Chapter 29

Pain rippled through the lower part of her body and Reba stood there, grasping her stomach and in front of her, panic immediately settling in. She was only seven months pregnant! It's too early. She felt the need to alert her friends and family in the living room but she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She was just in too much of shock to move at all. More pain rippled through her body and Reba bent over even more, almost not being able to hold herself up.

"Help." She managed to squeak out but it came as a whisper as she slid down to the floor leaning up against the island. Why wasn't anyone coming into the kitchen? She needed someone. Her baby needed help! She felt more pain and more wetness. She looked down only to see a patch of blood forming.

Tears immediately started to fall and she gripped her stomach as if to protect her baby from whatever was happening even though she knew it wouldn't help. More pain rippled and her breathing was becoming difficult. She needed someone to hear her. She felt her body leaning towards the floor. She knew she might pass out so with as much strength as she could muster Reba thrust her leg out to kick on of the chairs, trying to knock it over and make as much noise as possible so someone in the living room might hear her. She stopped moving when the chair clattered to the floor.

She closed her eyes as she didn't have any more strength to keep them open or to fight. She was surprised to find the pain was slowly slipping away. Reba knew that not feeling pain couldn't be a good thing.

In the next moment she never felt more relieved when she heard a scuffle of feet and suddenly the kitchen filled with panicked voices. Maybe her baby would make it. Her eyes were closed but she still had the ability to hear everything that was going on around her. She could feel the comforting hands that settled on her shoulders and stomach as they assured her in semi-calm voices everything was going to be fine.

Reba could hear someone in the distance rushing an explanation to the operator on the phone that they needed an ambulance right away but after that she didn't hear anymore phone dialing. She needed Brock. Why didn't they think to call Brock? She moaned as she shifted a little trying to communicate but her friends and family surrounding her told her to not move. She didn't care what they said. She wanted Brock!

Reba parted her lips as the short gasps escaped from her mouth. "Bro…ck." She managed to squeak out in a whisper.

"What did she say?" She heard Cheyenne's voice ask in a shaky tone.

She next heard Barbara Jean. "I think she say broke."

"Why would she say broke?"

"I don't know…obviously I am just a little panicked here! Broke…brick…Brock? Ooo! Brock…she wants Brock. Call him now!"

Reba felt relief when she heard someone calling Brock on his cell phone and ordering him to get to Mercy Hospital. She then felt a new wave of extreme pain ripple across her belly and she screamed out at the top of her legs, tears spilling, and she couldn't even get another breath before her world went black.

-

She awoke again sometime during the ride of the ambulance feeling a little lightheaded. She knew because of the bouncing down the street and the loud siren that was a constant annoyance to her. She opened her eyes slightly but it was all a blur. She heard orders being yelled to the people around her. There was an oxygen mask covering her face and she lifted her arm trying to get the thing off. She felt hands hold her down, telling her everything was fine, they were almost to the hospital but she needed to calm down.

If Reba had the energy she would certainly have rolled her eyes from hearing to calm down. How could she be calm when her baby was in danger? How did they expect her to stay calm when she could loose her baby girl?

Reba could feel her body being poked and prodded by all the people around her and she didn't like it. She groaned and tried to push the hands away but she was to weak to fight back when they strapped her arms down to stop her from taking off her IV and oxygen mask. She whined more and tried moving again but she couldn't. Reba heard reassuring voices but they didn't help. She needed her husband.

"Mom…" She heard a soft voice say in her ear. Reba managed to turn her head to the left to see her daughter Cheyenne in the ambulance with her. Cheyenne was giving her mother a sweet smile and caressing Reba's sweaty forehead despite the tears she could see in her daughter's eyes. "It's going to be okay Mom. Dad is going to meet you at the hospital. BJ remembered to call Dr. Mallard. They're all going to take real good care of you. Just relax. I know it's an odd request but it would be so much better if you tried. Everything will be fine. You have nothing to worry about."

Reba nodded as best she could before slipping into unconsciousness once again.

-

When she awoke once again she opened her eyes and realized she was out of the ambulance and in the hospital. The ceiling tiles were moving fast and she knew she was being quickly wheeled down the hall. She groaned a little, trying to give some indication she was awake and she heard a voice next to her. She looked over to see a female shining a light in her eyes.

"Mrs. Hart…I'm Dr. Hargitay…Dr. Mallard is stuck in traffic right now. Just hang in there. We are going to take real good care of you."

Reba nodded as best she could. She just turned her head and her eyes widened when she saw Brock running beside them all decked out in hospital garb. She tried smiling and raising her hand to grasp his.

"Hey honey…" Brock said behind the mask. He took her hand and gave her a reassuring rub across the back of it. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm going to be with you every step of the way." She squeezed his hand just as they were pushed through a set of double doors and suddenly they all stopped and she realized they were in something like an OR.

"Mrs. Hart…" Reba turned to head to Dr. Hargitay as she felt a suddenly flourish of hands attack her stomach. "We have to do an emergency c-section. Right now we are going to numb your belly. Your husband is here and I'm going to do the best I can down here. Once we open you up I can have the baby out in less than 30 seconds. You just relax now."

Reba nodded but she didn't like the words best she could. If this doctor was going to do this she better do more than her best. Brock knelt beside her and she smiled to him, removing her oxygen mask a little so she could talk to him. "Good golf game?" she joked trying to take her mind off what was happening.

Brock smiled and kissed her forehead gently knowing exactly what she was doing. "It's going to be okay, Reba. She is going to be fine." Reba nodded and sniffled as tears started to fall. Brock frowned and wiped them away. "Don't cry honey. Dr. Hargitay said she is going to do everything she can for us."

"Okay Reba I have you open and now I can get the baby out quickly." Reba nodded and held her breath as she waited for the doctor to tell her everything was perfect. "I need you to breathe Reba…just slowly and evenly."

She didn't know how she was going breathe evenly but she would certainly try for her baby. Reba closed her eyes and concentrated on hearing those sweet little baby cries. She thought about what she would name her baby. She and Brock hadn't exactly discussed too much what to call her. They had made a list but she couldn't seem to remember any of the names.

"Baby is out…get her over there." The doctor said pointing to someone over on the other side of the room.

Reba's eyes popped open and she was confused. The baby couldn't be out. She didn't hear anything. Why wasn't she hearing anything? Tears poured out of her cheeks and she moved her mask again to plea. "Let me see her…where is she…why isn't she crying? Brock, she's supposed to be crying." Reba sobbed. Brock tried holding back his tears to stay strong for his wife but he couldn't. He cried right along with her.

-

Reba had been put into a recovery room after the doctor sewed her up. That had been over an hour ago and she was now holding onto Brock's hand, waiting to hear anything on their daughter. They hadn't seen her yet and Reba had done nothing but cry since. She didn't know if her child was dead or alive. She didn't know anything because no one was telling her anything.

"Everything is going to be okay."

Reba turned her head to her husband, tears still running at a constant pace. She loved Brock dearly but she didn't know how he could keep saying that. "Stop…please…I know you're trying to be encouraging and optimistic and I love you for it but I am a little freaked out right now. I don't know what's happening to my daughter and they won't tell me anything. I don't know if everything is going to be okay, so please, stop saying it."

Brock sighed and moved his chair closer to her hospital bed. "Please don't act like this. I know you're scared. I am too. But it's important we think that she is going to be all right. We can't give up on our baby girl already. She has your genes. She is going to be a fighter. I know it."

Reba burst into tears again and nodded. "I know…I just don't know if I can take this. I'm so scared for her."

Brock nodded and brought his wife into his arms. "I know baby and you don't have to take this alone. I'm going to be right here with you." Brock let Reba sob it out. He rocked her back and forth in comfort, providing sounds of soothing, hoping in some way she would relax. It couldn't be good for her to be like this.

The doctor came in a few minutes later. Reba was still crying but she was a little better. She perked up as soon as she saw the doctor enter. "How's my baby? How's my little girl?"

Dr. Hargitay paused a moment before stepping up to the end of Reba's bed. "The pain and bleeding were caused by what you call a placental abruption. Basically the placenta broke away from the uterine wall, which is dangerous for the baby and the mother. These normally can be found with an ultrasound but from the pictures I have on file from Dr. Mallard nothing was seen. Luckily your friends reacted quickly and called an ambulance and you didn't loose much blood. The baby we got out quickly…she was okay, she was even breathing on her own for a moment."

"Wait…" Reba said trying to understand this. The doctor said her baby was okay but… "You said was. She isn't okay now?"

"With her being so premature her lungs are not fully developed. She is down in the NICU where we have her in an incubator and on a respirator with an IV. These next 24 to 48 hours are going to be very critical."

Reba was having a hard time understanding. "So…that's it…there isn't anything you can do?"

"The best thing to do right now is to wait."

Reba nodded, trying to wrap her head around the fact her little girl could be dying. She watched the doctor turn to leave but Reba needed to know one more thing. "Dr. Hargitay…" She stopped and turned to her patient. "Was it something…" Reba paused, feeling the tears coming on again. "Was it something I did?" Her voice broke just a little bit. "I mean…was it the tacos or…did I do something wrong…I…"

"No…no Reba…" Dr. Hargitay quickly rounded the bed and placed a gentle and caring hand on Reba's. "You did everything right. There is no way you could have predicted what was going to happen and I don't think you could have prevented it. I know I've only just met you but I can tell your baby is strong like you. She is a fighter. You did everything right, now it's my job to make sure you go home with a healthy baby and I am going to make sure that happens. Your job right now is to just relax and some of my patients find it comforting to pray."

Reba nodded. She was definitely going to pray. "When can we go and see her?"

"I can arrange a nurse to bring you down in a few minutes, okay?"

"Thank you doctor."

She nodded and smiled. "Just call me Mariska (mar-ish-ca)." She knew it was a little unprofessional and she probably shouldn't get the Harts hopes up but she couldn't help it. She felt terrible for such a lovely couple to have such a tragedy happen to them. "Let me know if you have any concerns or need anything." Reba nodded and Mariska allowed herself to step out and leave them to their privacy.

Reba relaxed and closed her eyes to pray once the doctor left. She prayed to God harder than she ever prayed before for her baby girl's survival.

-

The whole family had arrived in the short time before the nurse arrived with a wheel chair to take them down there. Reba wanted her whole family with her. Their baby girl needed her whole family with her.

Reba smiled when she saw Dr. Hargitay standing outside the NICU waiting for them. Reba had a feeling the woman was going beyond the call of duty to help her family out and she was greatly appreciative of it.

The nurse paused outside the room and Mariska smiled. "I wanted to say before you went in there, not to be shocked by her appearance. She doesn't look like a full-term baby. Her skin is a little translucent and she's very tiny." Reba nodded and grasped Brock's hand and wouldn't let go as Dr. Hargitay relieved the nurse of her duties and pushed Reba inside herself.

Reba felt tears fill her eyes as she passed by all the families surrounding their little babies. They all looked so helpless and tiny as they fought for their lives. She didn't know how she was going to feel when she would see her own little baby but it wasn't anything like she expected. She was pushed up to the incubator and she was shocked to see she could barely see her baby with all the tubes and machines hooked up to her. She motioned to Brock to help her stand. She was still in a little pain from the c-section but she could bare it for her child.

When she was able to look down at her daughter she let the tears fall. She felt Brock rub her back gently and she could hear the sniffles around her as they all looked on. She looked so helpless, small, and so tired but she was just a beautiful little girl. She hated to see her hooked up to all these machines.

She looked up to Dr. Hargitay who was standing closely by. "I can't stand to look at her with all this stuff hooked up to her." Reba said in a shaky voice. "Is there…a point to all these machines?"

"Well…some parents at this point consider the option of taking their child off the machines and let nature take its course."

"Wait…" Brock said speaking up through his own tears. "Are you saying…that this is it for her? There is nothing…"

Mariska paused and tried to be professional about this and not let her emotions get the best of her. "If you're asking my medical opinion I have to say there is very little chance of her to survive on her own."

Reba nodded and turned to Brock. "I don't like looking at her like this…" Her lips were trembling and tears falling even more freely than before. "I think she deserves the chance to survive and experience life…not hooked up to all these…things."

Brock looked into his wife's eyes and could see the pain she was going through of deciding this and he knew Reba was right. Their daughter deserved that chance. "I…I think she is right. I don't…" Brock shook his head and wrapped his arms around his wife, not being able to speak anymore.

Dr. Hargitay nodded. "I will bring in a nurse with some forms for you to sign."

Reba nodded and turned back to her husband, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his chest.

-

Brock Hart didn't know what to think as he let the small tear fall from his cheek as he stared sadly through the window at the empty incubator that once held his and Reba's daughter. He didn't understand so many things. He didn't understand why some bad things happened to good people. Why God put good people through so many trials and tribulations. He knew he may never understand. He supposed he might find out someday but for now he just felt confused and was ready to go home.

End of Chapter