Here's the next chapter of Life Unexpected. Have to admit it is a bit of filler chapter, but happy reading anyway!
Disclaimer: No attempt at a witty remark today as currently suffering from an allergic reaction to the medication I mentioned in my last post. A swollen stomach and liver I do own, Cold Case I don't.
"This is the worst date I've ever been on Valens!" Lilly Rush panted just as she took a deep breath, tucked her chin forward and started pushing.
Feeling the contraction coming to an end she groaned and collapsed back against the pillows of her hospital bed. She was beyond exhaustion.
"I promise, next time you can choose what we do" she heard Scotty reply "I'll just bring my credit card and pay" he finished with his trademark smirk on his face.
The last 48 hours were officially some of the worst hours of Lilly Rush's life. They were up there with the day she was attacked at the tender age of 10 and the day she shot George. How ironic she thought that the day her child was conceived and the day it was going to be born were both some of the worst days of her life. In the last 48 hours she had been held hostage, shot at, gone into shock, endured having a shot of adrenaline in her butt as treatment for the shock, been told she was in labour and was going to have a premature baby, and for over 19 hours she had laboured and pushed and this thing was just not coming out of her.
"I'll hold you to that Valens!" Lilly panted again as another contraction started to build. Groaning she grabbed Scotty's hand as he pushed her leg back and she curled forward pushing yet again.
Contraction over, she flopped back onto the bed and her mind once again started contemplating the last 48 hours. She'd experienced the most humiliating moment of her life as she'd literally pooped herself in front of Scotty and the doctor, she'd thrown up countless times and now her vagina was exposed to the world. Rosa Valens had been right when she'd told her to leave her dignity at the door when she checked into the maternity ward.
During the early stages of her labour, Scotty and she had been able to talk and Scotty had been adorable when he had suggested their first date - it would be one she would never forget she thought ruefully. For a while it had been fun getting to know stupid, yet deeply personal, facts about each other, but as her labour had progressed she'd been unable to talk to Scotty and all her concentration had turned inwards, almost like she was gaining strength from somewhere outside her body as her contractions worsened. She didn't know from where the strength was coming from, frankly she didn't care, but she was extremely grateful for it. A strange sort of peace had overcome her and it almost felt like something else was taking control of her body as the hours passed and the contractions ripped through her.
Feeling another contraction build she took in a deep breath, grabbed Scotty's arm , curled herself forward and pushed until the contraction ended, once again falling back against the soft pillows, hot, sweaty, breathless and still pregnant.
"Lilly, it's got black hair!" she heard Scotty cry excitedly from beside her.
"Really?" she heard herself ask, having no idea where she got the energy from to form the one worded question.
"Yeah" was his awestruck reply.
Her mind continued analysing the past 48 hours as she tried to recover her strength for the next contraction that she knew was merely a minute or less away. God she just wanted this over with! She was quite sure she had never been this tired in her life and if it hadn't been for Scotty she wasn't sure how she would have gotten through the last 48 hours. He'd been with her for every contraction, walked and bounced alongside her, argued with the doctor for her, showered her down after her accident and sat with her in the ill fated birthing pool without complaint.
Lilly was disturbed from her reverie by the sound of Doctor Jenson's voice.
"Lilly, I think with one hard push the baby could be crowning on the next contraction. You think you can do it?"
She simply groaned not having the strength to vocalise her feelings right now.
"Come on Lil, you've done so good. I know you can do it" she heard Scotty encourage her. It was alright for him, he wasn't trying to squeeze another human being out of his body!
She felt another contraction build and then she was pushing again, feeling as if her body was being ripped in two as she felt an intense burning pressure down below. Suddenly she just couldn't do it anymore. She just couldn't. She'd paid her dues. She'd gone through the whole ordeal without pain relief, because if it was her fault that Bean was arriving early then she was going to makesure there was nothing untoward flowing through her child's blood.
"I can't do it Scotty! I can't!" she cried as she flopped back against the pillow as her contraction ended.
"Yes you can, Lil. You're Lilly Rush you can do anything" she heard him encourage her again. It didn't help this time. He didn't know what it was like. The pain, the heat, the nausea, the emotion, the exhaustion. She couldn't do it anymore, she just...couldn't. No longer having the energy speak to she just rolled her head from side to side as yet another contraction built. The strange strength that had overcome her since she'd gone into labour kicked in again and she felt her body curling forward and pushing again almost like her body had a mind of its own. The burning pain in her crotch intensified and she pushed as hard as she could willing this thing to just get out of her body.
She felt the energy seep from her body as the intense pain faded, but this time she couldn't collapse back against the reassuring softness of the bed as she was being pulled forward gently by someone. Suddenly her fingers made contact with something slimy, yet so soft and she felt her heart leap in her chest as a wave of awe washed over her.
"Is that...?" she asked Scotty.
"Yeah Lil, that's Bean" he informed her lovingly.
Determination shot through her. She could do this! Bean was almost here and it was her job as Bean's mother to makesure it arrived safe and sound. If her baby was being ripped from her womb 5 weeks earlier than it should have been then she was going to makesure it had the best delivery into this big world as it could.
"Lilly, you're doing so well" she heard Doctor Jenson encourage her "I want you to give it everything you have on the next push so we can get this head out"
Over the next few contractions she pushed with everything she had, focused solely on what her body was trying to achieve as inch by inch her child made its' way into the world. Everything seemed so surreal and the sounds in the room drowned out so focused was she on her task. She thought she heard Scotty tell her that Bean had black hair and she thought she responded, but she couldn't be sure, so focused was she on giving birth to her child. Never had she experienced anything as intense as this in her entire life. The sound of Doctor Jenson's voice somehow permeated her intense concentration.
"Lilly, listen to me, on the next contraction I just want a little push ok? I'm going to deliver the first shoulder but we need to go slow to make sure you don't tear, ok?" Doctor Jenson instructed her.
Panic washed through her momentarily. How was she supposed to only do a little push? She'd never done this before! She didn't want to tear as she really didn't want stitches in her nether regions, but she was so desperate for this torture to be over. How was she going to do this? Her panic ended though as the strange strength entered her body once again and she responded to her body's demands, trying desperately only to push gently.
"That's great Lilly. Now just one more like that for the second shoulder and this baby will be born. You guys ready to be parents?" Doctor Jenson asked with a smile.
Scotty's eyes met with her and she felt a myriad of emotions past through her. There was one thing she was certain of though; her and Scotty were ready.
"Yeah Doc, I think we are" she heard Scotty inform Doctor Jenson his tone reflecting exactly what she was feeling.
"Okay then. Lilly, whenever you're ready" Doctor Jenson informed her.
With the next contraction she pushed as she had done before, feeling like she was having the biggest poop of her life as she felt something slide out of her body. The intense pain receded almost immediately and the greatest sense of relief, exhilaration and achievement flooded her as she collapsed against the bed completely spent. She'd done it! She'd given birth!
A sharp scream filled the air and Lilly's eyes immediately flew open and with the last remnants of energy she possessed she lifted her head up, so desperate was she to see what was causing that sound. She vaguely heard Doctor Jenson speaking and then Scotty was hugging her, talking to her.
"A girl? A girl!...Lilly We've got a girl! A...A...A daughter!" she heard Scotty whisper emotionally in her ear as he held her close to him.
Then Scotty released her and she was disappointed to find that Bean, her daughter, had been taken to be cleaned up and she stared longingly in the direction of her child's cries, each sound causing a stabbing pain to her heart. Even in her tired state she noticed Scotty's head flick between her and their daughter and she could clearly see the conflict in his eyes, and as much as she wanted Scotty by her side right now, she knew that Bean needed her father more.
"Go" she told Scotty imploringly "She needs you".
Contentment and relief washed over her as Scotty smiled at her with pure joy in his eyes. She watched as Scotty headed over towards their distressed daughter and revelled in the euphoric feeling she was currently experiencing. She had given birth. She had a daughter. She had a daughter, and she realised that her daughter had a father, a very happy father if the look in Scotty's eyes was anything to go by.
Her attention was promptly brought back to her current predicament at the sound of Doctor Jenson voice.
"Lilly, I need you to bear down for me" he instructed seriously and somewhere in the back of her mind she noted the concern in his voice and the look on his face however, that thought was quickly forgotten as her head began to spin. She managed to do as she was instructed, only to be rewarded with another bout of dizziness.
"Get me 50cc's of oxytocin" she heard Dr Jenson inform the nurse seriously and a syringe of the medicine was quickly inserted into the cannula to which her IV line was attached.
"Lilly, we need to get this placenta out of you. Now I need you to bear down for me again"
She did as she was told and felt one of Doctor Jenson hands enter her vagina as the other massaged her still distended abdomen. Her head was spinning, but suddenly the dizziness intensified as she felt something slide out of her body, quickly followed by a wet sensation. She was pretty sure that Doctor Jenson swore, except she suddenly felt so weak and heavy and tired that she couldn't be sure.
Vaguely in the background she heard her daughter's distressed cries lessen to a whimper as she heard Scotty talking to their daughter. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she would recognise her partner's voice anywhere. Suddenly she was feeling very cold and everything was becoming foggy. A serene feeling overcame her as darkness started to encroach over her, one last thought drifting through her mind:
At least Bean was ok.
So you guys probably all hate me now, right? Remember I am poorly at the moment before you send too much hate mail my way!
With regard to the medical knowledge, I'm not a doctor and all the information comes from research on the internet, so I hope it is fairly accurate. The amounts were made up by me, no doutbt subconciously stored in my brain from the days when ER ruled on TV!