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Chapter 4: Wheels in Motion
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"Hey Will," Xander grinned as he entered the room with Oz by his side. "We just took a little trip to the snack machine. I thought you might like a Milky Way."
Willow shook her head. "Thanks, but I don't think I could eat anything right now. My stomach's kinda icky." Despite the fact that she had been sobbing just a few minutes before, Willow couldn't help but to smile back at her childhood friend. Seeing Xander's smiling face always cheered her up, even when she didn't particularly want to be.
Buffy stood and allowed Oz to reclaim his seat. "How's it goin'?" he asked as he took Willow's hand in his.
"Um ... okay, I guess." She realized that she had been the one to initiate this hand holding thing, but she still wasn't sure exactly how to feel about it. "It still hurts, but I think it might be getting better. It's kinda hard to tell."
"And it's still early anyway, right?" Buffy chimed in. "I mean, you gotta give the drugs some time to work. Can't jump to any conclusions too fast. With all the miracles of modern medicine and ... I'm helping too much, aren't I?"
Willow nodded. "It's okay. You don't have to try to cheer me up or reassure me or anything. I mean, whatever's going to happen is going to happen, right?"
At that moment, Doctor Haskel walked back through the door. "It got a bit crowded in here since the last time I visited."
"Oh," Buffy moved from Willows bedside. "Is that okay? I mean, we don't want to get in your way or anything."
The doctor laughed. "No, it's perfectly alright. Quite good for her morale, actually. Just try not to tire her out."
"Check. No calisthenics."
Everyone watched with concern as Doctor Haskel read through Willow's chart and checked the monitors beside her bed. "What's wrong?" Oz asked as the doctor's brow furrowed slightly.
"Probably nothing," he continued making marks on the chart. "But the contractions aren't slowing as much as I'd like. I think we'd better try a different medication. It's slightly stronger. Unfortunately everyone reacts differently to different medications, so some of this procedure is trial and error. I'll have a nurse come in and change the IV right away."
After watching the doctor leave, Xander spoke up. "You'd think with all the miracles of modern medicine they'd be able to do more than 'oops that didn't work let's try something else.' I mean, they can transplant hearts from monkeys to people and stuff, right?"
"I think you've been watching too much Chicago Hope," Willow commented.
"Hey!" Xander said defensively. "I know they only re-run it on 'Lifetime - Television for Women' but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy it too!"
Buffy glanced out into the hall, noticing that it was empty. "Hey guys, where's Giles?"
"Uh ..." Xander tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't alarm Willow. "He had to go check on something. He should be back soon."
"Check on something, as in research checking on something?" Willow's eyes widened in fear. "Is something wrong? I mean, do you guys need to be researching or slaying or something?"
Oz tried to comfort her "Shh," he whispered as he scooted his chair closer to her bedside. "Nothing like that. Promise. He'll be back soon. We won't leave you."
With that reassurance, Willow was finally able to close her eyes and get some rest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next few hours passed without much action. Willow managed to catch a nap here and there, in between being awakened by nurses passing through or by contractions; although they had slowed somewhat, they were still very present.
Willow was in a half-doze when she noticed that her bedclothes were soaked. Her first thought was that Xander must have spilled something, but when she opened her eyes she realized the room was empty save for herself and Oz, who was also sleeping. "Oz, Oz wake up!"
"Hhm?"
"Oz," there was panic in her voice. "I think my water just broke!"
That comment snapped him out of his stupor right away. "I'll get the doctor." Oz ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later with Doctor Haskel in tow.
"Well then," the doctor was trying to keep his tone light, but Willow could read the worry in his face. "Let's see what we have here." He instructed Willow to put her legs into the stirrups at the bottom of the bed and gently reached into her.
Xander chose that unfortunate moment to walk into the room. "Whoa!" The young man's face changed to a bright shade of red at the sight, and he turned to face the wall. "Way more Willow than I ever thought I'd see."
"What's going on?" Willow asked.
Doctor Haskel replaced the covers. "You're dilated to four centimeters. I'm afraid we have no choice but to deliver this baby now."
Willow turned pale. "But, but it's too early! The baby is so ... so small and ... and will it be able to survive?"
"At twenty-six weeks?" he sighed heavily. "We'll do everything we can. But you should know ... the survival rate for a baby born at this stage of development is only fifty percent."
Chapter 4: Wheels in Motion
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hey Will," Xander grinned as he entered the room with Oz by his side. "We just took a little trip to the snack machine. I thought you might like a Milky Way."
Willow shook her head. "Thanks, but I don't think I could eat anything right now. My stomach's kinda icky." Despite the fact that she had been sobbing just a few minutes before, Willow couldn't help but to smile back at her childhood friend. Seeing Xander's smiling face always cheered her up, even when she didn't particularly want to be.
Buffy stood and allowed Oz to reclaim his seat. "How's it goin'?" he asked as he took Willow's hand in his.
"Um ... okay, I guess." She realized that she had been the one to initiate this hand holding thing, but she still wasn't sure exactly how to feel about it. "It still hurts, but I think it might be getting better. It's kinda hard to tell."
"And it's still early anyway, right?" Buffy chimed in. "I mean, you gotta give the drugs some time to work. Can't jump to any conclusions too fast. With all the miracles of modern medicine and ... I'm helping too much, aren't I?"
Willow nodded. "It's okay. You don't have to try to cheer me up or reassure me or anything. I mean, whatever's going to happen is going to happen, right?"
At that moment, Doctor Haskel walked back through the door. "It got a bit crowded in here since the last time I visited."
"Oh," Buffy moved from Willows bedside. "Is that okay? I mean, we don't want to get in your way or anything."
The doctor laughed. "No, it's perfectly alright. Quite good for her morale, actually. Just try not to tire her out."
"Check. No calisthenics."
Everyone watched with concern as Doctor Haskel read through Willow's chart and checked the monitors beside her bed. "What's wrong?" Oz asked as the doctor's brow furrowed slightly.
"Probably nothing," he continued making marks on the chart. "But the contractions aren't slowing as much as I'd like. I think we'd better try a different medication. It's slightly stronger. Unfortunately everyone reacts differently to different medications, so some of this procedure is trial and error. I'll have a nurse come in and change the IV right away."
After watching the doctor leave, Xander spoke up. "You'd think with all the miracles of modern medicine they'd be able to do more than 'oops that didn't work let's try something else.' I mean, they can transplant hearts from monkeys to people and stuff, right?"
"I think you've been watching too much Chicago Hope," Willow commented.
"Hey!" Xander said defensively. "I know they only re-run it on 'Lifetime - Television for Women' but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy it too!"
Buffy glanced out into the hall, noticing that it was empty. "Hey guys, where's Giles?"
"Uh ..." Xander tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't alarm Willow. "He had to go check on something. He should be back soon."
"Check on something, as in research checking on something?" Willow's eyes widened in fear. "Is something wrong? I mean, do you guys need to be researching or slaying or something?"
Oz tried to comfort her "Shh," he whispered as he scooted his chair closer to her bedside. "Nothing like that. Promise. He'll be back soon. We won't leave you."
With that reassurance, Willow was finally able to close her eyes and get some rest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next few hours passed without much action. Willow managed to catch a nap here and there, in between being awakened by nurses passing through or by contractions; although they had slowed somewhat, they were still very present.
Willow was in a half-doze when she noticed that her bedclothes were soaked. Her first thought was that Xander must have spilled something, but when she opened her eyes she realized the room was empty save for herself and Oz, who was also sleeping. "Oz, Oz wake up!"
"Hhm?"
"Oz," there was panic in her voice. "I think my water just broke!"
That comment snapped him out of his stupor right away. "I'll get the doctor." Oz ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later with Doctor Haskel in tow.
"Well then," the doctor was trying to keep his tone light, but Willow could read the worry in his face. "Let's see what we have here." He instructed Willow to put her legs into the stirrups at the bottom of the bed and gently reached into her.
Xander chose that unfortunate moment to walk into the room. "Whoa!" The young man's face changed to a bright shade of red at the sight, and he turned to face the wall. "Way more Willow than I ever thought I'd see."
"What's going on?" Willow asked.
Doctor Haskel replaced the covers. "You're dilated to four centimeters. I'm afraid we have no choice but to deliver this baby now."
Willow turned pale. "But, but it's too early! The baby is so ... so small and ... and will it be able to survive?"
"At twenty-six weeks?" he sighed heavily. "We'll do everything we can. But you should know ... the survival rate for a baby born at this stage of development is only fifty percent."