Chapter 12

Once they checked into the hospital, Susan came in to examine Jennifer's progress and talk with them about everything going on. "You have progressed to 3cm. It's a waiting game now, Jennifer. Each contraction brings us closer to the end goal. Try to rest in between the contractions, as much as possible." She laughed lightly, "And I realize it's not fully possible."

While Jennifer labored, Jonathan tried to rest in the chair next to her, each contraction waking them both. The hospital staff moved in and out of the room with the stealth of clumsy ninjas, monitoring Jennifer's slow progress, and keeping a watch on the baby's vital signs.

By the time the morning light began to show through the window, Jennifer was exhausted. When Susan walked into her room, Jonathan noticed she had a concerned look on her face. She chatted with Jennifer a minute and walked out of the room.

Jonathan stood, kissed Jennifer's forehead, "I'll be right back, Darling." Jennifer just nodded. He opened the door and looked for Susan. She was standing at the information desk, discussing something with the nurses. "Doctor," he called.

She turned and faced him as he walked up to her. "Jonathan."

"What are you not telling us, Susan?"

She shook her head, "I think you know me a little too well, Jonathan."

"What is it?" he demanded.

"The baby's heart rate is fluctuating some whenever Jennifer has a contraction. If it gets any lower, we are going to have to do an emergency cesarean section." Jonathan hung his head under the weight of what he was hearing. Susan placed her hand on his shoulder. "We need to protect both of them, Jonathan. I'm not going to rush into anything I don't need to do, but I won't risk their lives, either."

The sudden sound of loud beeps interrupted their conversation and started a rush of people in and out of Jennifer's room. Susan left him standing in the hall without another word. Jonathan's legs felt heavy and didn't seem to want to work. Trying to get back to Jennifer felt like he was moving through quicksand, slow, and surreal. He arrived at the edge of her room as they pulled her bed out, and they were down the hall with his wife, leaving him standing, lost in his confusion.

"Mr. Hart?"

His eyes were still watching the area they had taken his wife. "Yes," he answered without looking at who was speaking to him.

"Dr. Kendall wanted me to bring you to the ER waiting room." He turned to see the nurse who was speaking. She was young, and he vaguely wondered why someone so young would be in the position to have his wife's life in her hands.

"What is going on?" he asked flatly.

"You're wife's blood pressure dropped quickly and significantly. I'm sorry I don't know anything else. This way, please." She led him down the hall to the waiting room. "If you will wait here, the doctor will be out to talk to you as soon as she can."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he turned to find a seat. He sat down, shifting his weight from one side to the other. He stood back up. Jonathan couldn't sit still. He started walking and found he felt better pacing. He wondered if he should call Jennifer's father, but decided he needed to know what to tell him first.

He paced about twenty minutes before he finally planted himself in a chair — more out of exhaustion than really feeling like he could sit. Jonathan felt like his world was collapsing in on him, and his lack of rest made him think he did not have the strength to fight it. The waves of panic made him nauseous. He had dozed off when he startled awake at the sound of his name.

"Mr. Hart?"

Jonathan jumped up, "Yes."

"Would you please follow me, sir?" As they walked, she told him, "Because of the trauma, your baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit. Just for observations."

"What did we have?" he asked. "And my wife? How's my wife?"

"Your wife is stable. The doctor will be out in a bit to talk to you." She stopped at a sink in the middle of the hallway. "I need you to wash up and put a gown over your clothes. They are here behind you." She indicated the doors at the back of the sink. He did as she instructed while she waited for him.

Turning to face her when he as soon as he finished, Jonathan asked, "Where now?"

"Let's go meet your daughter."

"Daughter?" He let it sink in a moment. "I have a daughter…"

The nurse smiled at him. "Yes, sir." She stopped at a small station with warming lamps on a fussing body. There were a couple of other nurses busy cleaning, measuring, and testing the little bundle. They stepped back to let him have a better look.

"She's mine?" He questioned, the awe in his voice inescapable.

"She's beautiful, Jonathan," the voice of Susan spoke behind him. "You and Jennifer did well."

He turned to face her, "Can I hold her?"

"Absolutely. It would do you both some good," Susan answered, as a nurse reached into the bed, made quick work of swaddling her and picked the baby up, then handed her to Jonathan.

The baby squirmed a bit, and then settled into the crook of Jonathan's arm, snuggled against his chest. Jonathan studied the baby's features, "She looks like her mother… down to that amazing red hair."

Susan smiled, "Yes, she does."

With his eyes glued on the small bundle, he asked, "Jennifer?" Jonathan looked up at Susan, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Susan, how's my wife?"

"Momma's going to be just fine." She knelt down and gently touched the baby's cheek. "She gave us a good scare with that ruptured uterus."

"Ruptured uterus?"

Susan met his gaze. "Jonathan, we couldn't stop the bleeding and had to do a hysterectomy. I'm so sorry. This little sweet pea is it."

"When can I see her?"

"Soon. Jennifer's in recovery. Maybe 30 minutes or so," she reassured Jonathan. "Do we have a name yet?"

"Ryleigh Jennifer," Jonathan answered, looking into the small face of his wife. At the sound of his voice, Ryleigh stretched, yawned and opened her eyes.

"Little Ryleigh may have her Momma's hair and face, but she has her Daddy's eyes," Susan said. She smiled at Jonathan. "Fatherhood looks good on you, my old friend."

The nurse stepped into the room. "Excuse me, Dr. Kendall, Mrs. Hart is starting to wake up."

"Thank you, Sharon." She turned back to Jonathan. "Shall we go see your wife?"

Jonathan leaned into his daughter's neck and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back, Baby Doll. Daddy loves you, Ryleigh Jennifer." He handed her to Sharon and stood up. "I'll follow you, Dr. Kendall."

Opening her eyes, Jennifer found the crystal clear blue eyes she was so accustomed to seeing when she woke, looking back at her. "Jonathan," she uttered, "you're starring…"

He smiled, grateful to hear her voice, and to know her humor was intact, "Looking Darling. I'm looking at you." He leaned over the edge of the bed and whispered in her ear before he kissed her cheek. "I like looking at you." He looked back at her face and then kissed her mouth. "You are amazing."

"Have you seen the baby?"

He looked at Susan, questioning her with his eyes. "She was sedated. She doesn't know anything yet," she answered his unspoken question.

He turned back to Jennifer. "I have, Darling. She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

"She?" He nodded his confirmation. "We have a daughter?"

"Yes, we have a daughter whose face looks just like her mother and grandmother. And," he smiled at her, "she has their red hair. "Jonathan's pride was written on his face.

Susan stepped up, "Yes, she has your hair, but she has Jonathan's eyes."

"She does?" She turned to look at him, "Really?" She turned back to Susan, "When can I see her?"

"Soon. We are working on getting you a room. We need to talk a little about what happened." She took a breath, studying the face of her longtime friend. They had been through much in the time they had been friends. "Jennifer, what do you remember?"

"Honestly, not much. I remember getting the epidural. I remember the contradictions this morning started feeling different than last night: more pressure, more discomfort. I remember you coming, leaving, and Jonathan following you out. Then nothing."

"That's because your blood pressure dropped too far too fast, and you passed out. We rushed you in for an emergency cesarean section. Turns out, once we got you into surgery, your uterus had ruptured. You were losing blood." She slowed down and allowed Jennifer time to process.

"Did it harm the baby?"

"No, she is perfect." Susan paused a moment. "However, the cord had wrapped around her neck. If you had actually tried to deliver her, we could have had a bigger problem. As far as you are concerned, we couldn't get the bleeding to stop. We had to do a hysterectomy. "

"But the baby is fine?" she questioned again.

"She's perfect, Sweetheart," Jonathan answered her.

"Did you pick a name?" He nodded, and she quickly asked, "One we talked about?"

"No. As soon as I saw her, I knew she should carry the names of the two most important women in my life."

"Oh?"

"Ryleigh Jennifer."

"After my Momma," she smiled.

"Seemed fitting."

"Can I make a change?"

Jonathan's eyebrows furrowed. "I haven't filled out any paperwork yet if that's what you are asking. What do you want to change?"

"Ryleigh Jennifer Maxwell Hart."

"For Max." She nodded, and he pondered the name. "How about Maxine?"

"Ryleigh Jennifer Maxine Hart?" Jennifer asked, more to try it out than actually questioning him.

"Ryleigh Jennifer Maxine Hart," he repeated. "I like it."

She smiled softly, "When do I get to meet Ryleigh Jennifer Maxine Hart?"

A nurse poked her head through the curtain in the recovery room, "Dr. Kendall? Mrs. Hart's room is ready."

Susan turned to the nurse. "Perfect. Would you make sure the Hart baby meets us in the room?"

"Yes, Doctor," she answered, then disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

Turning back to the Harts, Susan said, "Let's get Jennifer to her room so she can meet Ryleigh."

The nurses wheeled the bed into the room and locked it into place. Susan did a quick check of Jennifer's incision, making sure everything looked clean and infection-free. After she had given her approval, the nurses adjusted the bed, so she was sitting up.

Jonathan further helped her comfort by placing a pillow behind her back. "Do you need any more, Darling?"

"No, I'm good, thank you."

A knock sounded on the door, and it opened. Nurse Sharon pushed a basket on wheels in ahead of her, with a fussy bundle inside. "Knock knock," she said, letting the door close behind her. "I'm Nurse Sharon, and I have someone here who is hungry, Momma."

Jonathan looked at Jennifer, smiled, and walked to the basket. "Hey, Ryleigh. Shhhh." He reached into the bassinet and gently pulled the baby into his arms and up close to his face. "Sweet Ryleigh, I need to introduce you to someone very important." He nuzzled her little neck, kissed her cheek, and continued to talk in soothing tones to her. "She is the most important and special woman in our lives." He looked at Jennifer, her eyes teary from watching her husband with her daughter. "Ryleigh Jennifer Maxine, meet your Momma. Momma," he reached down and laid his precious package in her arms, "meet your daughter, Ryleigh."

"Bonjour mon amour," Jennifer whispered to the little girl. Ryleigh's small lip quivered before she let out a cry. Jennifer looked at Jonathan, unsure of herself, and what to do next.

"She's telling you she's hungry," Sharon offered.

Jennifer turned back to Ryleigh, "Oh, oui! Tu as faim."

Sharon stepped up beside the bed. "Can I help you get started."

"Please. I have very little knowledge of what I need to do here."

"Most of it is up to Ryleigh." She gestured towards Jennifer's gown, "May I?" Jennifer nodded in agreement. Sharon began teaching her how to help Ryleigh latch, who took quickly to the offered meal.

Susan beamed, "She's a quick study. I have no doubt you two will have this down by tomorrow morning. I'm going to head out. If you need me, Jonathan, call me."

Jonathan stepped to his friend, hugged her, and said, "Thank you, Susan." He looked back at his wife and daughter, "For everything."

"Happy to help, Jonathan." She turned to Jennifer, "Get lots of rest, Jennifer. And don't be afraid to let this man help. Doctor's orders."

"Will do, Susan. Thank you."

"I'll check on you in the morning."

"Thank you again," Jonathan called as she walked out the door.

"I think you have this under control, Momma," Sharon said. "If you need anything, just push the nurse's call button there by your bedside, and I will be right in."

"Thank you, Sharon," Jennifer replied as the nurse also headed out the door. For the first time, the three of them were alone in the room. Jennifer watched her nursing child. Jonathan watched his wife as she tended to the needs of his daughter. "Have you ever seen anything so perfect?"

"No, there is nothing as perfect as the two of you." Jonathan paused, making a mental note of the image. Then he said, "May 13, 1987. Happy Birthday, Ryleigh." He leaned in and kissed his wife. "Thank you for my family."

*** The End ***