Sister Monica Joan attends to the baby as Delia proceeds to deliver the placenta. Sister Monica Joan briefly looks over at Delia, and finds that she is in blood up to her elbows. All of the color has suddenly drained from Patsy's face. Patsy remains eerily silent Sister Monica Joan acts quickly, and secures the newborn in the empty cardboard box that had contained the contents of the birthing kit, that now rests at the foot of bed.
"She's hemorrhaging," Delia say, stating the obvious.
"I'll go call the ambulance to take her to the hospital."
By the time sister Monica Joan hangs up the phone Sister Julienne is walking in the door. She notices that Sister Monica Joan is in her night attire, and covered in bodily fluids.
"I just phoned the ambulance. Nurse Busby is going to need assistance."
Without a second thought nurse Julienne races up the stairs, she skips every other step as she goes. She has fresh gloves on before she even enters the room. She quickly assesses the situation.
"Sister Monica Joan was the only one here when she went into labor. The baby was in a frank breech position, and she had to perform external cephalic version. The baby had the cord wrapped around his neck three times. I delivered the placenta, and she started hemorrhaging."
"I'll attend to her, you attend to the baby."
Delia nods, and peels off her gloves.
As Patsy is being transferred into the ambulance, Trixie arrives home. She notes the horrified looks on her cohort's faces. Delia clings to a newborn baby as they load Patsy into the ambulance. Inside Sister Julienne attends to Sister Monica Joan.
"I'll take the baby, you go with her," Trixie insists.
Delia nods, and Trixie slips the baby out of her arms. Patsy, and Delia leave in the ambulance. Trixie heads inside. She makes her way to her room. She stops in the doorway, aghast. There is blood throughout much of the room.
"What happened?" Trixie queries.
"He presented frank breech."
"Oh no."
"None of us were home."
"Where is Sister Monica Joan?"
"In the bath, cleaning all of the bodily fluids off herself. She was the only one here, and didn't have time to phone for help."
"Did she perform external cephalic version?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that it caused Patsy to hemorrhage?"
"Not necessarily. He weighed in at nine pounds fifteen ounces."
"Yikes."
Trixie clings to the newborn, as sister Julienne strips the bed. By the time the bed has been stripped, Sister Monica Joan returns. She wears a fresh night gown, and her fingers are slightly prune-y.
"I can take him," she asserts.
Trixie nods, and relinquishes the hefty baby boy.
"I'll help sister Julienne clean up this mess."
Sister Monica Joan falls silent as she looks at the state of disarray.
"I should have waited," she says solemnly, her head hanging.
Trixie shakes her head, "If you had it is quite possible neither one of them would be here with us right now."
"What if I caused this?" She responds.
"No one thinks that. Your instinct took over," Sister Julienne points out.
"I think that Chummy left Freddie's basinet here when they left. I will go retrieve it, and then we can tackle this mess."
"Why don't you set it up in my room, for now?" Sister Julienne responds.
"I will see to him," Sister Monica Joan insists.
Sister Julienne nods subtly, "For now."
Hours later Trixie's room has been clean, and Patsy's bed remains bare. Trixie climbs into bed, to catch a few winks before her shift with the newborn. Sister Julienne tiptoes down the hall after her bath. She stops in the doorway of Sister Monica Joan's room. The door is slightly ajar, and she listens in.
Sister Monica Joan sits at the edge of her bed, with the chubby newborn secure in her arms.
"I am not sure that your mother was prepared for such a dramatic entrance. I certainly was not either. I am uncertain of your fate, but I think you should know I am very fond of you, Solomon."
Sister Julienne pushes the door open, "The two of you should get some rest."
"We were getting there. He has just finished getting his belly full."
"You cannot name him," Sister Julienne points out.
"I will refer him to Solomon, until something better is brought to the table."
"It is not your place to name him. I think you should allow me to take him, so you can get some rest. You had a very eventful night."
"It is nearly daybreak, and I am too alert to sleep."
"At least put him in the basinet," Sister Julienne implores her.
"If you insist," she responds, begrudgingly.
"If you wake, and he is not there do not be alarmed, it simply means one of us is attending to him."
"I may be old, but I am not incapable of caring for another human being. I have done it all my life. Allow me this one thing."
Sometime after sunrise Delia finds herself being awakened to the sound of someone coughing violently. She sits in a chair, next to Patsy's bed. She looks over at her, and observes her coughing. Her eyes open, and she looks around the room in a panic. Her breathing quickly becomes more rapid, and less regulated.
"It's okay. Everything is okay. Try to take a couple slow, deep breaths," Delia reassures her.
She turns, and makes eye contact with Delia. Her heart sinks. She takes a deep breath, and takes in her surroundings. She realizes that she is in the hospital. As she returns to reality she feels a lot of searing pain. Her hand quickly flutters to her abdomen. She instantly realizes that her womb is empty. Only one question weighs on her mind, but she is afraid to ask. She is uncertain of the outcome. She dreads to hear the status of her newborn baby.
"Pats?" The sound of Delia's voices jars her into reality.
She elicits no response, as Patsy's mind has already begun to wander. She reaches out, and gently touches her arm. "Patsy?"
"Hmm?" She turns her head, and briefly makes eye contact.
"You look troubled," Delia observes.
"My baby?" She questions in an unusually quiet tone, as she is certain her heart will beat out of her chest.
"By all reports he is doing fine."