Chapter 8
The room was eerily quiet and was cast with shadows as Abby awoke from a drug-induced stupor much later that night. She felt the wool blanket beneath her fingers and suddenly remembered that Luka had been there before she had fallen asleep. Her lungs ached from her hysterical crying and her face was puffy, a reminder of her breakdown that evening. Moving her head on the pillow, she saw that Luka had stayed and was sound asleep on the cot beside her.
She couldn't help but watch him as he slept. His face looked so peaceful and relaxed and he was snoring lightly. She smiled when she saw his hand was resting beside hers on the bed, he had obviously been holding her hand.
Abby had been so upset when he arrived that she barely remembered their encounter. She did remember however that he had been very sweet and held her while she cried and told the nurse he would give her tranquilizers when she was calmed down. She remembered how gentle he had been administering the drugs and how he tucked her in like a child with the wool blanket he found in the cupboard.
Her eyes moved to the monitors above her bed. The baby's heart was still beating normally and regularly. Abby didn't feel cold or sick, which would indicate a fever and infection.
Abby closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep. She listened to Luka's breathing and the steady beep of the monitors, their rhythmic noise lulling her to sleep. Right before she was about to drop off into dreamland, a small but piercing pain kicked Abby in her lower back. It spread around to the front of her belly then as quickly as it came, disappeared.
The episode had only lasted a few seconds and Abby thought maybe she had dreamed it. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to the relaxed state she had been in only seconds earlier. But again, a prick of pain darted throughout her back and around her midsection. This time, it was more painful.
"Ouch," Abby breathed, "oh shit." She concentrated of deepening her breaths, allowing the pain to pass. Once it was gone, Abby felt sick to her stomach. She knew what that little pain was. Reaching her hand over to Luka's, she gripped it softly.
"Luka?" Abby wiggled her fingers in his, trying to wake him up but to no avail. "Luka." She said more firmly this time as another pain fluttered along her tummy.
He mumbled in his sleep and rubbed his eye before his snores became deep and regular again.
Abby was getting desperate; she squeezed his hand as pain gripped her belly. "Luka!!!"
With that, he shot up from the cot, knocking over a glass of water on the night table in the process. Blinking his eyes to clear them he searched around the room, trying to remember where he was. His eyes landed on Abby in the hospital bed and a stab of fear landed on his heart when he saw she was holding her belly, her eyes squeezed tight and her breathing deep.
"Abby. What's wrong?" He flicked on the light above the bed and as an instinct his hand went to her wrist, checking her pulse.
She didn't say anything for a second took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes. "I'm having contractions Luka. Can you get the nurse?" Her voice was calm but in her tear-filled eyes, Luka could see fear, raw fear.
"Are you sure Abby?" He knew it was a stupid question when she groaned out loud and grabbed at her belly again. His mind began to race, "Ok Abby. Just breathe." He gripped her hand, trying to coach her through the contraction. "Ok listen to my voice. I'm going to count to ten: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten. Ok, take two big, long deep breaths. There you go, in and out. In and out."
Abby did what he said and in a few seconds, the pain subsided. Her breathing returned to normal but tears were falling down her face. "Luka, its too soon. Its way too soon." Panic was again filling her body, "I can't do this Luka. I'm not ready. They have got to stop this, the baby can't survive this early."
Luka knew that she spoke the truth but tried to calm her anyway. "Its okay Abby. You may just be experiencing false labour. The amount of stress you have been under in the last few weeks can sometimes bring about false labour. I'll get the doctor anyway."
Abby rolled her eyes, "Luka. My water broke and this isn't a drill. Ow," Abby moaned as another contraction hit her squarely in the stomach.
"Ok Abby, hang on. I'll be back in a second." Luka pushed out into the hallway, searching for a nurse. He knew that there was probably no turning back from this point now, especially since her contractions were so close together. He saw a woman in purple scrubs at the vending machines, inserting money for a soda. He rushed over, "Excuse me Miss, Abby Lockhart is going into labour."
The nurse looked him up and down. He had bed head and his eyes were wild. She wondered why he looked so familiar. It suddenly hit her; he was a physician down in the ER, not some loony tune. "Who? What room is she in?"
"Abby Lockhart, room 1367. She is the woman brought in yesterday when her membranes ruptured; she is only twenty weeks along.
"Oh right. I'll page the doctor on call right away, how are her vitals?" The nurse picked up the phone at the nurse's station and dialled the doctor's pager. "They seem to be good right now, I'm going back to her room." Luka walked away from the desk and quickly returned to the room. As he was opening the door he could hear the doctor being paged over the intercom to room 1367 stat.
Abby was hunched forward, her breathing quick and laboured. "Oh god Luka, this is it. I have to push!"
Luka rushed over to the bed, "Oh no! Don't push yet Abby, the doctor isn't here yet!" Luka was uncharacteristically frantic.
"YOU'RE A DOCTOR!" Abby practically screamed at him and then continued to moan as the contraction intensified.
"Right, right." Luka could tell from Abby's desire to push that she was probably completely dilated and ready to deliver. He went into doctor mode, pulling a pair of gloves on. "Abby, is it ok if I have a look?" He moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the leg stirrups out.
"Yes," Abby hissed as the contraction subsided.
Luka pushed the blanket up from the foot of the bed and pulled Abby's gown up. "Whoa!" He said, surprise etching his every feature. The baby's head was crowning, there was no turning back now.
Quickly and with precision, Luka draped Abby's belly and with surgical draping and rested her feet on the stirrups. Just then the nurse flung open the door and was floored with the scene in front of her. "Dr. Kovac! What do you think you are doing? You are not the OBGYN on call and you have no right..."
Luka cut her off, "She is crowning. So either you set me up for this delivery or get out!"
The nurse went to the foot of the bed and seeing that the baby was indeed crowning, rushed to get the delivery tray and page the NICU.
Luka returned his attention to Abby. "Ok Abby, on the next contraction I want you to put your chin down on your chest and push like you are going to the bathroom. Ok?"
Abby was shaking her head on the pillow. "No. It's too soon, this can't happen now. Luka, you have to stop it!!"
He felt as if his heart were breaking in two at her pleas. "I'm so sorry sweetie, but the baby is coming. There is nothing we can do. Now come on, I see another contraction coming on the monitor, you have to push on this one ok?"
Abby sobbed as the contraction squeezed her stomach. She dropped her chin to her chest and pushed with all her might. Sweat and tears were staining her face as she struggled and she was unable to control the sob of pure sorrow from ripping out of her mouth. She counted to ten then relaxed.
"Good Abby, really good. The head is almost out." Luka had the baby's head in his hands, it was no bigger than a small tennis ball. "I need you to give me one more push ok? Breath in, and go!"
Abby again struggled to push the baby out, her back and neck aching in protest. She gasped in a huge breath as she felt the tiny baby slip from her body and land in Luka's hands.
"Ok Abby, good job," Luka praised as he suctioned the fluid out of the baby's mouth. "You have a son Abby."
He held the baby boy up for her to see before handing him to the nurse. At that moment the NICU team arrived and began tending to the premature baby. Luka turned to Abby and saw that her face was covered in fresh tears.
"How is he Luka?" She was able to choke out, "Is he alive?" She wiped at her face frantically, trying to search his eyes for answers.
Luka shook his head, "He is alive Abby, but he is very, very tiny. He fit in the palm of my hand. The NICU team is going to help him now and the OBGYN is going to be here any second to take care of you." Luka pulled off his blood splattered gown and gloves.
The OBGYN rushed in the room at that second and began tending to Abby as Luka went to her side.
"Luka will you go with him to the NICU?" Abby was gripping his hand tightly and tears kept rushing down her face.
He pulled a tissue from the box beside her bed and wiped her face dry, "I want to stay with you Abby."
"No Luka, please go with him." Abby was pleading with him, "Please?"
"Alright Abby." He could see that she really wanted him to join her son. Looking over at the small baby, being worked on by so many different people Luka was suddenly filled with a deep grief. He knew that Abby was going to lose her only child and it was ripping him apart inside. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, hoping that he could help her through the difficult days ahead.
The room was eerily quiet and was cast with shadows as Abby awoke from a drug-induced stupor much later that night. She felt the wool blanket beneath her fingers and suddenly remembered that Luka had been there before she had fallen asleep. Her lungs ached from her hysterical crying and her face was puffy, a reminder of her breakdown that evening. Moving her head on the pillow, she saw that Luka had stayed and was sound asleep on the cot beside her.
She couldn't help but watch him as he slept. His face looked so peaceful and relaxed and he was snoring lightly. She smiled when she saw his hand was resting beside hers on the bed, he had obviously been holding her hand.
Abby had been so upset when he arrived that she barely remembered their encounter. She did remember however that he had been very sweet and held her while she cried and told the nurse he would give her tranquilizers when she was calmed down. She remembered how gentle he had been administering the drugs and how he tucked her in like a child with the wool blanket he found in the cupboard.
Her eyes moved to the monitors above her bed. The baby's heart was still beating normally and regularly. Abby didn't feel cold or sick, which would indicate a fever and infection.
Abby closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep. She listened to Luka's breathing and the steady beep of the monitors, their rhythmic noise lulling her to sleep. Right before she was about to drop off into dreamland, a small but piercing pain kicked Abby in her lower back. It spread around to the front of her belly then as quickly as it came, disappeared.
The episode had only lasted a few seconds and Abby thought maybe she had dreamed it. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to the relaxed state she had been in only seconds earlier. But again, a prick of pain darted throughout her back and around her midsection. This time, it was more painful.
"Ouch," Abby breathed, "oh shit." She concentrated of deepening her breaths, allowing the pain to pass. Once it was gone, Abby felt sick to her stomach. She knew what that little pain was. Reaching her hand over to Luka's, she gripped it softly.
"Luka?" Abby wiggled her fingers in his, trying to wake him up but to no avail. "Luka." She said more firmly this time as another pain fluttered along her tummy.
He mumbled in his sleep and rubbed his eye before his snores became deep and regular again.
Abby was getting desperate; she squeezed his hand as pain gripped her belly. "Luka!!!"
With that, he shot up from the cot, knocking over a glass of water on the night table in the process. Blinking his eyes to clear them he searched around the room, trying to remember where he was. His eyes landed on Abby in the hospital bed and a stab of fear landed on his heart when he saw she was holding her belly, her eyes squeezed tight and her breathing deep.
"Abby. What's wrong?" He flicked on the light above the bed and as an instinct his hand went to her wrist, checking her pulse.
She didn't say anything for a second took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes. "I'm having contractions Luka. Can you get the nurse?" Her voice was calm but in her tear-filled eyes, Luka could see fear, raw fear.
"Are you sure Abby?" He knew it was a stupid question when she groaned out loud and grabbed at her belly again. His mind began to race, "Ok Abby. Just breathe." He gripped her hand, trying to coach her through the contraction. "Ok listen to my voice. I'm going to count to ten: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten. Ok, take two big, long deep breaths. There you go, in and out. In and out."
Abby did what he said and in a few seconds, the pain subsided. Her breathing returned to normal but tears were falling down her face. "Luka, its too soon. Its way too soon." Panic was again filling her body, "I can't do this Luka. I'm not ready. They have got to stop this, the baby can't survive this early."
Luka knew that she spoke the truth but tried to calm her anyway. "Its okay Abby. You may just be experiencing false labour. The amount of stress you have been under in the last few weeks can sometimes bring about false labour. I'll get the doctor anyway."
Abby rolled her eyes, "Luka. My water broke and this isn't a drill. Ow," Abby moaned as another contraction hit her squarely in the stomach.
"Ok Abby, hang on. I'll be back in a second." Luka pushed out into the hallway, searching for a nurse. He knew that there was probably no turning back from this point now, especially since her contractions were so close together. He saw a woman in purple scrubs at the vending machines, inserting money for a soda. He rushed over, "Excuse me Miss, Abby Lockhart is going into labour."
The nurse looked him up and down. He had bed head and his eyes were wild. She wondered why he looked so familiar. It suddenly hit her; he was a physician down in the ER, not some loony tune. "Who? What room is she in?"
"Abby Lockhart, room 1367. She is the woman brought in yesterday when her membranes ruptured; she is only twenty weeks along.
"Oh right. I'll page the doctor on call right away, how are her vitals?" The nurse picked up the phone at the nurse's station and dialled the doctor's pager. "They seem to be good right now, I'm going back to her room." Luka walked away from the desk and quickly returned to the room. As he was opening the door he could hear the doctor being paged over the intercom to room 1367 stat.
Abby was hunched forward, her breathing quick and laboured. "Oh god Luka, this is it. I have to push!"
Luka rushed over to the bed, "Oh no! Don't push yet Abby, the doctor isn't here yet!" Luka was uncharacteristically frantic.
"YOU'RE A DOCTOR!" Abby practically screamed at him and then continued to moan as the contraction intensified.
"Right, right." Luka could tell from Abby's desire to push that she was probably completely dilated and ready to deliver. He went into doctor mode, pulling a pair of gloves on. "Abby, is it ok if I have a look?" He moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the leg stirrups out.
"Yes," Abby hissed as the contraction subsided.
Luka pushed the blanket up from the foot of the bed and pulled Abby's gown up. "Whoa!" He said, surprise etching his every feature. The baby's head was crowning, there was no turning back now.
Quickly and with precision, Luka draped Abby's belly and with surgical draping and rested her feet on the stirrups. Just then the nurse flung open the door and was floored with the scene in front of her. "Dr. Kovac! What do you think you are doing? You are not the OBGYN on call and you have no right..."
Luka cut her off, "She is crowning. So either you set me up for this delivery or get out!"
The nurse went to the foot of the bed and seeing that the baby was indeed crowning, rushed to get the delivery tray and page the NICU.
Luka returned his attention to Abby. "Ok Abby, on the next contraction I want you to put your chin down on your chest and push like you are going to the bathroom. Ok?"
Abby was shaking her head on the pillow. "No. It's too soon, this can't happen now. Luka, you have to stop it!!"
He felt as if his heart were breaking in two at her pleas. "I'm so sorry sweetie, but the baby is coming. There is nothing we can do. Now come on, I see another contraction coming on the monitor, you have to push on this one ok?"
Abby sobbed as the contraction squeezed her stomach. She dropped her chin to her chest and pushed with all her might. Sweat and tears were staining her face as she struggled and she was unable to control the sob of pure sorrow from ripping out of her mouth. She counted to ten then relaxed.
"Good Abby, really good. The head is almost out." Luka had the baby's head in his hands, it was no bigger than a small tennis ball. "I need you to give me one more push ok? Breath in, and go!"
Abby again struggled to push the baby out, her back and neck aching in protest. She gasped in a huge breath as she felt the tiny baby slip from her body and land in Luka's hands.
"Ok Abby, good job," Luka praised as he suctioned the fluid out of the baby's mouth. "You have a son Abby."
He held the baby boy up for her to see before handing him to the nurse. At that moment the NICU team arrived and began tending to the premature baby. Luka turned to Abby and saw that her face was covered in fresh tears.
"How is he Luka?" She was able to choke out, "Is he alive?" She wiped at her face frantically, trying to search his eyes for answers.
Luka shook his head, "He is alive Abby, but he is very, very tiny. He fit in the palm of my hand. The NICU team is going to help him now and the OBGYN is going to be here any second to take care of you." Luka pulled off his blood splattered gown and gloves.
The OBGYN rushed in the room at that second and began tending to Abby as Luka went to her side.
"Luka will you go with him to the NICU?" Abby was gripping his hand tightly and tears kept rushing down her face.
He pulled a tissue from the box beside her bed and wiped her face dry, "I want to stay with you Abby."
"No Luka, please go with him." Abby was pleading with him, "Please?"
"Alright Abby." He could see that she really wanted him to join her son. Looking over at the small baby, being worked on by so many different people Luka was suddenly filled with a deep grief. He knew that Abby was going to lose her only child and it was ripping him apart inside. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, hoping that he could help her through the difficult days ahead.