The Ransom of Dr. Dave
Part 33
A/N: Anything in bold italic is being spoken in Italian
Kerry: Abby, page Dr. Evans. Sorry everyone, you'll have to wait outside.
Sophie, Rusty and the Petersons wait in the ER. Abby gets Dr. Evans on the phone.
Abby: Dr. Evans wants us to transport her upstairs.
Kerry: As soon as I get her stabilized, her blood pressure is way too high.
Abby: Dr. Evans is on her way down.
Abby hangs up the phone and heads over to a screaming Jing-Mei to help Kerry.
Abby: Her water definitely broke.
Kerry: Jing-Mei, don't push yet.
Abby: Practice your Lamaze breathing.
Jing-Mei(breathing heavily): HEH, HEH, HEH! HO, HO, HEH! OH GOD! IT HURTS SO MUCH! HEH, HEH!
Kerry: Relax your legs. Don't push!
Jing-Mei: But I need to. Oh god, can't you stop labor. It's too soon.
Kerry: A little late for that now.
Dr. Evans runs into Trauma 1.
Dr. Evans: How far dilated is she?
Abby: About 4 centimeters, but fully effaced.
Dr. Evans: Jing-Mei, how far along are your contractions?
Jing-Mei(breathing heavily): About every two minutes.
Dr. Evans: She's ready to deliver but not naturally.
Jing-Mei(breathing heavily): HEH, HEH, HEH! Cesarean. I wanted to go natural. HEH, HEH, HO!
Dr. Evans: Sorry Jing-Mei, this baby is coming and it's not giving a chance for the rest of you to catch up.
Jing-Mei(breathing heavily): Do it. HEH, HEH! Do whatever you have to. HO, HO! JUST SAVE THIS BABY!
Dr. Evans: Abby, call upstairs. Find out what is available and have it prepped.
Kerry gets Jing-Mei's blood pressure under control. OR 3 is being prepped and Dr. Evans, Abby and Haleh transfer her upstairs.
Sophie: How is she?
Kerry: She's going Cesarean. Meet them outside OR 3.
As Jing-Mei is wheeled through the ER towards the elevator she screams to the top of her lungs.
Jing-Mei: John, I want you to come up with me.
Carter: I'm her Lamaze coach. Is that okay, Dr. Weaver... Dr. Evans?
Dr. Evans: Yeah, but hurry up and scrub. She's starting to discharge.
Carter, Dr. Evans, Abby and Haleh wheel Jing-Mei into the elevator. Half way up on the elevator, Jing-Mei screams again. Abby takes a look.
Abby: Dr. Evans, she starting to crown.
Dr. Evans: Too soon, she's not anywhere nearly dilated enough.
They reach OR 3 and as Haleh leaves them, the two doctors and nurse head into scrub while Jing-Mei is prepped.
Sophie, Rusty and the Petersons sit in the waiting room not saying much of anything. Rusty is sleeping with his head on Sophie's lap.
Sophie: Look Mr. and Mrs. Peterson. I appreciate you staying, but you really don't have to.
Mrs. Peterson: Nonsense, since the transplant we have looked at Dr. Malucci as sort of an adopted son.
Mr. Peterson: Yeah, even though we've never personally met him we feel real close to him. So this is kind of like our grandchild being born in there.
They look at Rusty and sit next to him as he starts to wake up.
Mrs. Peterson(taking Rusty's face in her hands): We'd like to think of Rusty as an adopted grandson too.
Sophie: I think he'd like that. Rusty has grandparents on his mother's side but no paternal grandparents. So that would work out fine.
Sophie bends down to Rusty and translates.
Sophie: Rusty, would you like the Petersons as adopted grandparents?
Rusty(nodding): Si. Si. Very much.
Then Rusty gets up and hugs his newly adopted grandparents.
Rusty: Gracia, gracia grandma and grandpa.
Sophie: He said thank you, grandma and grandpa.
The Petersons smile and hug their "little grandson" back. Throughout the next couple of hours, several of the ER staff come up to find out how Jing-Mei is doing.
Luka: How's it going? Any word yet?
Sophie: No not yet.
Luka: I just stopped by isolation to find out how Malucci is.
Sophie: OH GOD! I almost forgot about my brother. How is he?
Luka: Dr. Williams says that his fever broke and the antibiotics seem to be taken affect. He may be moved back to his ICU room again soon.
Sophie and the Petersons: That's great!
Carter and Abby walk out to the waiting room with bleak looks on both their faces.
Luka: Well how did it go?
Carter: Jing-Mei has just given birth to a little boy.
Sophie: A son! Davey has another son!
The Petersons: And we have another adopted grandson!
Rusty sees the excitement on everyone's faces but doesn't understand what is happening. Sophie translates.
Sophie: Rusty, your a big brother. Jing-Mei has just given you a baby brother.
Rusty smiles that his whole face lights up and he starts clapping.
Abby: Listen, everyone I wouldn't get too excited yet.
Sophie: Why not? Is everything okay?
Carter: The baby's in the neonatal ICU. He's at least six weeks premature. He only weighs 3 lbs. 2 oz. He's in an incubator and on a ventilator until his lungs develop.
Mrs. Peterson: Dr. Carter, are you saying that little baby boy may die?
Carter: We don't know. It's possible. We just have to wait and see. Dr. Evans is with the baby now and she's doing everything that can be done for him.
Sophie: How is Jing-Mei?
Abby: Stable. She's in recovery and both her and the baby have been started on antibiotics for the meningitis.
Sophie: Does she know about the baby?
Abby: Yes. It was kind of hard to keep it from her. She's a doctor. She's knows the baby's premature and what the complications are with preemies.
Sophie: Can we see her?
Carter: Sure, but too long. She needs her rest.
Sophie and the Petersons: We understand.
Sophie: Abby, will you stay with Rusty?
Abby: Sure, I'll take him down to the cafeteria and get him something to eat.
Sophie: Thank you, Abby. (to Rusty) You go with Nurse Lockhart and get something to eat and I'll see you later.
Rusty nods and kisses his aunt goodbye then heads down the hall with Abby to the cafeteria.
Luka: I have to get back to work. I'll let the ER know what's happening.
Sophie and the Petersons head into Jing-Mei's room to see her sitting in her bed crying.
Sophie: Are you alright, Jing-Mei?
Jing-Mei: No, not really. Have you seen the baby?
Sophie: Not yet. We wanted to make sure that you were alright.
Mrs. Peterson: If you're worried about the baby, then don't be. If that little boy is anything like his daddy, then he's a fighter.
Mr. Peterson: A real survivor with one hell of a rooting section here.
Jing-Mei: Of course I'm worried about the baby and Dave, but it's just...
Sophie: Just what? What is it? We can't help you if you don't tell us what is the matter.
Jing-Mei: There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do.(pause) I needed to call my mother and let her know what was going on.
Ms. Peterson: And you should. At a time like this a girl needs her mother. Is your mother coming over?
Jing-Mei: No. She's not.
Sophie: Why not?
Jing-Mei: I should have known this was going to happen again.
Sophie: What happened again?
Jing-Mei: This is my second baby. A few years ago I had another son, Michael. I wanted so much to keep him but I knew my parents would never accept him so as hard as it was I put him up for adoption. Now it's the same thing all over. (pause) Please understand Sophie, my parents aren't bigots. They are just very traditional. They don't believe races should mix, especially Asians.
Sophie: I do understand. That's how a lot of the older people are back in Italy. And they don't approve of Dave because he's Italian, right.
Jing-Mei nods.
Sophie: And Michael?
Jing-Mei: His father's African-American.
Sophie: What did your mother say?
Jing-Mei: I tried to take it one step at a time. I called her and told her I was in the hospital. She was very concerned. She said she would be right over to see me. Then I told her she had a new grandson. She said that she told me before she wanted nothing to do with that "Italian" baby. That's not exactly the word she used to describe my baby but I don't believe in using those racial slurs.
Mrs. Peterson pulled Jing-Mei into a hug.
Jing-Mei(crying): Now if my baby lives, he will never know any of his grandparents.
The Petersons and Sophie looked at each other and smiled.
Sophie: That may not be necessary true.
Jing-Mei: What are you talking about?
Mrs. Peterson: When we were waiting outside, we had a little talk.(pause) We told Sophie that ever since Dr. Malucci's transplant, he have thought of him like an adopted son. We already asked Rusty if he would like to have us as adopted grandparents and he loved the idea.
Mr. Peterson: So if it's okay with you, we'd like to take this little baby under our wing as a second adopted grandson. We know we're not blood but we will love that baby as if we were.
Jing-Mei: Thank you and I accept. That makes a lot more sense with what I've decided.
Sophie: Decided what?
Jing-Mei: The whole time I was delivering, I was thinking about names for the baby. Dave and I never even had a chance to discuss them. But I think he would be pleased with his son's name. I have chosen to name my newborn son Antonio Grant Malucci.
To be continued. Please read and review.