-Chapter 26-
A/N—Warning: This chapter is intense, but go with me.
Still Halloween. A couple hours later, around 2-3 in the morning.
Andrew tosses and turns, trying to sleep on the couch in Monica's hospital room. After a couple hours of trying to fall asleep with no success, the blond angel decides to get up and take a walk. He looks over at his sleeping wife, walks out of the room and makes his way down the hall to the waiting room. There, he spots Tess, sitting in a chair in the corner, deep in prayer.
"Father," Tess begins, "Be with Andrew, Monica and their baby. That sweet little angel baby is so young, so tiny, and not yet time for him to be born. Please give him the strength to hang on and grow under Monica's heart for a few weeks more. Help Andrew and Monica endure whatever comes their way. And whatever comes, Your will be done."
"Tess?"
The elder angel startles out of her prayer and sees her protege standing before her. "How are Monica and the baby?"
Andrew sighs, crestfallen, and sits beside his mentor and friend. "She had the baby a couple hours ago."
"I'm so sorry. Tell me."
"It's a boy. Hayden Michael." He manages a half smile. "He's fourteen and a quarter inches and weighs two and a half pounds. Monica says he looks like me." Andrew chuckles.
Tess grins. "Two girls and two boys. Just like Monica had hoped for."
"Yes."
"How is she?"
"She's asleep." His face falls into his hands, "The contractions just wouldn't stop and then her water broke." Tears well in his eyes. "She was in so much pain, and when he came out, he was so tiny."
A tear rolls down Tess's eye. "How's Hayden?"
"Monica got to hold him for a couple minutes before the nurse whisked him to the NICU."
"Have you seen him yet?"
"No," he answers, face still in his hands. "Monica's asleep and I've been trying to get some sleep, but I can't sleep."
The elder angel takes her index finger and lifts his chin until she's looking into his eyes. "I think you need to see your son."
Words escape the young angel, as fear overtakes him.
"Would you like me to go with you?"
He nods meekly and stands up. The pair exit the waiting room and make their way to the NICU.
In the NICU
Andrew enters the unit and sees the bay where his son lay in a warmer. He hesitantly makes his way to his son. Tess follows behind him. The pair approach the child. Hayden's eyes are covered with a shield, a tube is in his nose, and oxygen is being pumped in a tent-like structure at his head. The angels hear the monitors, showing the baby's vitals, by the bed hum and beep.
Andrew places his hand through one of the round holes and strokes the baby's cheek. "Hi son. I'm your f...fah...daddy. You gotta be strong for your mother and me. You've also got two sisters and a brother who want to meet you. We love you very much." Tears stream down his face. "He looks so tiny in there."
Tess silently finds two chairs and brings them to the side of the warmer. The pair sit down, the blond angel's hand still caressing his son's cheek. "He's beautiful, Andrew."
"He is." Andrew lets out the breath he was holding. "I used to hate Halloween because I thought it was all about death and darkness, and now I've got this little one. Tess, he's gotta make it!"
"I hope so too, baby."
The blond angel removes his hand, leans back in his chair and watches his son breathe. "Tess, I'm angry."
"About what?"
"I feel so awful for feeling this way, but..."
"You blame Monica, don't you?" She suggests.
"If she hadn't been so adamant about having one baby right after another, we wouldn't be in this situation. I mean, I nearly lost her and the twins, and now Hayden." He sighs. "Monica's pregnancy with Hannah and Hannah's birth were the only ones free of complications."
"I know Monica's pregnancy with the twins was hard, but I thought this one was uneventful until now."
"It's the 'until now' part," he spits. "I told her we should space our kids out a bit farther, but no, she was the one who insisted we have them each less than a year apart. She insisted they all be holiday babies."
"You know," she begins, "if you two had spaced your kids a bit farther, you wouldn't have the younger three you've got now."
"I know that." He runs his hand through his hair in frustration, "and I wouldn't trade or send back any of my kids, but this feels so cruel."
"Now hold on, Halo Boy!" Hand on her hip, she continues, "Monica did not do this on purpose. She may have wanted all the kids close together, and yes, I agree that might not have been the wisest course, but she did not choose for her to have complications with the twins and then deliver Hayden early. She did not want her children to suffer."
"I know."
"So, why are you blaming her? You know she'll be heartbroken to see him in here."
"Yes, why?" a voice asks behind them. The angels turn around and see Monica standing behind them, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why do you blame me?"
He stands and leads his wife away from the warmer towards the family room. "This isn't a conversation I want to have in front of our son."
Tess remains by the young angel's side. "Hayden, it's your Aunt Tess, or as your big sister, Hannah would say, 'Auntie Teff'. Your mama and your daddy love you very much. They're just a little scared right now because you came to meet us all a bit early. Just hang in here, sweet baby boy. They'll be okay."
Meanwhile, in the family room
"So, you blame me for what's happened to Hayden?!" Monica yells. "You think I caused this to happen, don't you?"
"Yes, uhh no, uhh yes, uhhh..." he backpedals.
"I don't believe it!" She throws her hands up in the air and begins pacing. "You do blame me!"
"Okay, yes!" he yells back. "I do blame you!" She stops in her tracks, turns and faces her husband as he continues. "When you wanted to get pregnant after Hannah, I wanted to wait, but no, you insisted. Then, after the scares we had with you and the twins, you wanted to get pregnant right away. You insisted our fourth child be born on Halloween. And when you didn't get pregnant right away, you were upset. The doctor cautioned you not to get pregnant so soon after the twins and now look. Hayden's in the NICU, fighting for his life! What am I supposed to think? How am I supposed to feel, Monica? You tell me! HOW. AM. I. SUPPOSED. TO. FEEL?!"
Monica's countenance falls. "Please go. I don't want to see you right now," she whispers. Without a word, without looking back, Andrew turns and leaves the unit. The brunette angel collapses on the floor, in tears. "Father, help!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Tess sees Andrew storm out of the unit, not even taking a backwards glance at his son. She shakes her head in sadness, and turns her attention to the baby in front of her. "Hayden, I'm not sure what's going on with your mom and our dad, but they'll work it out. They do love each other, but they're having a hard time right now."
Monica walks out of the family, tears dried, but still evident. Tess sees her and quietly moves over so the brunette angel can spend some time with her son. The new mother sits and places her hand through the hole and strokes her son's cheek. "Hello, Hayden. I'm your mother. You came a wee bit early, but I'm so glad to meet you today." Another tear threatens to fall, "Oh Tess, he's so small and frail." She looks at her abdomen, which is a bit smaller than it was twenty-four hours ago. "He should still be in here," placing her free hand on her abdomen. "Tess, maybe Andrew's right. Maybe it is my fault that he's in this bed instead of under my heart."
"No, Angel Girl. This isn't your fault. It just happened." Monica looks doubtful. Tess takes her hands, "Did you want this to happen? No. Did you neglect yourself and Hayden during your pregnancy? No." The young angel looks away. "Listen to me, Miss Wings, it doesn't do you or Andrew any good to dwell on the shoulda coulda wouldas, and it certainly doesn't do your little boy here any good either. He needs his mother and his father to put their fighting aside and stand by each other."
Monica turns her attention back to her son, "I'm so sorry, baby boy. You don't need to hear that, especially as some of the first things you hear in this world. I love you so much!"
Meanwhile, in Monica's hospital room
Andrew paces the room, still wound up from his argument with his wife. "Why did I pick a fight with my wife, especially in front of our son?" He looks over at his wife's bed and sees the sheets crumpled. "This is the bed where she gave birth to him. Oh Father, why am I so angry at her?" Picking up a sheet, tears well in his eyes. "I was so scared! I was afraid I would lose my son! And even though, Father, you said Monica and I would remain in human form until our youngest grows up, I was still so scared that I'd lose Monica too. I love her so much!" He lays the sheet back on the bed, makes his way to the couch and sleep quickly overtakes him.
A couple hours later, he feels someone shake his shoulder. "Andrew! Andrew! Wake up!," the voice calls. His eyes fly open and discover the nurse, who was on shift during the baby's birth, standing by his side, "Whah?"
"Andrew," the nurse states, "Monica's asking for you down in NICU."
"I...is there something wrong with the baby?" he asks, in a panic.
"No time for questions. Just go."
He rushes out with a flash.
In the NICU
Andrew races into the unit to find a distraught Monica near their son's bed. Alarms are screaming and the doctor and nurses are scrambling over the child. He rushes to his wife's side. "Monica?"
"Andrew!" she throws her arms around her husband.
"Tell me," he asks, putting his hands on her shoulders. "what happened?"
"I...I don't know," she sobs. "I was by his crib. I went there after you left. A...and I fell asleep in the rocking chair nearby. Before I knew it, I heard his alarms go off and then the doctor and nurses rush his bed."
"Where's Tess?"
"I'd sent her home because she's been up here since I was brought into the ER."
They hear the doctor yelling out orders. A familiar light shines over to the side and they see Adam step out of that light.
"No!" Andrew mouths.
"NO!" Monica shouts, in agony.
"I don't know what's going to happen," the Angel of Death explains. "The Father just sent me. That's all."
"If anyone's going to take my son home," Andrew spits, "It's going to be me."
"And me," the brunette angel adds. "If he dies, we'll take him home together."
The medical team keeps working on the child. Suddenly, Andrew and Monica's clothing change from their earthly clothes to their heavenly garments. Adam lifts the babe's soul from the bed and places the child in Andrew's arms
"No!" Andrew yells.
Tears stream down Monica's cheeks, "No!" She mouths, putting one arm around her husband and her other hand strokes her son's cheek.
Suddenly, the surroundings turn black...
And then, Andrew sits up, and looks around, noticing that he's still in Monica's hospital room. He looks over at her bed and sees her sleeping form. Beads of sweat drip down his head, and he notices his breathing is shallow and rapid, wondering what is real and what was just a horrible dream. Slowly, he stands up, gradually getting his bearings. Then, when he feels his feet firmly planted on the floor, he walks over to his wife, noticing she is not pregnant.
The brunette angel's eyes flutter open. "Andrew?"
"How's Hayden?" he chokes out, afraid to find out the truth.
"The doctor stopped by and said he's doing well." She studies her husband. "What's wrong? I know something's wrong, so please tell me."
Tears stream down, pain evident on his face. "I...I...I dreamed that our baby died and Adam was sent to carry him to the Father, but I insisted that I do that."
"Oh, Andrew!" She holds her hands out and takes her husband in an embrace. "What an awful dream! Hayden's very much alive."
"I'm sorry, Monica. I'm so sorry for blaming you. None of this was your fault." He hesitantly puts his hand over her abdomen. "Hayden should still be in here, but for some reason, unknown to us, he's in NICU instead of in here."
The blond angel pulls out of their embrace. "I'm going to go down and see Hayden. I think I need to see with my own eyes how he's doing."
"Do you want me to come with you or do you want to be alone?"
"I'd like you to come. We need to see our baby together."
"Okay. Help me up?"
Andrew takes her hand and assists her out of the bed. They walk to NICU.
NICU
Monica holds back and lets Andrew approach Hayden's bed by himself. He looks at the monitors and sees that they are beeping just the same as they were earlier. A nurse approaches the bed. "He's doing really well." She explains what the monitors mean.
"What are his chances?" Andrew inquires.
"I can get the doctor if you'd like, before I leave for the morning."
He nods his assent. The nurse leaves, and he turns his attention to his son. "Hey, little guy. It's daddy again. I'm sorry about earlier. I promise that I will do my best not to ever fight in front of you, your brother and your sisters. Mommy and I are going to talk to the doctor for a few minutes. You get some rest right now and your mommy and I will see you a little bit later. I love you."
Monica approaches the bed and Andrew wraps his arm around her waist. "Mommy loves you too! Sleep well, my little man!"
The doctor joins the angelic pair at her newest patient's bedside. "Hi, Mrs. Godly?"
"Yes," Monica answers.
"I'm Dr. Steccie Hicks. I'm your son's doctor. The nurse said you had some questions? I'd be happy to answer them if I'm able." She motions them to the chairs nearby.
Andrew helps Monica into one of the chairs, and then sits beside her. "What are his chances of survival?"
"He's got an excellent chance," she smiles. "I'd put his chances at about ninety to ninety-five percent."
The angels sigh with relief.
"What I read from Doctors Hammonds and Smith, is that you took very good care of yourself, Mrs. Godly, and that all prenatal tests showed that Hayden was a healthy baby."
"D...do you know what caused me to go into premature labour?"
"No, I don't. Your baby looks good, the placenta and umbilical cord were perfect, and neither of you were in any distress."
"What about any developmental or physical delays?" Andrew asks.
"No one really knows. He is considered to be extremely premature, being born at twenty-eight weeks. We want to get him up to five pounds before we release him from the NICU. As far as what he's at risk for, brain bleeds, respiratory distress, cardiac distress..."
The couple's eyes widen as they cling to each other for support.
Dr. Hicks notices and tries to assure them, "I'm not telling you this to scare you. His apgar score and other tests run earlier this evening were nearly perfect. We'll keep a close eye on him here. When we talk about developmental milestones, we use his adjusted age, which is the age he would have been had he made it to term. So, that means when he approaches your due date, even though he'll be approximately twelve weeks in age, we'll start from zero. When he's six months old, he'll be approximately three months in adjusted age."
"Thank you, doctor," Monica states, "That's helpful."
"He's not out of the woods, but I'd give him a very good chance of being released, going home to his family, and doing quite well."
"Thank you," Andrew states.
"You're very welcome." The doctor stands up and shakes their hands. "If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to call me or my associate. Her name is Ladena Sewell."
"Thank you," Monica states.
The doctor leaves; Monica stands up and yawns. "I think we need to get some sleep. Tess will have told Rafael and Gloria by now, and I know we'll have visitors in a few hours." Andrew nods as he leads his wife out of the unit and back to the room.
-End of Chapter 26-
A/N1—Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but this was a good stopping place. Hey, you guys got two chapters in less than a month!
A/N2—I never explained the Miriam Center. It's loosely based on the Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth, TX.