Gabriel
Sequel to "When Can I see you again?" This is another pure fluff about Robert and Sophie. They are still together, but not alone for long.
Chapter Ten: Birth
When Langdon returned he felt something strange about the silence. Sophie had had enough time to take a shower, get dressed and, by now, should have been waiting for him in the living room, as she always did when he went out alone. Not this time, though. "Could she be sleeping?" He dropped his bags and dashed to their room, but she was nowhere to be seen. He was so disturbed that he didn't notice the bathroom door was closed. "Sophie?"
"Oh, thank God you arrived, Robert!" she cried from behind the door. Clearly something was not well.
It took him only a fraction of second to realize where the cry came from. "Sophie!!"
Even though despair took over him when he opened the door and saw her sat on the ground, laying against the wall, holding her belly in pain, he did his best not to let it show and scare her even more. "What happened?"
"He is kicking so hard!" she winced.
He reached for her hand, but she didn't move.
"Let me help you," he tried to seem calm. "Do you think you can walk?"
She still held her belly. "No, it hurts so badly."
"Is it he kicking?" Langdon didn't think twice before taking his next move. "Here," he said lowering himself down. "Put your hands around my neck."
"What are you doing?"
"Just do it."
Holding back the pain and fighting some tears, she did as he said. He carefully put one arm under her knees and the other under her back and, with a great effort, lifted her from the ground and brought her to their bed.
"Ouch, Robert, be careful." Unwillingly he had made her bump her head on the wall.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologized, rubbing the hitten spot. "But tell me, Gabriel never kicked you that way. And never caused that-"
"Oh, Jesus," she moaned in pain. "I can't take it anymore."
His concern grew, mixed with a grave fear. "Sophie, what do you feel exactly?"
"I don't know, Robert, it hurts everywhere," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek and, not even realizing it, she grabbed his arm with all her strength. "It seems he is very upset in here. Uff."
Langdon felt completely helpless. "Do you think he wants to come out already?" he managed to come up with a weak smile.
"It's too early, but – oh – Robert!"
"I - I will - I will call Dr. Toller, okay?"
"Don't leave me, please."
"I will just fetch the phone. It's right over here. See." He stretched his free arm to reach his cell phone on the nightstand.
"Dr. Toller?"
Langdon put the doctor up with the events that had happened in the last ten minutes.
"Mr. Langdon, bring Sophie to the clinic right away," he demanded when he heard her scream on the other side of the line. His tone was grave. "Do you think you manage it? I can send an ambulance."
"God, an ambulance?" He didn't like the sound of it at all. "Doctor, please, tell me why I have to do it," he spoke carefully, avoiding any word that might frighten her."
"Robert, I will make it short. Apparently there is something wrong with the baby; it is necessary to check what's causing it. We might even need to go through a cesarean section before it is too late. Please, bring her as soon as you can. I will be there in fifteen minutes."
If there was any calm left in Langdon, it had just been gone. "I will do it. Is there any other thing I should do?"
"No, just bring her. And be careful while driving." The doctor hung up before Langdon could reply.
Despite his efforts no to worry her, Sophie was terrified with the expression she saw on his face after he had hung up. "What is it, Robert?"
"We need to go to the clinic. He thinks the baby is bored in there." He tried to put it nice.
"Tell me!" she demanded, forgetting the pain for just a little while.
"Come on, Sophie, we need to check what is causing so much suffering. You need to help me. What clothes do you want to wear?"
"What's happening, Robert?" She was clearly frightened now.
"I don't know, my darling." It was true; Dr. Toller hadn't given too much away. He decided not to mention the cesarean part; he thought it wouldn't help in any way. "You must not worry, though," he said more to himself than to her. "Now, tell me which clothes you would like to wear."
"Fetch that yellow dress."
Holding Sophie all the time as if it would ease her suffering, Langdon helped her take off the bathrobe and put the dress on. He also used the robe as a towel to dry off some water from her hair. He even brushed it the best way he could, and it didn't come out that bad.
"I will use your services more often," she managed to say despite the pain.
"My Princess. Now, give me your feet." He put some comfortable shoes on her feet and told her he would be right back, for he needed to fetch their belongings, as well as, though he hadn't mentioned it, get some clothing for Gabriel.
Langdon carried her all the way to the car and, as gentle as he could, put her on the seat, which he adjusted to an almost horizontal position. She grasped his arm and held it all the way to the clinic. When they arrived there, Dr. Toller was waiting outside with a stretcher and two nurses.
That sight scared the guts out of Sophie. "Robert! Robert! What are they doing?"
"Calm down, it is just for you to feel more comfortable," he tried to find an explanation, but didn't convince her, for he was as surprised as she was.
"Hello, Sophie," the doctor greeted, opening the door for her. "You need to come with me now."
"Robert, please, I don't need this," she told grabbing his sleeve. "Don't let him take me."
"Sophie."
"Come with me then."
"Sophie, I-"
"If she likes it you can come, Mr. Langdon," Dr. Toller assured. "I will have one of the doormen park your car. You don't mind, do you?"
Sophie loosed her grip, indicating that she agreed.
While one of the nurses left to call the man Langdon and the doctor helped her get out of the car and put her on the stretcher. She held his hand all the time, afraid that, if she let it go, he would leave her. Dr. Toller opened their way giving orders here and there. Langdon wanted to ask the doctor what he was doing, but his look told him question were to be asked later. At some point, before a door with a round window, he stopped the stretcher.
"Sophie must now undergo an ultra sound examination and-"
"In her state, doctor?"
"Can he accompany me, doctor?"
"Well," he pondered. "You can come, but have in mind that it is not very pleasant in there. We are entering a surgery center."
"Please, Robert," Sophie asked, too much in pain to even wonder what the hell they would do in a surgery center. Langdon could imagine.
He looked down at her, wishing he could take her pain to himself. "I don't mind."
"Very well." He turned to one of the nurses. "Agathe, please, give this gentleman some of our clothes. And bring some special clothes to Sophie as well."
During the examination Dr. Toller explained to them what was happening. Langdon was more frightened than Sophie. She couldn't think right anymore, she just wanted it all to end soon. So, if they must operate her they must. In fact, the ultrasound showed them that Gabriel was in an awkward position, one that would explain why Sophie felt so much pain. In addition, the umbilical cord was apparently very tight around his neck. It was impossible to see if it was making his breathing difficult. According to the doctor, they would better not risk. In fact, they should operate her right away.
Even though Langdon was allowed to watch the operation, he wasn't much sure if he would be able to endure it. He went in the room, nonetheless. An anesthesiologist then came by to give Sophie an epidural block, to numb the lower half of her body but leaving her awake and alert for the birth of the baby. Before the surgery, she was given extra medication through a catheter to ensure she would be completely numb. When the anesthesiologist assured that she was ready, a screen was raised above her waist so she wouldn't have to see the incision being made.
After making the required cuts, Dr. Toller reached into Sophie's uterus, pulled the baby out and carefully cut the umbilical cord, which apparently wasn't that tight around his neck. There was a deafening silence before he started to cry. Both Langdon and Sophie cried with him, out of emotion and relief. She had a chance to see him briefly before he was handed off to a nurse, who started to examine him. Upon seeing his son, Langdon's face recovered some of its colour. Meanwhile the doctor began the process of stitching Sophie up.
When Agathe and Maria finished examining Gabriel, concluding that he was healthy in spite of being a couple of weeks premature, they dressed him up with the blue one-piece Langdon had brought and handed him to his Father. He held him right next to exhausted and numbed Sophie, who was still being stitched up.
"He is so beautiful, Robert," she smiled while a tear of joy rolled down her cheek.
"That's because he looks like you," he said full of pride, earning a grin from her. Indeed, he had very dark hair and eyes, and a tiny nose that looked exactly like Sophie's.
She was too weak to hold the baby, so her husband brought him even closer, allowing her to kiss his forehead.
"Are you feeling well, Princess?"
"Yes, but why is it taking so long?"
"It's normal to take that long," Maria explained. "Now, Mr. Langdon
, I need to bring the baby to the nursery. Would you like to accompany me?"
"It's Gabriel."
She smiled. "Well, would you like to bring Gabriel to the nursery?" she asked again.
"Do you really have to take him?"
"Robert," Sophie admonished.
"Alright, alright," he gave in. "But let his Mother kiss him one more time."
Before the poor nurse could ask him again, Langdon told her he would rather be there with Sophie until the operation was over.
PS: Since I watched the movie "The Da Vinci Code" it's been impossible for me to picture Sophie with red hair and green eyes, so in this story she is portrayed as seen in the movie, that is, with dark hair and eyes. Gabriel looks just like her. So this is how I imagine he would look like in a couple of months:
img.photobucket(dot)com/albums/v185/AlineBanhara/babyboy.jpg
Please folks, read and review so I can see whether or not you like this story. Thank you!!