Chapter 28

On the street, Tom lagged further and further behind Dr. Schuster as they wove down several streets and through a few yards until the pain in his hip forced him to stop completely. He limped back toward the house just in time to see Glennys Martin run across the overgrown grass while Francine was just clearing the front door. He gritted his teeth and took off running again, the pain in his leg becoming a slow-burning fire. Ignoring the pain, he managed to reach out and lock his arms around her waist as they tumbled to the ground. Despite her efforts to wriggle out of his grasp, he held her tightly until Francine reached them.

"Well done, Edwards. You tackled a woman. Now, what happened with Schuster?" Francine asked sarcastically as she slapped a set of handcuffs around Glennys' wrists. She pulled her roughly to her feet as Tom tentatively stood and regained his balance.

Tom shook his head apologetically, "I couldn't catch him. I tried but my hip…" He trailed off and studied the ground at his feet. He rubbed his hip unconsciously, as he tried to massage the pain away.

Francine reached out and said, "Hey, we can't get all the bad guys all the time. He'll turn up again. You did pretty good getting this far."

Tom raised his chin and gave her a weak smile, "Thanks." He looked around and asked, "Where's Scarecrow?"

"Good question. Let's get our new friend here in the car and I'll check the rest of the house," Francine stated as she shoved Glennys toward her car parked several houses away.

On the second floor, Lee was making every effort to leave the room to call an ambulance. "Amanda, I just need to find a phone and I'll be right back, I promise," Lee insisted.

"Lee, please, I can't do this alone and I don't think an ambulance will get here fast enough," Amanda informed him, her eyes pleading for him to stay.

Camilla reached out and grabbed his arm as another contraction hit. She curled her body forward and tried to stand despite the intense pain. "Need… hospital," she groaned through tightly-clenched teeth. She was straddling his bent leg, using his shoulder for leverage.

"See, she needs a hospital," Lee repeated. Without warning, he felt a sudden warmth followed by wetness spreading across his pant leg. He looked up, his eyes wide and asked, "What is that?"

Amanda gently guided Camilla back down onto the bed and stated, "Her water just broke. And, if this is going to be anything like when I had Jamie, things are going to start happening faster, so go get a towel from that bathroom." Amanda pointed at the door in the corner and added, "See if there's a bulb syringe."

Lee stepped back and estimated the damage to his pants and shoes. Confused, he asked, "A what?"

"A bulb syringe. Should be blue, maybe white. About the size of a small lemon with a long end," Amanda explained. She was concentrating on getting Camilla settled through the contraction she was having.

Camilla grabbed Amanda's arm and shook her head. "I can't do this. I don't want to do this. I want to go to the hospital. I want them to do it," she cried.

"See, she can't do this here," Lee agreed.

"Go get a towel and anything else you can find and get back here," Amanda commanded in a tone she usually reserved for punishing the boys. Lee took several long strides stopping only when he heard Francine ascending the stairs.

"Is everything all right up here?" Francine asked when she cleared the first landing and saw Lee standing in the doorway.

Lee looked over his shoulder at Amanda and Camilla who were currently repositioning themselves on the bed. He looked back at Francine and stated, "Call an ambulance. Now!"

Francine's face immediately went white, "Is Amanda hurt?" she asked as she rushed up the remaining steps. From within the room, Camilla began another low growl followed by an intense scream that sent shivers down Lee's spine. "What was that?" Francine demanded.

"Francine, unless you want to stay and play midwife, I suggest you do as Lee asked and find a phone to call nine-one-one!" Amanda called out. Francine turned immediately without a word and rushed down the stairs. Lee scrambled into the bathroom and looked around frantically. He found several towels on the towel rack beside the small tub. He grabbed those, pulling the rack off the wall in the process. He threw open the medicine cabinet, smashing the wooden door against the wall. "Um… syringe, syringe, what the hell was that again?" Lee sputtered as he scanned the contents of the small cabinet. Tucked in the corner he spotted something blue, roughly the same shape that Amanda had described. He snatched the rubbery object and hurried back into the bedroom where Amanda had just gotten Camilla's feet on the edge of the bed. He dropped everything beside her and demanded, "What do I do?"

Amanda positioned herself beside Camilla and took the young woman's hand in hers. "Okay, Camilla, on the next contraction, I'm going to ask you to push."

Lee's face went white as the implication of her instructions set in. "Are you sure that's what you want her to do, Amanda? I mean, don't you think she-" Lee stammered.

Camilla began another low wail. "That's it, Camilla. Put all that energy into your baby. Let's meet him," Amanda encouraged. Lee stood helpless as he watched his wife coach Camilla through the final stages of delivery. After several more pushes, Amanda waved her hand toward the towels and Lee grabbed on and looked at her for guidance. "Just don't drop anything," Amanda stated cryptically.

"Drop anything? What do you think I'm going to drroooo-Woah!" Lee exclaimed. He looked down to see Camilla's baby's unblinking eyes staring back at him. He dropped to his knees and slipped his hands beneath the silent baby. "Why isn't it…" Lee let the question hang.

Camilla looked up at Amanda, her eyes filled with fear, "What's wrong? Why isn't it crying? Shouldn't it be crying?"

Amanda looked down at Lee, "Clear it's mouth. Quickly."

Lee grabbed the bulb syringe and held it up helplessly. Amanda made a squeezing motion with her fingers to indicate what she needed him to do. Lee placed the narrow tip into the baby's mouth and did his best to suction any liquid out. During that process, that baby began to squirm slightly. Without thinking, he dropped the syringe and rubbed the blanket against the little body he cradled in his hands, earning a small but audible whimper followed by a louder howl.

"He's okay, Camilla. He's going to be just fine," Amanda assured her as she brushed damp strands of hair off her forehead. From outside, they could hear the approaching wailing of the ambulance sirens. "Just in time," Amanda nodded in Lee's direction.

He carefully lifted the baby into Camilla's arms before he reached over to squeeze Amanda's hand. "He's going to be okay because of you, Amanda. They both are," Lee stated with a shaky breath.

Seconds later, Francine was standing at the top of the stairs with a paramedic, "Right in here." She looked at Lee, his pants still damp, his normally immaculate dress shirt splattered with unidentified fluids. "Do I want to know what happened in here?" she asked.

Lee stepped to the side, allowing the paramedic access to Camilla. "Just the miracle of life, Francine. That's all," he stated with a dimpled smile in Amanda's direction. "And, thanks to Amanda's guidance, I think everyone is going to be just fine."

The paramedic let out a small laugh as he said, "Well, I guess we get the easy part then. You did all the hard work. But let's get you to the hospital." He called down to his partner at the bottom of the stairs, "Bring the chair for mama and baby."

"We should probably…I should wash my hands," Lee pointed at the small bathroom. He stepped inside and closed the door. He cranked the hot water on and held his hands under the running water as he willed his racing heart to slow down. He scrubbed his hands thoroughly before he snapped the tap off and placed his hands on either side of the sink. He dropped his head and took several deep breaths before he heard the door creak open beside him. Amanda stepped into the small space with him. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I don't know what I would have done if…" his voice cracked with emotions before trailing off.

Amanda held him tightly, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. "We're okay. And you did a great job in there," she assured him.

Lee lifted his head from her shoulder and pressed his lips to her temple, "Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear me!"

Amanda began to chuckle before she felt a sharp pain radiate across her back. "Lee! Something's wrong," she groaned.