Storm

May 2008

I had been at lunch when I got the page and ran the entire way from the cafeteria downstairs to the ER.

"Dad!" Tess and Kate ran down the hallway towards me, Addison following close behind.

"What happened? Are you girls all right?" I asked them.

"It was raining; the ground was wet and mom slipped outside the dance studio." Tess said to me. I finally could see the picture of what had happened. Carol was picking up the girls from dance class and slipped. The paramedics were called and because she was pregnant, they brought her to the hospital just to be safe.

"Where did they put mom, can you show me?"

All three girls led me to the doors of a trauma room where I saw my wife surrounded by a bunch of doctors and nurses. I pushed through the doors and quickly stood by Carol's head. She had a bruise on her cheek, probably where she tried to catch herself from falling. She was asleep, and doped up on a strong dose of morphine.

"What happened is she ok? What about the baby?" I asked

"Doug, she's fine, for now. We need to take her upstairs now for an emergency C-section," one of the doctors, a man I had worked with only once before told me.

"Why what happened?"

"Apparently when she fell, it caused her placenta to come away for the uterine wall. The baby's heart rate only began to drop a moment ago. We need to get it out now before it gets even more stressed." The group of nurses moved the bed out of the room and towards the elevators.

"I'll meet you upstairs, I have to get the girls." I told them as the doors closed. The nurse nodded to me.

"Girls," I said to them after I had found the sitting in the waiting area. "You have a choice, but you need to make it fast. I have to go with you mom, you can either wait down here or you can come with me upstairs and wait there.

"I wanna go with mommy," Addison said. She sounded and looked scared and had a few tears falling down her cheek.

"Yea, I want to be sure she's ok and the baby too," Kate said trying to be brave for the sake of her little sister.

"I don't want to be alone. I'll come too," Tess said. I nodded and together we all walked to the elevators. Well three of us walked, I carried Addison who had started to cry harder.

I set all three girls down on chairs in the waiting room of the surgical floor.

"Don't worry, your mom is going to be fine," I said not only for the girls but for me. I was scared but I couldn't let them see that. I pushed passed the nurse and through the doors. I washed my hands and put on a surgical mask.

The sight I was when I walked into the OR made my stomach churn. They had already started the surgery and there was blood spilling out of the incision site. I found a stool and sat down on it beside Carol's face. She was still out and I held her hand. I rubbed back her hair and told her it was all going to be fine and that I was here and I wasn't going to leave again.

"Alright, here he comes," the doctor said. I stood up and looked over the drapes they placed in front of Carol's face. Sure enough a second later a baby boy appeared. He was quickly dried off; cord cut and passed off to the neonatology tem who checked him over. After a minute I heard him cry-strong and loud. I nearly started to cry myself. I knew he was going to be alright.

"Do you want to see him?" one of the nurses asked. I nodded and she brought him over to me. I held him and just studied his features. He looked so perfect. "I'm going to take him to the nursery now and get him cleaned up and checked out." The nurse took the baby back and laid him in the bassinet.

Once the baby was gone all my attention could be focused on Carol. Blood covered all of the drapes and the doctor was stuffing handful after handful of gauze into Carol's abdomen.

"Sarah, open a hysterectomy try, we need to stop this bleeding," the doctor told one of the nurses.

"You can't do that, it's not what she wanted!" I half said half yelled to the OB.

"It's either that or she's going to die!" the doctor said to me bringing the seriousness of the situation to my mind. I silently weighed my options for a moment. Finally I nodded and watched as the doctor took the knife out of the nurse's hand and began.


Carol had woken up just after we were out of surgery. I told her that the baby was just perfect. Then I broke the news to her about her uterus. She was upset at first but after the doctor left, told me she was grateful I had made that decision for her.

"I wasn't going to let you go, especially since we have a son to raise," I kissed her cheek and left the room, she needed to sleep.


The waiting room was quiet. All three of my daughters sat in the exact same chairs I had put them in an hour before. I could see them through the window above the door staring back, waiting for me to come out and give them an update.

I pushed open the door, having already discarded my mask and gown I wore in the OR, and all three girls rushed up to me.

"Come on girls, let's go get you something to eat," I said


"Don't worry, you mom is fine!" I said to Kate for what felt like the billionth time. She had been asking me since I got them from the waiting room if Carol was alright. We had just finished eating and were in the elevator again.

"Can we go see her?" Addison asked looking up at me.

"Not tonight ladybug, mommy is sleeping right now, but how about we go see your baby brother?" three individual gasps could be heard in the confined space.

"HA I win. Pay up Kate!" Tess turned to her sister holding out her hand. The older girls had placed bets on whether the baby would be a boy or girl. Normally I don't condone underage gambling, but I let it fly just this once.

Kate reached into her pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill which her twin gladly took and stuck into her own back pocket.

We had arrived at the nursery. I made sure the girls washed their hands and I reminded them to be very quiet, a lot of the babies were sleeping and we didn't want to wake them up. I quickly found the baby and carried him over to a group of chairs. Kate sat down in the seat before her sisters could and held out her hands. I laid the baby in her hands.

"He's so little," she whispered. I smiled at her.

"What's his name?" Tess asked me while she was holding him.

"He doesn't have one yet," I told her.

I gave Addison a turn holding him then laid him back in the bassinet and led the girls out of the room. All three of us made our way out to my cat. My shift was long over and judging by the way the girls walked, they were just as tired as I was.

We got home and everyone changed into pajamas and slid into bed.

"Good night kiddo," I said kissing Kate on the top of her head.

"Night dad," she said turning and flipping off the lamp on her bedside table.

I get to my room and find one of the many baby name books we had sitting in our room. I spend the rest of the night flipping through every page trying to find the perfect name for my son. Before I know it it's six thirty the next morning and I need to get the girls up and ready for school.

I jump in the shower and change my clothes. I come into the kitchen to find three girls up and dressed with breakfast in front of them.

"Wow you are fast, I thought for sure I would have to pry you three out of bed with the Jaws of Life," I say to them as I make myself a cup of coffee.

"It's like out alarm clock dad," Kate says to me. "When we heard the shower go on, we knew it was time to get up for school. Mom does it every morning."

"Well I appreciate you helping you little sister get dressed, but we need to make a quick pit stop before school so get you shoes on," I say pulling my wallet out of my jeans. "And here's your lunch money, you can buy lunch today in honor of your knew brother."

"Thanks daddy," Addison says to me zipping up her jacket. I usher he girls into the car and after making a quick stop at the store we pull up in front of the hospital.

"Come on girls let's go see your mommy and brother," I say.


"…And then Tess made us waffles and hot chocolate for breakfast," Addison finishes with a smile after telling her mom about their morning.

"Well I'm glad you girls were very helpful for your daddy, I know he appreciates that a lot." Carol says. She's holding the baby and looks much better than when I saw her last night.

"I brought something for you," I say grabbing the shopping bag off the table. Carol opens the bag and her face lights up.

"Animal crackers," she says. I nod and kiss her cheek.

"I knew they would make you smile, keep looking there's one more thing in there," I wait until her pulls out the folded piece of paper. "I made it late last night," I tell her. she unfolds it looks at me then at the baby.

"What is it?" all three girls ask at once.

"It's a name plate for your brother, to go over his bed," Carol says showing them the paper. On it are pictures of stars and a rocket ship and the planets. Written in bubble letters is the name: Tyler James. "Oh Doug it's perfect," Carol says tears are starting to form in her eyes.

"Ok girls, say bye to mommy, we have to go now," I say. I usher the girls out as they say good-bye. "I'll be right back," I say to carol before I leave the room.


"How did you come up with Tyler?" Carol asks me. We are sitting in her room; Tyler asleep on her chest.

"I was thinking about Mark. When Jen was pregnant with Rachel, they didn't know if it was a boy of girl, so Mark chose Tyler as a boy's name. And James came out of me watching X-Men on TV last night, and how every time we watch it, you would say 'James Marsden is SO hot' so there you go, your very own James Marsden," I say to her. She's laughing now a smile creating little lines around her eyes.

"Well I love it. Welcome to the world Tyler."


A/N- I know this chapter isn't very good, but I've been trying to write it for a few weeks now and it's irking me, but I needed to get it done. Please review, it would make me so happy to see what you guys think.