Chapter 6: Scares, Confessions, And Miracles
AN:OK, this is the penultimate chapter, meaning there will only be one more chapter after this. Again, the medical stuff may not be accurate. I'm only relying on the little knowledge I know from watching medical shows. So, just bear with me, alright? Also, I jump around a lot time-wise, because I don't wanna cover the whole pregnancy. Thanks for reading, and please review; they give me incentive to continue. :)
About six months later...
Lindsay was about to run some trace samples through the GCMS when an excruciating sharp pain shot through her abdomen, causing her to fall to her knees. The test tubes and vials she was carrying fell to the ground, the glass and toxic chemicals splattering everywhere. Danny, who was walking by, witnessed his girlfriend falling and came running to her side.
"What's wrong, baby?" Danny asked, his every word dripping with panic and concern. "Linds, talk to me, baby, what's wrong?"
"My stomach... The baby..." was all she could manage as another wave of pain coursed through her. Danny pulled her away from the broken glass onto a nearby stool.
"I'll be right back, honey, I need to get you some help, ok?" He rushed out into the corridor and was relieved to see Hawkes just exiting the elevator.
"Hawkes! I need you, it's Lindsay!" Hawkes heard the panic in Danny's voice and ran over. Danny brought him into the lab where Lindsay was sitting, still clutching her protruding abdomen in agony.
"What happened?" Hawkes asked, kneeling in front of her. Lindsay took a few deep breaths to try and suppress the pain.
"I was just testing some samples... when I got these really bad stomach cramps."
"She just doubled over. I didn't know what to do. Please tell me she's gonna be alright?" Danny asked, his eyes frantically flicking from Hawkes to his girl and back again.
"The pain could just be a sign of over-exertion, or..." Hawkes faltered as he looked into the fear-stricken faces of his two close friends.
"Or what?" Lindsay asked, her voice quivering.
"Or these could be signs that the baby is in distress and you could lose it."
"Lindsay gasped and clutched Danny's hand, tears springing from her eyes.
"We need to get you to NY Presbyterian stat. Come on, Danny. We can get her there faster than an ambulance can fight its way through downtown traffic." Danny picked Lindsay up bridal-style and, along with Hawkes, starting running towards the stairs leading down to the parking garage, corralling the others as they passed.
Danny flew down the flights two at a time, clutching Lindsay close to his chest. Hawkes unlocked his SUV and helped Danny lay Lindsay down on the back seat. Danny clambered in after her. Hawkes jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine. By then, Mac and Stella had joined them.
"We'll call Flack and meet you guys there." Stella said as they hurried over to Mac's car. Tires screeched as both cars peeled out of the parking structure onto the busy downtown streets.
"Can't you drive any faster, Hawkes, she's in serious pain here!"
"I'm trying, Danny." Hawkes honked his horn in a desperate attempt to move the gridlock of traffic that loomed before him. Danny suddenly felt a warm liquid oozing onto the seat, soaking into his jeans. He looked over and saw where it was coming from.
"Hawkes, she's bleeding!"
"Oh man. Okay, Dan, don't panic, ok?" He swung the car into a back alley.
"Where're you going, Hawkes?"
"You think you and Flack are the only ones who know how to avoid traffic? The hospital's only a few blocks away. Just keep her talking; take her mind off the pain." Hawkes replied, swerving to avoid dumpsters and stray dogs.
"Danny?" Danny turned to Lindsay, whose face was creased with pain.
"We're nearly there, baby, just hang in there, ok?"
"I'm scared."
"I know, baby, me too. But, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or our son, ok?"
"You know it's a boy? I thought we wanted to be surprised?"
"I don't know for sure; it's just a hunch, a feeling."
"I hope it's a boy too. I've always wanted a son." Lindsay smiled as Danny placed a kiss on her forehead. The car hurtled round the last corner and screeched to a halt. Danny lifted Lindsay out of the car and raced up the steps, through the doors into the crowded ER. He took her straight to the reception desk, where a nurse was busy with another patient.
"Excuse me? You have to help me!"
"Just take a seat and someone will be with you momentarily." She said, without turning around.
"No! You have to help me, now!"
"Fine." She sighed and turned to Danny, who was still cradling Lindsay in his arms. Once she saw the state of Lindsay, she sprung into action. Hawkes filled the nurse in on Lindsay's condition.
"35 year old female, 30 weeks pregnant. Severe abdominal pain and mild vaginal bleeding."
"Alright. Let's get her into bay four and a doctor will be with you shortly." Danny laid Lindsay down on the bed. A doctor joined them moments later.
"Alright. What do we have here?" Hawkes repeated what he had said to the nurse.
"Okay. Nurse, we need a portable ultrasound in here please?" The nurse wheeled a cart into the bay. The doctor squeezed the gel onto Lindsay's swollen belly.
"Okay. What's your name?"
"Lindsay."
"Okay, Lindsay. We're gonna check to see if we can hear a heartbeat, and whether the baby's in distress, ok?" She nodded. The doctor placed the reader on her stomach and looked towards the screen as the first blurry images came through. The whole room was silent as they waited for the reassuring sound of a heartbeat. Seconds later, a soft thumping echoed round the room. Danny and Lindsay both let out a sigh of relief.
"Heartbeat's there and sounds strong, although maybe a little slow for my liking."
"So, what caused the pain?" Hawkes asked.
"Most probably simple over-exertion causing distress for the baby. I recommend a few days of bed rest to be on the safe side. We'll give you some painkillers for the pain, but it should subside after rest."
"I told you were pushing yourself too hard. I think it's time to go on maternity leave, Montana."
"Okay, baby." Lindsay knew not to argue with him; he was already very over-protective of her. She knew that, when the baby came, he would be a great father.
Lindsay was let out an hour later. Given that both their shifts were now over, they decided to go back to Danny's apartment. They settled on the couch with a beer for Danny and a glass of water for Lindsay, since she couldn't drink, much to her annoyance.
"You know, Montana, my lease is up next month and, as neither of our apartments are big enough for a family, maybe we could get a place together?" Lindsay looked up at Danny in surprise and saw that he was looking back with apprehension, awaiting her response.
"I'd love to, Danny. Maybe tomorrow we can go apartment hunting?" Danny's face lit up as a huge smile crossed his face. He leant down and captured her lips in a searing kiss. She wrapped her arms around him as he carried her to the bedroom.
4 weeks later...
"You gonna help us with this, Messer, or you gonna just stand there?" Flack grumbled as he and Hawkes heaved a huge cardboard box up the last few steps to the apartment, which was now the new residence of Danny and Lindsay. Danny stood in the doorway, watching his supposedly buff, strong friends struggling to carry the box. He shifted out the way as they dumped it in the hallway.
"That's the last one, Monroe. Can we go now; some of us have work to do." Flack said, glancing over at Danny.
"Sure guys," Lindsay replied. "Thanks for your help."
"No problem." They waved as the guys left to go back to the lab.
"Man, I didn't know we had so much stuff, Montana. It's gonna take hours to unpack all this." Danny whined, surrounded by mountains of boxes brought over from both their apartments. "And why did we have to leave the pool table behind?"
"There's no way you can expect us to haul that thing halfway across town. Besides, you said it came with the apartment."
"Do you think we should have told the new owners what we did on there?" He asked, the corners of his mouth twitching into a mischievous smile.
"We wanted to sell the place, Danny, not scare them away!" They both laughed, and collapsed onto the sofa.
"Ouch!" Lindsay exclaimed.
"What? What's wrong?" Danny asked, slight panic in his voice.
"Your son's very active today." She took his hand and placed on her swollen belly. Danny felt the strong vibrations as the baby kicked. His eyes lit up.
"Whoa. He could be the next star kicker." Lindsay laughed.
"So, we need a name for this little guy." Danny said, stroking Lindsay's abdomen.
"Right. How about... Alfie?" Lindsay suggested, laughing at Danny's face.
"Too weak. He has to be tough; he is a Messer, after all!"
"We don't know that, Dan." Lindsay said, sadly, her head hanging down. Danny placed his finger under her chin and lifted it back up to look at him.
"Linds, don't ask me how, but I know he's mine. I can just feel it." Lindsay smiled.
"Ok, so how about... Adrian?" Danny's nose crinkled in disgust.
"Too gay." Lindsay's jaw dropped.
"Adrian is the name of my big brother."
"Oh. Well, when I said that, I didn't mean that every guy named Adrian is gay..."
"Stop while you're ahead, Dan." Lindsay laughed as Danny blushed.
"Ok... Err... How about Jack?"
"Too boring." Lindsay sighed in frustration.
"Ok, why don't you pick one, since you've shot down every one of my ideas?" Danny smirked. His forehead wrinkled into a frown as he thought. Lindsay laughed. He always looks so cute when he's thinking.
"Got it!" he shouted, triumphantly. "Colby. Colby James Messer."
"It's perfect. What do you think, little guy?" Danny's hand was still placed over her stomach. He felt the baby kick, as if approving the new name.
"I think he approves." They both laughed before turning on the TV.
5 weeks and 6 days later...
Sounds of crunching snow echoed round the park as the couple walked through hand-in-hand, admiring the snow-covered trees and children laughing as they pummeled each other with balls of snow. They came to a stop in front of a wooden park bench. Danny helped Lindsay ease herself down into the seat before taking a seat beside her.
"You know, one of my favorite things about New York?" Lindsay said. "The snow. We never had snow back home."
"Yeah. I remember when I was a kid; me and Louie used to build a snow fort and have a snowball war with the other kids in the neighborhood." Danny's eyes clouded over with tears as he remembered the good times with his brother. "I remember one time; we were hiding behind the fort, when the other side surprised us with a blitz attack. They'd hidden rocks inside the snowballs. One came hurtling towards me. Louie dived in front of me. The snowball hit him square in the face; gave him a black eye. Mum was so mad when we got home." Danny laughed at the memory. "He always had my back." A lone tear slid down his cheek. Lindsay wiped it away with her thumb, her hand lingering on his cheek. Danny leant into her touch. Their special moment was interrupted when their faces were splattered with ice.
"Sorry!" A voice called, as a little boy came running over. "I was aiming at Josh. So sorry." His face was flushed red with embarrassment. Danny ruffled the little boy's hair.
"No worries, kid. Just watch where you throw next time, okay?" The boy nodded and ran off to join his friends. Lindsay wiped the crystals of ice off Danny's cheek and he did the same to her. They leant in and shared a short yet passionate kiss. The buzzing of Danny's cell phone caused them to break apart. As he reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve the offending object, his fingers brushed across and a small, velvet box that had been languishing in his pocket for a few weeks, waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal itself. He looked at the display on his cell phone to see he had a text message from Flack. You asked her yet? He laughed as he deleted the message.
"Who was it?" Lindsay asked, curious as Danny rarely deleted messages without replying.
"No-one." Lindsay looked at him, noticing how nervous he was.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. Everything's great." Now or never. "You know I love you, right, Linds?"
"Yes, of course. What's wrong, Dan, you're scaring me." He slid off the bench, down onto one knee. Lindsay gasped as realization flooded through her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box. He lifted the lid to reveal a simple gold band, studded with three shining diamonds.
"Marry me?" Danny asked, his blue eyes staring up, sparkling as the winter sun reflected in his glasses. Just as Lindsay opened her mouth to reply, a sudden contraction swept through her, causing her to call out in pain.
"What's wrong, baby?" Danny asked, concern etched across his face.
"I just felt a contraction. That's the second one in twenty minutes, and they're getting stronger. I think the baby's coming."
"Oh shit." Danny said, jumping to his feet. "Can you make it to the street? I'll call us a taxi." He helped her to her feet and they slowly walked back to the entrance. Danny hailed a cab, and opened the door as Lindsay climbed in. He entered after her.
"NY Presbyterian as fast as you can, driver." Danny said, as he buckled his seatbelt, holding Lindsay's hand tightly.
"Okie-dokie, no problem." The driver said as he peeled out into the rush hour traffic.
Tires screeched as they came to a halt in front of the hospital entrance. Danny chucked a fifty dollar bill towards the driver. "Keep the change," he said as he helped Lindsay out of the taxi. Her contractions were increasing in both frequency and strength. They burst through the ER doors and headed to the reception desk.
"Can you help us, please? My girlfriend's in labor!" Danny said frantically to the nurse behind the desk.
"Maggie, I need a wheelchair over here!" she called. Moments later, another nurse appeared with a wheelchair. They helped Lindsay into it, then whisked her up to the maternity suite, Danny hot on their heels.
A short time later, Lindsay went into labor. Danny had managed to call the team, but they were tied up at the lab. They said they'd slip away as soon as they could.
"Alright. You're fully dilated now, so I need you to push." The nurse informed Lindsay. Lindsay nodded and reached for Danny's hand. She grasped it tightly and began to push. She screamed in pain and squeezed Danny's hand so tight, he visibly winced.
"Geez, Montana. Could you let up a bit? That's my guitar hand." He joked, but soon shut up as Lindsay sent him a death glare. She pushed again, almost cutting off the circulation in Danny's hand, deafening him with her screams.
"That's it. He's nearly out; just one more." Lindsay pushed again, and the baby slid out into the nurse's waiting arms. The sounds of crying filled the room. The midwife took a pair of surgical scissors from the table beside her and passed them to Danny.
"Would you like to cut the cord?" He nodded. The nurse tied off the cord and indicated where Danny should cut. With shaking hands, Danny placed the blades around the cord and carefully snipped it apart. Their baby was then whisked away to be cleaned up and checked. His airway was cleared, and he was wrapped in a fluffy white towel. The midwife then brought him over and placed him on Lindsay's chest. Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at her son's sparkling, blue eyes.
"He has your eyes, Dan." She said softly. "You wanna hold him?" Danny nodded. She handed him over to Danny, who cuddled him close to his chest. He traced the contours of his son's face with his finger. Colby reached up and grabbed onto Danny's finger with his tiny hand.
"He's beautiful." Danny perched on the edge of Lindsay's bed. She moved over so he could lie beside her, Colby still in his arms. A knock on the door startled the family. They looked up to see Mac, Stella, Flack and Hawkes standing in the doorway. Colby started to cry.
"Great, look what you guys did!" Danny said, gently rocking Colby until he stopped crying.
"Well, excuse us for wanting to see the latest addition to the family." Stella said, as they huddled round the bed.
"He looks just like you, Messer." Flack said as he stared down at the little bundle in Danny's arms. Colby looked up at the new guests with innocent curiosity.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Danny laughed.
"Oh, we come bearing gifts," Mac said, placing the presents they had brought on the edge of the bed.
"Cool. What'ya get me?"
"Not for you, Danny. For the baby." The group laughed at Danny's disappointed face. Lindsay opened the first present, which was from Stella, to find a cute baby blue sleep suit and matching hat.
"Aww, it's adorable! Thanks, Stella!" Lindsay said, reaching up to give Stella a hug. They opened the rest of the presents, which consisted of more baby clothes, including a mini Giants Jersey from Flack, and some baby books and toys from Mac and Hawkes.
"Thanks guys, you didn't have to." Lindsay said, overwhelmed by the generosity of her friends. She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped.
"We should let you get some rest, " Mac said. "Call us if you need anything, okay?" The group headed to the door.
"Thanks guys." They left the room, leaving the family alone. Danny stood up and placed a sleeping Colby into the cot beside Lindsay's bed before taking his place back at Lindsay's side. She snuggled into him, laying her head on his chest as he put his arm round her, pulling her close. Her hand came to rest on his thigh and he saw the diamonds in her ring glint as the light from the overhead bulbs was reflected in them.
"You know, I never got my answer."
"Yes, I would love to marry you." Danny's eyes sparkled with joy as he captured her lips in a sweet kiss, both thinking of their future together, knowing they can overcome every obstacle placed in their path.
Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review :)