With Fiona's new schedule, she is home in her own bed almost every night. The only issue is odd hour phone calls which are such a nuisance Vastra installed a new phone extension in her daughters' bedroom.
Fiona and Alaya worked out a system in handling the late night call. Fiona always answers the phone and informs Alaya of her destination. She then crawls out of bed gives herself a quick sponge bath. Alaya would call the driving service, go into the kitchen grabs a cup of cold coffee and sandwich. By this time Fiona is properly dressed, which she laid out before going to bed, and they both go downstairs and wait for the car to come pick up Fiona. Alaya would rush back to their bed to sleep curled up to Fiona's warmth under the blankets.
Both are equally enthusiastic at making these late night calls to go as smoothly as possible. Fiona is not getting the best sleep, but at least she is in her own bed a few hours a night. The alternative is to have her previous schedule where she slept most nights at the hospital without any quality of sleep.
The new schedule assigned Fiona to various facilities including Women's Hospital for Children on 688 Harrow Road, New Hospital for Women on 222 Marylebone Road, Belgrave Hospital for Children on 1 Clapham Road and The London School of Medicine for Women on 8 Hunter Street. Sometimes it is all four in one day. Fiona's favourite is Women's Hospital for Children where she would witness her friend Louisa perform surgeries, sometimes, when they are short staff Fiona would assist.
One early morning Fiona had to quickly go to Women's Hospital for Children. As soon as Fiona hangs up the phone she tells Alaya "It is at the Hospital for Children. Also please wake your mothers. I would like them to see this." Alaya quickly calls the driving service and wakes gets her parents up,
"No, I don't know. I am a messenger. We leave in less than ten minute. Hurry." In less than nine all four women are in a taxi heading to Women's Hospital for Children.
Jenny is laying on Vastra's shoulder, "Dear Fiona, will you please tell your family why we are in a cab instead of our beds?"
"It is a surprise."
Fiona sits her family down in assigned seating behind a glass facing an operating room, "Please stay calm, make mental notes and we will discuss later." All three nod yes. Vastra is the only one who is overly excited. They watch different staff come in and out of the room. One nurse lays out different types of knives, clothes and a roll of thread. Across from the room there is a similar window Alaya smiles as she sees her Fiona wave.
A pregnant woman is wheeled and placed on the operating table. Louisa enters the operating room with Fiona directly behind. Louisa smiles and offers comfort to the patient. She is slowly put under. Louisa is giving instructions to the staff surrounding the operating table. Request a certain blade, making incissions, carefully, in less than forty minutes, a healthy baby boy. Fiona with the guidance of Louisa the mother is stitched back up and wheeled out of the operating room.
A nurse inturrupts the quiet stares to escort Vastra, Jenny and Alaya to a private room. Moments later Louisa and Fiona come into the waiting room wearing clean scrubs. Fiona dares to ask, "Well what did you think?"
Vastra can't help but appreciate the moment, "Quite interesting. What is that type of procedure called?"
Fiona smiles, "Caesarean section."
"Recovery time?"
"Longest has been a month of discomfort, but many are back to normal in one to two weeks."
Louisa adds a bit more information, "I urge one to two weeks of low-level activity and gradually becoming more active."
Alaya fully awake, "What reasons do women have this caesarean procedure?"
Louisa looks to Fiona to respond.
"Placenta previa, placental abruption, uterine rupture, breech position, cord prolapse, fetal distress, emergency labor, previous caesarean childbirth, Diabetes, preeclampsia, birth defects, multiple births ... " smiling, "...or fetus with Silurian blood."
The three women sit patiently listening to Fiona as she answers, when completed they look to Louisa for her reaction.
"Perfect. No one missed."
Fiona comes closer to her Alaya, "Louisa and I have talked that this might be a better solution, for when I am pregnant. It truly scares me and I would love to have more than one child. Of course, at the more proper time."
Alaya becoming concerned, "I see. Is there much pain?"
"There is pain medication, that do not affect the child. The mother will have horrible discomfort for about one week, but the body heals quickly."
"This is good?"
"This is magnificent."
Louisa turning to Vastra and Jenny, "My dear friends, do you have any questions on your future grandchildren?"
Vastra asks, "What is your oldest patient?"
Louisa, "I had a woman give successful birth after forty-five."
"Mother Jenny..." Jenny looks to Fiona. "What do you think? Do you believe that this would work for me? You are the only person in the world, the universe, that would have insight."
Jenny responds quite happily but there is a crack in her voice, "I just know that the Alaya's childbirth was too painful and it was months before I feel like myself. If this procedure were available to me, Alaya would have not been an only child."
Fiona quickly looks to Alaya, "You have gotten quiet."
"So how many children are you contemplating?"
"Possibly two or three?"
"Not twelve?"
Fiona smiles, "Do we own a farm? Starting a cricket team? My love, two or three. My body will go through enough carrying a partial Silurian child to term, I can't imagine more than three."
Louisa looks to the clock, "We hate to leave you my friends but Fiona and I have paperwork, rounds and doctor business to attend."
Fiona leans and kisses Alaya's cheek, "See you later tonight." Turning to Vastra and Jenny, "Thank you for coming, I hope it was informative besides unexpected."
The taxi ride home Vastra and Alaya discuss the surgery, the baby and both beamed with pride as they discussed the professionalism of the procedure.
Jenny leans against Vastra's shoulder while her mind is somewhere else entirely.