38.
~ Norma looked especially small and vulnerable sitting up in the middle of their bed. Her face had been scrubbed free of makeup and she looked like she was barely out of her teens. She was starring, wide eyes and jaw slacked slightly, nodding at everything the doctor had to say.
"You can use the bathroom, it's just a few feet away I see." Doctor Gadis was saying from the small chair Alex had brought in from the dinning room. "But stay off your feet for everything else. That means no more walking until it's time to deliver. We will send an ambulance over for that."
Alex shifted uncomfortably from his spot in the doorway. The memory of Norma suddenly crying out in pain early that morning, the bright red blood that had appeared, wet and hot, on the white bed sheets. It had all struck him as very violent and terrifying. How was it possible that women did this all the time? It all seemed so brutal. He could almost feel the specter of death in the air at the smell of all the blood. It was that same twisting anxiety and horror that had plagued him all winter. Most especially when he had to supervise the pit they had buried so many in.
He had panicked when she had woken up screaming. A sharp scream and then so much blood without warning. He'd seen people wounded and bleeding before, but not like this. This wasn't a wound that he could not just apply pressure on to make it stop. It wasn't just Norma's life he was worried about now, and it was horrible not knowing how to help or how to fix what was wrong.
"It's only one more month, then we can take the baby." Doctor Gadis was telling her.
"Take the baby?" Alex asked in slight alarm.
"A c-section." Norma said calmly. She looked tired, but clearly feeling better than she had that morning.
"Normally, we would have you in the hospital, where we can monitor you better." Doctor Gadis went on. "But the virus is still out there and you can't be vaccinated just now."
Norma nodded. Her teeth gnawing on her lower lip. Her hands running over her distended stomach protectively.
"I can do it." she said quickly. "It's only for a month. Emma and Dylan can help."
"I have some vacation time saved up." Alex added and Norma gave him a worried glance.
"Good. She's going to have to stay in bed for the next month. No stress, Sheriff." the Doctor ordered before standing up.
"The baby really sounded okay?" Norma asked for the third time.
Doctor Gadis nodded and smiled.
"When I bought this portable sonogram machine, I never thought I'd use it much. Thanks to the virus, I've made so many house calls for our very own quarantine baby boom, it's come in handy." she said. "Your baby looked good and the heartbeat was strong, Mrs. Romero. Don't worry."
"Thank you." Alex nodded and showed the doctor out.
"Make sure she stays in bed, Sheriff. I mean it, no walking. The uterus could collapse and she could easily bleed to death before an ambulance could get here."
Alex looked back at the bedroom. Norma had listened to the fearful prognosis and seemed to take it seriously. Alex had felt that nervous panic again. Should he take her to a hospital in Portland? Somewhere so they could monitor her better?
"I'm going to stay here." he said quickly. "Don't worry."
Doctor Gadis looked skeptical.
"If there is anything at all, anything you need, don't be afraid to call the office. All I've been doing lately is administering the vaccine to people stuck at home. Has everyone in the household been vaccinated?"
Alex nodded.
"I have and so has Dylan. Norma's son." he told her. "He's grown. Married in fact. His wife can't be vaccinated. Emma Decody?"
Doctor Gadis nodded.
"Then Emma can't be around Norma till after the birth and after Norma is vaccinated. The last thing we need is for her to get the virus on top of everything else." the doctor said.
Alex nodded but the idea didn't want to register right away. Norma getting the virus now. Being bed bound, the baby in danger and then to get the virus. Would fate be that cruel?
"She won't." Alex promised eagerly. "It's just me and Dylan."
The doctor nodded.
"I'll stop by in a few days to do another check up." she said and Alex thanked her again for the emergency call.
"It's always a little scary being a new father. You'll get the hang of it, Sheriff." she said.
"I hope so." Alex said soberly watching her pack her equipment in her car.
~ Norma hadn't been surprised by the sudden false labor and bleeding. She'd been expecting it in fact. Nothing good ever lasted and nothing gold could stay. That was how the world worked and that was how her life worked. Any spark of happiness was always quickly snuffed out, so she'd been expecting something bad to happen at any moment.
"Stupid thing." she hissed and slapped the remote control to try and get the TV to respond.
"Hey!" came Alex's voice and his tell-tell stomping into the bedroom. "Don't get so worked up, what are you doing?"
"The remote!" Norma pointed accusingly at the TV he had brought into their bedroom. "It's not working."
"Probably too far away." Alex said rationally and rolled the small TV stand closer to the bed so she could activate the screen.
Norma clicked the remote again and the TV flashed on to the news.
"No." Alex said and took the remote from her. "No news, no stress of any kind. You heard what the doctor said."
He snapped the TV remote until it came upon a back and white movie she recognized as an old Vincent Price film.
She let out a sigh.
"I like to watch the news." she told him irritably. "I'll just read about it on my phone, Alex." she said brandishing her smart phone.
"Well, I'm not going to help contribute to your stress." he said. "Are you hungry?"
"No." she said with a snap of petulance. "I don't want to be stuck in bed like this. I'm already uncomfortable." It was true. Her lower back hurt and she found it hard to find a good position.
"You remember what the doctor said about gravity and standing up?" Alex reminded her.
"I know." Norma said sharply.
A terrible thought reemerged from her mind and she hated to speak it and give it validation.
"Alex?" she asked weakly and snapped off the TV, He turned back into the room and sat on the edge of her bed to listen.
It felt overly dramatic. Like something women had to prepare for a century ago, but she had to tell him.
"If it comes down to… me or the baby." she told him. "If it's bad and they want you to choose."
"Norma." he sighed and shook his head.
"Alex I mean it." she snapped. "You have to promise to keep the baby safe. If it's my life or… " She trailed off and felt the urge to cry. "It's the baby first. Okay?"
"It's not going to come to that, Norma." he said with perfect calmness. Her stoic Sheriff back again after a horrible morning of fear and not knowing what to do.
"Promise, Alex." she demanded. "And… if the worse happens…" she ran a hand over her stomach. "Promise that you'll look after Norman? Dylan will be fine. He's always been so independent, but Norman needs so much help. He'll be all alone in the world without me. Promise you'll look after him."
Alex was quiet for a long time. So long that she thought he wasn't going to answer. That he wasn't going to give her the promise.
"I promise." he said. "If the worst happens, I'll make sure the baby is the priority…" he took a deep breath and she knew it pained him to say what came next. "I promise I'll take care of Norman."