevator. One of them helped Ava climb out and then both EMTs helped Amy up onto the stretcher. The secured her and she reached for John. Ricky handed him to her and three of them accompanied the stretcher as it made its way to the freight elevator to go down to the first floor. Once everyone was piled in the female EMT hit the down button and the doors quietly slid closed. Ava handed Ricky his shopping bag and jacket and then turned to hand Amy's purse and sweater to Anne.
"So you must be Ava." Anne said with a smile; Ava nodded. "I'm glad you were there for her today. I would've been out of my mind with worry is she and Ricky were trapped in there all alone when her labor started." Anne began to get teary eyed. She leaned forward and gave Ava a hug. "Thank you." Ava hugged her back tightly and then pulled back to face her with a knowing smile.
"From one mom to another, you're welcome."
"So what are you gonna name the little guy?" the male EMT asked Amy.
"John Nathaniel Juergens," she told him with a smile, not taking her eyes off John for a second. Everyone smiled down at the new mother and her little bundle of joy. The elevator reached the first floor and the EMTs pushed the stretcher towards their ambulance. Realizing that riding with Amy would cause either Anne or Ricky to leave their vehicle at the mall and have to come back for it later, they both decided to meet the ambulance at the hospital.
"I'll see you two in a little bit, okay?" Anne told Amy and then turned to smile at John and caress his cheek for a moment. Amy nodded in understanding. "We'll call your dad and Ashley after we get you two all settled." She kissed Amy's forehead and then nodded to let the EMTs know they could hoist the stretcher into the ambulance. Anne turned to Ricky. "See you at the hospital." He nodded and quickly dashed to his car, anxious to hold his son again.