"Doctor Weaver!" Abby called through the crowded and busy ER. "Doctor Weaver!" She attempted to get her attention again.
"Abby this better be important!" Kerry replied as she made her way through the people all over the ER. "What do you need?"
Abby sighed as soon as they were able to hear each other. "Doctor Corday is in Exam 4 with preterm labor."
"Well Doctor Corday is an experienced physician I'm sure she can handle the patient." Kerry replied before moving on to look at a nearby patient.
"No… Doctor Weaver…" She tried again, this time surrounded with med students and other doctors. "Doctor Corday is in Exam 4 with preterm labor."
Kerry's eyes dilated slightly as she took in the meaning of what she was saying. They quickly began walking toward Exam 4. "What happened?"
"I don't know, Shirley called me from the OR. Apparently Corday started having contractions during the surgery." Abby said quickly before Kerry pushed open the door.
"Alright Elizabeth how are you feeling?" Kerry asked gently as she looked at the stats on the fetal monitor.
Elizabeth was wincing in pain as a contraction rolled through her body. "Dammit Kerry push the terbutaline!"
"Chuney…" Kerry began to give the instructions.
"I'm already on it." She replied gently as she added the medication to Elizabeth's IV.
"Is there anyone you want me to call?" Kerry asked her gently.
Elizabeth waited for the contraction to subside before speaking up. "Call Rachel… I told her I'd be home nearly three hours ago and my mother is probably on her way to the airport by now."
"Are you sure you don't want me to try to get ahold of your mother?" Kerry suggested.
Elizabeth shook her head. "I honestly can't handle her for any longer."
"Elizabeth you'll probably be on bed rest for a while." Abby reminded her.
Elizabeth gripped onto the rail on the side of the bed. "Look… I don't want my mother here alright… I am barely twenty-eight weeks pregnant with my dead husband's child. Can't you just respect my requests?"
Abby nodded before heading out of the room to call Rachel.
"Ella mommy should be home soon." Rachel said gently as she tried to calm down the crying toddler. Finally she heard the phone ringing and she ran to the kitchen to pick up the phone. "Elizabeth?!" She asked hopefully.
"Rachel it's Abby." Abby's voice came through the receiver.
Rachel sighed. "Please tell me that Elizabeth's asking you to tell me she's on her way here…"
"Rachel I need you to stay calm." Abby said gently. "Elizabeth went into preterm labor in the OR a couple of hours ago."
"Is she okay?!" Rachel asked, instantly concerned for her step-mother's safety.
"She's scared and in a lot of pain but it looks likely that we'll be able to stop the contractions." Abby explained gently. "You should probably try to get here if you can…"
Rachel shook her head becoming stressed quickly. "I can't take Ella on the El by myself…" She muttered.
"Elizabeth's likely to be admitted overnight in OB." Abby said gently.
Rachel didn't respond for a moment, trying to think through the situation. "Is Susan there?" She asked after several moments.
"Yes… I'll need a couple of minutes to find her…" Abby said as she began to look around the ER.
Rachel sat and waited. She went and picked up Ella and brought her into the kitchen with her. "Ella shhh…. We're going to go to mommy soon." She tried to quiet her sister.
"Rachel?" Susan's voice came over the speaker phone.
"Susan can you come get me and Ella?" Rachel asked, sounding rather desperate.
"What's wrong?" Susan asked, not knowing anything about the situation.
"You don't know?" Rachel asked, having assumed Susan would have been informed.
"Well… If I knew I probably wouldn't be as confused right now as I am." Susan pointed out.
"Elizabeth is in preterm labor." Rachel replied quickly. "Abby called wanting to know if we could get there but there's no way I can take Ella on the El by myself. I just need someone to come up on the El and help me get Ella to the hospital with me. It doesn't have to be you I just didn't know who else I should ask in this situation."
"Rachel calm down." Susan instructed. "I'm going to go check on Elizabeth and then I'll drive there and pick both of you up alright?"
"Thank you Susan." Rachel said as they hung up the phone. "Alright Ella we're going to go see mom." She said as she picked up her younger sister.
"Elizabeth?" Susan asked as she knocked on the door to Exam 4.
"Please just…" Elizabeth began to beg.
"Elizabeth I'm going to go get Rachel and Ella so they can come here." Susan cut her off. "Is there anything you want me to get from your house while I'm there?"
Elizabeth moaned. "Get Mark…" she muttered under her breath.
Susan bit her lip and moved over to Elizabeth. "I'm really sorry Elizabeth." She said softly as she took her hand, allowing for Elizabeth to let out some of the pressure. "That's it… squeeze… Yep the contraction is almost over… There you go…"
"I'm sorry." Elizabeth said softly as she wiped away her tears. "I really shouldn't be this emotional."
"Elizabeth you're fine…" Susan dismissed it. "I promise you that I'll be right back with Ella and Rachel."
Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you." She whispered as Susan slipped out to leave.
"No Ella we don't have time to watch Clifford right now." Rachel told Ella gently as she tried to keep her occupied until Susan could arrive.
"NOW!" Ella insisted as she ran back over to the television. "Clifford." She insisted.
"Ella please." Rachel was begging, at the end of her rope. "Not right now."
"Where's mummy?" Ella asked angrily.
"Mom's at the hospital." Rachel said gently. "We're going to go spend tonight at the hospital… It will be like a sleepover alright?"
"No!" Ella replied angrily. "Stay here!"
It was then that Susan knocked on the door. "Rachel?" her voice came through the door.
Rachel got up and ran to the door. "Is mo- Elizabeth doing alright?"
Susan sighed. "She's scared and in a lot of pain but I think she's going to be okay." She informed her. "Does Ella understand what's happening?"
Rachel shook her head. "I haven't told her anything other than that we're going to the hospital so that we can see Elizabeth but nothing else."
"Alright." Susan sighed as she picked up Ella. "Hello Miss Ella. Do you want to go for a drive in my car?" She asked her with more excitement than necessary.
"Clifford…" Ella said sadly as she pointed to the television.
"What if I tell you that you can watch Clifford once we get to the hospital?" Susan suggested.
"Okay!" Ella replied excitedly.
Susan smiled. "Sorry she just likes me I guess." She said with a smirk.
"Ha… Very funny." Rachel said unamused as they headed out to the car.
"Mummy!" Ella exclaimed as she tried to squirm from Susan's arms when they arrived in Exam 4. Susan tried desperately to hang on to the toddler without success. She eventually put her down and watched as she scurried over to Elizabeth's bed.
Elizabeth smiled slightly, trying to ignore the subsiding pain. "Hello Ella."
"Ella don't…" Rachel said gently as she pulled Ella off from the bed as she was trying to climb on.
"It's alright." Elizabeth dismissed it, the pain finally gone for the moment.
"Elizabeth are you...?" Rachel began to ask her.
Elizabeth sighed. "They're shorter and less frequent but still fairly painful." She said as she pulled Ella close to her chest. "Hello Ella, how are you doing?"
"Owie?" She asked her mother intently.
Elizabeth nodded. "The baby is a little confused and is trying to come earlier than it should." She told her gently as she ran her hand through her daughter's hair.
"Bad baby!" Ella insisted as she tried to move up on her mother's lap.
"No Ella…. Ella!" Elizabeth scolded as she tried to move her persistent daughter.
"I've got her." Rachel volunteered as she picked up a now crying Ella.
"Baby! Stop it! Stop it!" Ella was crying into Rachel's shoulder.
"It's okay Ella. The baby isn't doing it on purpose." Rachel told her gently. "Elizabeth I'm going to take her to get some juice… Try to calm her down…" She explained. When she received a nod from Elizabeth she headed back out into the ER.
"How's Elizabeth doing?" Abby asked her as they passed.
"Uh… Okay?" Rachel asked, still trying to take in everything that was happening at once. "I'm sorry I just don't really…"
"It's alright Rachel. Don't get too stressed out." Abby told her gently. "If you need a break the nurses' lounge is empty on the third floor."
Rachel nodded. "Thank You." Ella was squirming in her arms. "Ella do you want some juice?" She asked her as they moved to the elevator. Ella nodded shyly. "How about Apple?" She suggested.
"No grape." Ella muttered into Rachel's shoulder.
"Alright grape sounds good." Rachel agreed. "We should stop at the cafeteria to get this huh?" She asked with a smile.
Ella nodded. "Goldfish?"
Rachel hummed in agreement. "Goldfish do sound good don't they?" Ella nodded again. "Alright let's see what we can do about your hungry tummy." She said with a slight tickle to Ella's stomach.
"Mummy?" She asked hopefully.
"Then we'll go back to mom." Rachel assured her.
Author's Note: Alright that's it for this week most likely. I have finals so… No writing until Friday at the EARLIEST… Please Review!