Chapter 35

Bed's Never Been So Boring

"I have to say, everything looks text book perfect," Annalisa announced as she finished examining Amelia's stitches, incision, and vitals. The ultrasound earlier in the day confirmed that both babies were growing and thriving and that Asha's surgical area was healing well. Bedrest had ruled Amelia's life for the last 7 days and was absolutely, positively no longer novel or fun.

Amelia, lowering her chin and looking up at her doctor, insisted, "Then I can rest at home, right? Back in my own bed in my own house with my kids and my husband?"

Shaking her head, Annalisa denied Amelia's 100th request to return home, "Not quite yet. Let's get you to 26 weeks and then we can consider the possibility. Give me one more week and then we'll see."

"I know Doctor-speak…it's like a Mother who tells a child, 'Maybe.' In other words, I'm here for the duration," Amelia groaned as she rolled onto her left side and faced away from Dr. Wakefield. Her hormones and anti-labor drugs were once again causing teary emotionality. Such a thin and uncontrollable veneer bothered the intelligent neurosurgeon. Sure, Amelia thought to herself, I know I can be an impassioned person with fervor and emotion, but the instantaneous crying is ridiculous.

With a spring in his step, after a solid night's sleep in his own bed for the first time since Amelia's surgery, Owen paraded in with Olivia on his hip. "Good morning, lovely," he exclaimed as he set Olivia on Amelia's bed, set down some flowers on the tray table, and kissed his wife's cheek. Amelia glanced back at Owen with a forced smirk. He could tell she was fighting tears…again. Olivia crawled to Amelia's baby bump and began talking to the twins.

"Ummm…is everything… ok?" Owen asked with a puzzled glance in Annalisa's direction.

Annalisa inhaled a big breath and shared, "Bedrest is challenging." She shifted her gaze toward Amelia and offered, "If all your readings are this solid in the afternoon, we can get you up for a brief walk." Annalisa clicked her pen, placed it in her chest pocket and bee-lined for the door.

"How phenomenally thrilling," Amelia quipped with contempt.

Owen lowered his brow as he turned his head toward the door then back to his wife, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Amelia replied flatly without moving. "That's the problem. I'm stuck here with great readings and can't move." Her voice was just about to transform from anger into whining as Owen's pager sounded.

Closing his eyes after reading the page, Owen reached out for Amelia's bedside phone and dialed the Pit, "This is Dr. Hunt." Silence lingered as Owen listened. He folded his arms as he balanced the phone on his shoulder, "Yeah. No, you made the right call. I'm on my way." Owen placed his hands on either side of Amelia's face, promising, "I'll be back as soon as possible. Olivia – be good for your mom. I'll be back to take you to daycare in a little bit." Olivia's head was resting on Amelia and her little hands were rubbing the bump as the little girl nodded toward Owen.

"Are they telling you any secrets?" Amelia asked, determined to make the best of her situation as long as Olivia was present.

"Well…yes." Olivia confirmed. "Asha says that Maddy pusheded her, but Maddy says she was only stretching."

Amelia nodded seriously, "Hmmm…what shall we do about that?"

Olivia extended her hands to either side of her body and suggested, "I think they have to work it out themselfs."

"Good plan," Amelia affirmed. "Now c'mon up here and give me a big hug."

Olivia crawled like a baby and snuggled into Amelia's back, connecting her hands around Amelia's neck, proclaiming, "I love you."

Amelia smiled and turned over to kiss Olivia, repeating the sentiment then pondering, "What are we going to do with ourselves, Olivia?"

"Peds playroom?" Olivia suggested with glee.

Amelia scrunched her face, "I can't get out of bed. We have to stay put."

"Hmmmm…TV?" Olivia excitedly offered.

Amelia moved her lips to the right and pointed out, "It's Monday. No TV during the week, remember?"

"Even if you're a growed up and can't get up?" Olivia attempted.

"Nope," Amelia sighed. "How about a book? Did Daddy bring your bag in here?" Both Amelia and Olivia surveyed the room.

Olivia spotted her daycare backpack on the sofa and pointed it out, stating with regret, "But I can't getted down and back up."

Amelia's phone rang and she let Olivia answer it. "Asha and Maddy and Mommy's room," she declared. A nurse was on the other side of the call and greeted Olivia before asking to speak to Amelia. She took the call and found out that Owen had rushed to the OR and would be unavailable for some time. The nurse was attempting to find someone to take Olivia to daycare, but the Pit was chaotic and swamped. Reassuring the overworked nurse, Amelia offered to figure out the details. Her first idea was to jump out of bed herself and pretend taking Livie to daycare was a credible excuse. Instead, she dutifully pressed the call button.

"Yes, Dr. Shepherd?" a nursing assistant named Jen asked when she appeared at the door a minute later. "Well look who's here. Hi, Olivia." Olivia looked up briefly and returned the greeting.

"Jen, I'm in a bit of a pickle. Livie needs to head up to daycare so she can play with her cousin, Zola, but Dr. Hunt was called to a surgery. Does anyone out there have a moment to help?" Amelia hated asking and detested being dependent on others for every possible move.

Jen smiled, "I can help, if you'll give me about 10 minutes to finalize a discharge next door."

"Thanks," Amelia responded before adding, "Oh! And could you please hand us that backpack on the sofa?" Jen gladly fetched the backpack and excused herself as Amelia began looking for a book for Olivia. The two snuggled together, read, and pointed out details in the pictures until Jen returned.

After readjusting Amelia's monitors for the babies and reviewing the contraction readings, Jen invited Olivia to join her. With Olivia on her way to daycare, Amelia was free to watch TV but still unable to leave her bed. After flipping through the channels and finding nothing compelling, Amelia paged Edwards. Stephanie arrived about 10 minutes after her page.

"Edwards, I'm going crazy. I'm sure as a resident the idea of lying in bed sounds amazing, but I can assure you it is miserable. I need something to do. Anything. Charting, reading scans, making phone calls, anything. Bring it on. See what you can find out there and bring me work, please," Amelia begged.

Stephanie stepped back half a step and looked skeptically at Amelia, "Are you sure that it's ok for you to work? I don't want to aid and abet anything."

"It's fine, as long as I remain chained to the bed," Amelia groaned. "Now, go, see what you can find." Edwards departed, wondering where to begin to find random busy work for Amelia.

Drifting off to sleep, more due to boredom than exhaustion, Amelia rested until Alex came in and gently nudged her, "Dr. Shepherd, I'm here to check on the babies. Can you roll onto your back?" As he spoke, he flicked a needle.

"What are you injecting in me?" Amelia asked suspiciously.

Alex kept his focus on the needle and shared in an aloof manner, "I've got two. Nifedipine and magnesium sulfate. All routine."

Leaning away from him as Alex grabbed her upper arm, Amelia declared, "Wait a minute."

Casually, Alex said nothing and lifted his eyebrows as he gazed in her eyes.

Amelia pulled herself up and inquired, "What's Nifedipine's purpose?

"Just give me your arm," Alex's nonchalance annoyed Amelia. She folded her arms and shared an angered stare as she waited for his explanation. "It prevents labor. No big deal."

Arizona, Annalisa and Alex had conferred with one another when Jen brought the contraction read out to their attention. While the contractions were small, they were 7 minutes apart. Such regularity was concerning. After conferring with Owen in the OR, the decision was made to not tell Amelia just yet. With her emotional swings, Owen was concerned she might just bring the contractions on more steadily by stressing out. Knowing he could pull it off better than the others, Alex was assigned the task to get the meds injected.

"Isn't that why I'm on bedrest?" Amelia growled.

Alex set the syringes on her rolling bedside table, sat back and folded his arms. He stared at her with frustration as he explained, "Look. I was heading in here to check the babies and they handed me the meds. Can we just get this over with so Arizona doesn't chew me out?"

"You're not using my body as a pin cushion unless I understand what you're injecting," Amelia insisted.

"Fair enough," Alex sighed. "You know what magnesium sulfate is for, right? Helps brain development."

Amelia nodded, "That one is fine. The nicardipine can wait."

"For a brain surgeon, you can be pretty clueless," Alex observed as he set down the magnesium sulfate, hoping Amelia wouldn't know which syringe held which med. He injected the nifedipine in her arm, knowing it was unethical. He justified his action by insisting in his head that his patients, the babies, needed the medication. "Nicardipine is for angina. The one we're talking about is nifedipine. Now can you let me do my job?"

Amelia looked out the window as hormone-induced emotions swirled again and as the unintentional tears angered her. She reached back and pressed hard on her lower back.

"Have some pain?" Alex asked routinely as he reached out and applied counter pressure to her lower spine. Amelia sighed with relief as Alex pushed on just the right spots. "Jo is a lucky girl," Amelia cooed.

Alex grinned before standing up and walking over to the contraction monitor to review the read out. Scowling, Alex noticed that the contractions were now 6-7 minutes apart. He calmly offered, "I'm seeing a few contractions. Nothing to worry about…yet. I'll make you a deal – let me give you the injection and I'll get Dr. Wakefield in here to explain it all."

Looking serious and a bit anxious, Amelia negotiated, "and you'll keep your hand on my back until Owen can take over."

"Fine," Alex agreed with a crabby, resigned tone. He gave Amelia the shot and then picked up the phone. "Let's get Dr. Wakefield in here, please," he ordered the nurse who answered his call.

The nurse asked, "Is it urgent?"

"Absolutely. That would be great. Oh, and page Hunt," Alex answered, trying to provide information without alarming Amelia. By this time, Alex had returned to pressing on Amelia's lower back.

Amelia took in a breath and hissed, "Dammit…I'm in labor, aren't I?"

"Not quite. Just some contractions. We're on it," Alex attempted to reassure her.

Owen came bursting in with a look of panic on his face. Luckily, Amelia was facing out the window so Alex could offer some non-verbals to communicate to him before saying, "Hey, Chief. She's got some back pain and a contraction here and there. I gave her a dose of nifedipine and Wakefield is on her way. No worries."

Still wearing his scrub cap and OR gown, Owen let out a big breath and kidded, "Then get your hands off my wife. They're way too close to her ass, Karev." Alex put his hands in the air playfully as he stood up and offered Owen his seat.

Alex advised, "Press with your 2nd knuckles between L4 and L5. That seems to be the magic spot right now."

Owen nodded as he asked Amelia, "Where's Livie?"

"Jen took her to daycare," Amelia responded with tension in her voice. "How bad is this Alex?"

Alex looked at the print out, "Actually, you need to take some huge, deep breaths. The contractions are actually slowing. The nifedipine appears to be effective. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a closer look at the twins. You can stay on your side." Amelia nodded as Alex palpated her baby bump. His face became more thoughtful as he palpated around Maddy. Just then, Annalisa entered the room pulling on exam gloves as she arrived.

She quickly reviewed the contraction read out and ran her hands over the same areas Karev had just checked, ordering him, "Let's get a portable ultrasound in here." Alex stepped out to arrange for the ultrasound and to page Arizona. Annalisa leaned down to Amelia, explaining, "I know it might be uncomfortable, but roll on to your back, Amelia. I want to check your cervix. Owen, keeping pressure on her lower spine will ease her discomfort. I know it's a peculiar angle for you."

Owen nodded and Amelia rolled on to her back, obviously experiencing increased pain. After running his free hand on her forehead and head, Owen grasped Amelia's hand and looked deeply at his wife. He whispered, "You're ok. It's all fine. Slow, deep breaths, Amelia…nice and slow."

"It's not ok, is it?" she asked, looking at him with fear.

Owen nodded and reassured her with a grin, "It is. It is. Nice deep breaths." He turned to Annalisa, who had just completed her exam.

Annalisa smiled, "No worries – uneffaced and not dilated." She walked to the monitor and saw that the contractions were slowing, then listened to Amelia's heartbeat and took her BP. She instructed Amelia, "Let's get you back on your side. How's your back?"

"Still bad," Amelia shared with closed eyes and a look of distress. Owen looked at Wakefield expectantly. She nodded slowly and grinned.

Dr. Wakefield explained, "Sometimes it's the last to ease. How about some ice?" Amelia nodded, again keeping her eyes closed.

"Would it help if I pressed somewhere else?" Owen asked Amelia with loving concern.

Amelia opened her eyes and looked at him, "I don't know. You can try."

"Tell me when I've hit the spot," Owen encouraged as he tried various locations. When he spread out his large hand and pushed just to the side of her lower spine, she let out a relaxed sigh. Smiling, Owen observed, "That's it, huh?" Amelia nodded as she lay more deeply into the mattress.

Alex rolled in an ultrasound and ordered, "We need you to roll on to your right side, Amelia. Chief, can you and I switch sides?" Owen moved around the bed and helped Amelia roll over. He explained to Alex that her back was still in pain. Alex, not surprised, nodded as he palpated around Maddy and set the transducer over her.

"There's our baby girl," Arizona beamed as she walked in and saw Maddy on the ultrasound screen. Alex looked at Arizona and began to stand, but Arizona encouraged him to stay where he was. "Now where was the firmer area?" she asked Alex.

Alex ran the transducer over to a particular area and observed, "It was here. I'm thinking she might have been positioned in a way that was pushing her head toward me."

"I agree. Go ahead and scan both babies as long as we're here and note any changes. If you login and select her profile, then press F4, the machine can pull up her previous measurements and compare them," Arizona instructed as Alex nodded.

Continuing, Arizona asked Amelia, "Has anyone explained what just happened?"

Amelia shook her head, sharing, "I'm guessing I was in labor."

"Not quite," Arizona clarified. "We noted some contractions – very, very small ones – that were at 7 minute intervals. They increased in intensity and frequency before the nifedipine took effect. You weren't quite in labor, but there were contractions."

Annalisa returned with some ice chips and an ice bag for Amelia's back. After handing both to Amelia, she added to Arizona's explanation, "Did you experience any unusual stress this morning?"

"No, not really," Amelia thought aloud.

"Tell me about this morning," Annalisa ordered, not satisfied with the brief answer.

"Owen and Livie came by, she and I read a book and snuggled, Jen took her to daycare, I paged Edwards, then Karev came in and all this nonsense began," Amelia described.

Owen scowled thoughtfully, "Why did you page Edwards?"

"I asked her to scrounge up some work for me to do. I was bored," Amelia stated plainly.

Annalisa and Owen frowned at one another. As Annalisa ordered, "I know you're bored, but you need to hold off on paperwork and work. Even mental frustration about being on bedrest can cause problems. This may have all been a fluke or you might have gotten yourself so frustrated about being bored that your body kicked into gear."

"Can you just sedate me then?" Amelia asked both sarcastically and seriously.

"No," Annalisa smiled. "But I do have an idea. Instead of lying here in boredom, what if we rotated in some company and stocked you up with magazines, crosswords, and sudoku? You have a phone too. Do you have anyone you can call just to chat and pass time?"

Amelia shrugged, "I guess."

Owen leaned over and kissed Amelia, "I'll be here as much as I can. Right now, I need to go check on my patient and get showered and changed. Let's lunch together, ok?" Amelia nodded, "Sure. I'm not going anywhere." Amelia thought to herself, This is going to be a long week…or set of weeks.