Chapter 43: An Emotional Day

January 12

Baby A: Ella Ray Hunt

Baby B: In Utero

Owen had just stepped out of Amelia's room to answer the page from the NICU. The nurse who answered the NICU phone explained, "Yes, Doctor, we did page you. Dr. Karev would like you to come down and join him. He'd like to provide an update."

"Uh…sure," Owen answered with hesitation. "I'll… I'll be there in a few minutes." Owen re-entered Amelia's room and she looked at him with anticipation. Since he was now officially on leave, she was trying mightily to not show frustration that he had just been paged. People will have to get used to leaving him alone if he's going to be on leave, Amelia thought to herself. Owen walked over to Amelia. Without mentioning the NICU, he whispered in her ear, "I know. I'm sorry. This will be quick. I promise." Amelia simply responded with a stone-serious look. Then he turned to everyone else and stated that he would be right back.

Down in the NICU, Alex was adjusting the cannula and reviewing the CPAP settings when Owen entered. He nodded and motioned for Owen to come over to him.

"What's wrong?" Owen asked with just an air of fatherly concern.

"Wrong isn't the right word," Alex explained as he put his hand up to his lips and chin. "She's good…fine. Over the next 24-48 hours, we'll get a clearer picture of her status. Her BP has been low, which isn't unheard of. We're monitoring it closely and giving her fluids. That usually corrects things over time but might be related to her iron levels. I'm ordering a supplement in her next tube feeding to try to even out the iron. We did have to put her on a vent for about an hour. She's stepped down to a C-PAP now and I'd like to keep her on that overnight as a precaution."

"She stopped breathing?" Owen asked with a hint of panic. "Why didn't you call me?"

Alex looked at Owen flatly and held up his own pager, "I did. That's why you're here now."

"But she was on a vent for over an hour and you're just telling me now," Owen growled slightly.

Alex nodded, trying to figure out a way to remind the Chief that the Chief was the patient's father and Alex was the doctor. Not coming up with the politically correct phrases, Alex simply continued his update, "Her skin is in great shape for her gestational age, temp is just a tad low, and we're not seeing any signs of jaundice. Sometimes that arises over time. No signs of larger concerns. Overall, she is in great shape. Just wanted you to know about the vent."

Owen, still angry at not having been called earlier, fumed quietly but firmly, "I want to be paged any time anything arises and when her situation appears to be on a downturn. You did the right thing with the vent; this isn't about consent. I trust you, Karev. But I want to be with my daughter if she's facing challenges and I want to know immediately about any concerns."

Alex stared flatly at Owen and held his gaze. Both men knew that Owen's request was unreasonable. "Dr. Hunt, there may be times that we act prior to contacting you. If I have to decide between treating your daughter in the moment or contacting you first, I am going to treat her based upon my experience, training, and abilities." In a dispassionate tone, Alex set his boundaries, "If you can't agree to that arrangement, you'll need to find another doctor." Alex maintained his gaze for a few seconds after he finished speaking. There had been no attitude or anger in his voice, just an emotionless statement.

Owen looked away with a tightened jaw and folded arms. After pausing for a minute, he asked softly, "She stopped breathing?"

"Actually, no," Alex clarified. "She was struggling more than I like to see, so we moved to the vent. There's been no significant loss of breathing. A little bradying, that's all."

With an angry, heavy face as he uttered, "Uh…huh." Owen looked away again and maintained his gaze elsewhere, staring down at her with little emotion, "My kids are here to see her. They're upstairs."

"I can remove the cannula for a few minutes if that would be less scary for them," Alex offered. Owen stroked the baby's head and nodded, explaining that he would bring the kids down to see their sister momentarily. Alex began removing the cannula and stood beside her watching her breathing closely. Then he moved the baby and her bed closer to the window.

A few minutes later, Debra, Lynne and the kids joined Owen outside in the hallway as they peered in to see the baby. Owen stepped in, robed up and thanked Alex for removing the cannula temporarily. Alex nodded and toyed with the tubes and wires as he mumbled, "You're a great dad, Chief. The nameless kid is lucky to have you."

"Ella Ray," Owen whispered. "Ellie." Alex smirked and stepped away to check on another baby.

After posing for pictures through the window and after showing the kids their new baby sister, Owen walked Lynne, Debra, and the kids out to the car. Owen planned to stay at the hospital overnight and divide his time between the NICU and Amelia. While he wished that Karev would allow the baby in Amelia's room overnight, Owen completely understood why the NICU was a better option. The situation made him feel like he was being torn in two.

Seemingly insecure about the birth of the baby, Oliver was particularly clingy and held Owen's hand tightly as they walked. He begged to go back and say goodnight to Amelia to no avail. He sniffled and held in his overwhelmed tears all the way to the car. Bronwyn, highly aware she had lost her status as the only red-headed little girl, insisted on being carried. Lynne assured Owen their reactions were normal and reminded him that they would pass.

Debra, picking up on the nuances, made sure that she doted on Finley and asked him what he thought about his new sister. "She's so tiny," Finley commented. Debra agreed and attempted to compare the baby's length to Finley's arm. She grasped his arm, held it out to estimate 16 ½ inches, and tickled him lightly as she 'measured.' Finley smiled as he and his Gran played and talked.

Owen kissed his mom goodbye, chatted with Lynne about logistics for the following day, and hugged Finley. He promised Finley he would be at his soccer game the next afternoon, then he set the two younger kids down and told them he loved them. Both broke into tears, exhausted by the hype of the baby's birth and unsure of the significance of all the changes in their lives. Oliver politely refused to make eye contact with Owen because he was still upset about not getting to see Amelia again.

"Hey," Owen quipped softly as he held their hands in his, "we'll have plenty of time to play and be together in a few days. I swear. Right now, you both need to take a deep breath and be troopers. Lynne's staying at the house tonight and she'll need you two to help her. The dogs need you to feed them dinner and play with them when you get back." He kissed Bronwyn and helped Lynne buckle her in her carseat while Oliver leaned up against the back tire.

Owen returned to Oliver and knelt down to be eye-to-eye with him, "Ollie?" Oliver, with arms folded, kept his head down and didn't respond. "Hey, buddy…" Owen added. Oliver grabbed his fingers and pulled at them as he sniffled. Owen leaned further down so his face was under Oliver's gaze and looked up at his little seven-year-old, confirming, "I know you're mad at me, and I'm sorry about that." Oliver moved his head up and to the side and saw Lynne. He ran over to her and hugged her legs as he began to sob.

Lynne mouthed to Owen, "Go. It's ok."

Owen, being far too hard on himself and feeling like an ogre, trudged up to Amelia's room. He slid onto the bed next to Amelia and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked with concern when she saw his gloomy face.

"Oliver wanted to come say goodnight and I told him no," Owen began as he then continued to explain the rest of his interaction with Oliver. He concluded, "I feel bad for him."

Amelia grasped Owen's hand and kissed it, stating, "Good job standing your ground, and great job being empathetic. He'll be fine, Owen. He's worried he's losing another mommy. I'll keep an eye on him." Amelia texted Lynne and offered to FaceTime Oliver at bedtime if it would help.

"Helluva day, huh?" he mused as he closed his eyes. "How are you holding up?"

Amelia sighed softly and observed, "Well, let's see…this morning, I slept in and came over here to have lunch with you. Tonight, I'm here in a crappy, uncomfortable hospital bed both pre- and post-partum with a preemie in the NICU. Considering the tailspins of the day, I'd say I'm pretty steady."

Owen's head leaned on Amelia's as they dozed off, side-by-side.