"She's hemorrhaging. We're losing her doctor." A nurse said. The staff scrambled. Things were moving too fast, taking a turn for the worst. There wasn't even time to ask the husband what he wanted.
"Let's focus on saving the woman." One of the surgeons decided.
"No." The voice was so feint it seemed almost like the air had spoken. It shocked all in the room. Looking down, they realized it was the patient. She looked at them, breathing labored. The anesthesiologist tried to put the gas mask on, put she weakly pushed it away. "Just save my baby." The lead surgeon looked at the nurse at his side. Even with her plea, he was torn. At this point the woman's chances were 50/50. The baby's were far lower. The anesthesiologist managed to get the mask on and she soon slipped into an unconscious state. For a moment the room seemed to pause, unsure of how to proceed.
"Stick with the original plan. Save the woman." The surgeon stated flatly. The chances of saving the baby were too low to be worth it. Even if that was what she wanted.
"Sir, I think the decision is out of our hands." One of the nurses interjected. The team looked at her. "She's in labor."
"How the hell is that even possible? The paramedic said the contractions were causing too much bleeding and they had to administer Terbutaline." Another nurse said incredulously. Another long pause was felt in the room. No one knew what to say. The medicine should have stopped her contractions. It was physically impossible for her to still be in labor. It was like some sort of bad joke.
"It doesn't matter. It's happening now and we have to deal with that. Start the iv." The head surgeon all but shouted. He needed to get things back under control. Everyone rushed to their spots. They administered some medicine to speed up the delivery. They needed to two to separate as fast as possible if either was going to have any hope. Unfortunately, things progressed slowly. The surgeon felt sweat drip down his neck as he worked to save his patient. A couple feet away, the other doctor was attempting to help with the delivery. But he couldn't be concerned with that right not. At the moment, the only thing each could focus on was their own work. What the other was doing held no relevance. By some miracle the woman's unconscious body managed to push out the tiny form. But there was no crying.
"The placenta ruptured. They're both losing blood fast." A nurse said trying to keep the frantic tone from her voice. She clamped the placenta to prevent further blood loss.
"Take the baby to another suite and get her father in here for a blood transfusion. We'll deal with the mother." The doctor said calmly. The nurse followed orders and rushed out of the room.
Itsuki rested his head in his hands. Tears leaked slowly out of his eyes and he never felt more exhausted. Or useless. His wife and child were in surgery, fighting for their lives. And he could do nothing but sit here. He heard frantic footsteps approach. Looking up, he saw the nurse rush up to him.
"Sir. Is the baby yours?" She asked. There was no time for social pretenses. If they were to save the child, all traces of propriety had to be dropped. The blunt question stunned him. Lost for words, he could do nothing but nod. "Come with me then. The baby needs a blood transfusion now."
Without another word she turned. He got up and rushed to follow her. She led him into a room where they sterilized him and prepped him for the transfusion. After all was done he was practically pushed into the next room. And that was the first time he saw the baby. She was so tiny. Like a little doll. Fine brown hair covered her scalp. He sat next to her as they hooked everything up. With the staff's permission, he held her hand. It felt so little, like it would disappear if he let go. Hours passed, with the transfusions being given off and on. For the 7th time a nurse walked up and checked the readings. Finally, the worry seemed to drain from her face. Replaced by a smile.
"Congratulations Mr. Rajjin. Her blood pressure and heart rate are within normal range. She's out of the woods." The nurse said happily. Despite being drained, a smile lit up Itsuki's face. The nurse walked over to a folder and pulled out a few papers.
"So what do you want to name her?" She asked. He thought about it a moment, then wrote it on the line she pointed to. The nurse smiled. "That's very pretty. Did your wife think of that?"
Itsuki froze. In all the commotion he had forgotten his daughter wasn't the only one in danger. The nurse noticed his look and seemed to guess his train of thought. Without a word, she wandered out of the room. The baby started to cry weakly. His self-pitying thoughts were broken.
"Shh. It's ok Mel. It's ok." He murmured as he rubbed her stomach soothingly. Without him noticing, the nurse came back.
"Excuse me Mr. Rajjin?" Her voice broke into his little world. He looked up at her expectantly. She couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I just checked on your wife's status. She's going to make it."
"What?" He couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice. She nodded.
"She is just getting out of surgery but her prognosis looks really good. In a few hours she's even going to be allowed visitors."
Itsuki took a deep breath. Even with the positive prognosis, fear clutched at his heart. What if she took a bad turn? What if there was something they had missed? His pessimistic thoughts were interrupted by the squirming of the infant in his arms. As Mel was recovering remarkably fast, they thought it might be therapeutic for Sumay if he brought the baby with him. The little one started squirming more, like she was impatient.
"Guess you can't wait to see your mom either." He chuckled softly. Mel was obviously overruling his doubt. With new found courage, he pushed into the room. Tubes seemed to stick out from everywhere, and his wife looks so fragile. Even so, when she heard the door open, her head shot up. When she saw who it was, she tried to force herself up. He rushed over. "Don't strain yourself." She not only ignored his request, she rolled her eyes at his worry. He couldn't help but smile. Mere hours after escaping deaths clutches, she acted as if he was being melodramatic.
"What's that?" She asked pointing to the bundle in his arms. His smile widened as he pulled the cloth slightly off. The baby made noises of disapproval at being disturbed.
"Meet our daughter." He answered happily. With permission of the attending nurse, he handed the squalling infant to Sumay. Tears sprang to her eyes as she soothed the little one. For so long she thought the universe had conspired to deprive her of this experience. But now, with her daughter nestled in her arms, it seemed it was really just trying to make her truly appreciate the gift of motherhood. Time seemed to stand still as the family was reunited.
"What do we call her?" The question broke the spell and Itsuki turned away sheepishly.
"I kind of, already named her." He admitted embarrassed. He told her his pick. He squirmed as the moments of silence passed. Finally Sumay looked at him.
"I like it. But I think for now your little nickname suits her better." She said to her husband. He sighed in relief before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Turning to her new baby, her tone and eyes softened. "Hi Mel. Welcome to the world." The little one returned her smile.
