Disclaimer: I would just like to say I in no way have anything against
peoples size. There is a line in this chapter that could be taken the wrong
way. It is not intended as malicious and should no be taken as so.
Chapter 15: Warmth and Support
It was now November 12th and Susan was working one of her last remaining shifts. Shame it had to be a 9pm to 6am graveyard, and on a Tuesday night. Luckily she had Mark there to work with her. Well for most of it any way. He was off at 3am, but he had been on since 6pm.
Susan was so huge now, she could no longer drive to work, and Mark wouldn't let her take the El, so she had to get cabs everywhere.
She could still make her way round the ER quickly though, even if it was more shuffling than walking. Getting through trauma room doors was also a bit of a pain, especially when other people were trying to get through at the same time. Her feet would hurt but she wouldn't complain. This baby was all she had ever wanted so there was no cause for complaint.
Mark would smile when she flopped down on the couch in the Doctor's lounge then had to be helped up by either himself or another member of staff. Carter tried to help once and ended up on the floor, Susan was just too big for him to get her up by himself.
Susan was a little embarrassed, but when she saw Carter laughing, the blushes disappeared. She managed to wiggle herself to the edge of the couch and he helped her up from there.
Each day Susan would have a new tale to tell about the nightly activities the baby had been taking part in. Mark would get teased about having sex with a pregnant woman to which he would reply
"Have you seen the size of Susan? We tried but she nearly crushed me. Pregnancy and sex just do not go together"
"Well they kinda do Mark. How do you think she got pregnant? And I thought you were a doctor!" Carter yelled back
Mark just smiled as he walked round to collect another chart, just 2 hours to go until he was off. He didn't like leaving Susan to work after him, he felt guilty for letting her work on when she was obviously so tired. But Susan is not a person to argue with and she insisted to everyone that she did not want her shifts covered.
As Mark walked to exam 1 he could see Susan coming towards him, she had one hand clasped to her front and one to her back in a vain attempt to stay upright. Her eyes were half closed, and she was yawning as she advanced down the corridor.
"Gangbanger, I did CPR for 25 minutes, I'm feeling a little tired now." Susan said as she slumped in a chair in exam 1.
"Then go and have a sleep, if only for half an hour. We can cope. Why do you think they call it a graveyard?" Mark said as he sutured a knee laceration
"Maybe I will. Exam 4 free?" Susan asked
"Take your pick, exam 2, 4, the lounge, the front desk." Mark answered
"Ok. I'll be in exam 4. Wake me up if it gets busy." Susan yawned as she waddled to exam 4
"Must be pretty far gone now, that young lady." Mark's patient piped up
"Yeah, she's nearly 8 months, working one of her few remaining shifts." Mark replied
"Well she's beautiful, the father must feel very lucky. To have a beautiful girlfriend, I didn't see a ring, and a baby on the way." The patient stated
"Oh he is. He's very happy indeed" Mark said with a huge grin on his face
"It's your baby Doctor Greene? Well in that case she is a very lucky lady too." the patient said before lying back down.
Susan got just over an hours sleep before the baby woke her up. It was certainly stretching it's legs. Susan didn't find the kicks cute any more. They hurt. Everything hurt now, she could see why so many pregnant women disliked the last few months of pregnancy.
Susan began to weep as the baby kicked again, with even more force. She tried to get comfortable but it seemed impossible, no matter how many pillows she had. Her back hurt and so did her legs. She felt like she shouldn't cry, this was all she had ever wanted, but now that didn't seem to matter as Susan began to cry harder.
Just by chance Mark came in to wake her up to find her crying. He hadn't seen her cry properly in a long time. She had, had a few hormonal weeps at sad movies, but nothing serious.
He walked up to Susan and put his arms around her.
"What's wrong?" Mark asked quietly
"All I wanted was some sleep. I got an hour and then it started kicking. I tried to get comfortable and I can't. Everything hurts, my back, my stomach, my feet, my head. I am so grateful to be having this baby but right now I feel so tired." Susan sobbed
"It's ok. You're allowed to feel tired. You're working your ass off at 8 months pregnant. I'd say it was fairly normal to be tired, exhausted even." Mark replied
Susan clung on to him, for his warmth and support. He laid her down across his knee and stroked her hair. After about 5 minutes she had fallen back to sleep. He gently got up and placed her head on a couple of pillows. He got a blanket and laid it over her. She looked peaceful, even if she did have red tear lines down her face.
As he left the room he put a Do Not Disturb- Pregnant Doctor Sleeping sign up on the door. As far as he was concerned exam 4 was out of bounds, for the rest of his shift anyway. As he looked at his watch Mark realised he only had 40 minutes of his shift to go.
That left Susan and Luka as the attending physicians on until 6am. Carter had left at 1am and Wednesday was his day off, so he wouldn't be in. Chen was on at Midday the next day and Kerry was on at 9am.
"Should be ok" Mark thought "She'll be ok after a couple of hours sleep"
"How is she?" Luka asked
"Exhausted. She needs a bit more sleep. Will you be ok when I go? I mean I can always stay."
"Mark we will be fine. I will only wake Susan if I need to." Luka replied
"Ok then. Well I'm off in half an hour. If you need me when I'm gone, call me. Ok?" Mark said
"Yes Mark. I will call you if we have any problems. Not that I think we will" Luka said reassuringly
During the last 30 minutes of Mark's shift he managed to see 3 more patients, clearing the remaining charts in the rack.
Mark made his way to the lounge, collected his things, then headed for Exam 4. Susan stirred as he opened the door.
"Hey you. I'm going home now, my shift has finished." Mark said quietly
"Ok. I'm getting up now any way. Can't wait for my shift to finish I have an awful headache." Susan replied
"Do you want anything for it?" Mark asked
"No, guess baby is just hungry or thirsty. Probably both knowing this little one" Susan replied
She seemed brighter after having 2 hours sleep, despite having a pounding headache.
"I can come pick you up when you finish if you want?" Mark asked
"No, you go home and sleep. I have a cab booked anyway. I'll be home just after 6, ok?" Susan replied
"Ok then. See you later." Mark said as he kissed Susan and escorted her out of exam 4.
Susan was a little wobbly on her feet but Mark and her just put it down to having just woken up. She was always a bit bleary eyed in a morning or after a brief nap.
As Mark left the hospital he felt slightly uneasy about Susan, but he knew that if he went back she would only get annoyed at his fussing.
At 3.45am Mark climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep. At the same time Susan was experiencing some mild stomach pain but her headache was getting worse.
"Must just be wind" Susan thought as he had consumed a huge burger from Doc Magoo's. That food always gave her indigestion, but she had just fancied it. At least her craving had been satisfied.
Forty-five minutes later however Susan was feeling very unwell. Her headache was so bad she could hardly see straight and the pains in her stomach had increased in intensity.
"Jerry I don't think I can stay to 6, I feel awful." Just as Susan said it she had to grab the desk for support.
"Want me to call Dr Greene?" Jerry asked
"Yes please. I'm just going into the lounge" Susan replied
As the phone rang Mark looked at the clock 4.32am. He picked up the phone to hear Jerry's voice.
*Phone call*
"Hey Doctor Greene. Dr Lewis has asked me to phone you. She wants to come home, she's not feeling well and was wondering if you would come and pick her up." Jerry said
"Yeah sure. Tell her I'll be there in 20 minutes." Mark replied
"Ok Doctor Greene, I'll pass the message on." Jerry answered
"Thanks Jerry." Mark said as he put the phone down
*End of phone call*
As Jerry walked into the lounge he found Susan nursing a glass of water and a vomit bowl (Jerry's affectionate name)
"Hey Doctor Lewis. Doctor Greene will be here in about 20 minutes. Is there anything I can get you?" Jerry asked
"Just a law suit against Doc Magoo's." Susan replied
"Ah, bad meal yesterday huh?" Jerry asked
"No just a while ago" Susan answered
"Oh ok. I just thought food poisoning took a while to surface." Jerry responded
Susan thought about it and realised he was right. She began to get worried, she couldn't think of a rational explanation for the way she was feeling. The morning sickness had finished about 2 months ago, so it wasn't that.
When Mark arrived Susan was getting worse, something was very wrong. She was limp and not very responsive. She was still conscious, but was not making much sense.
"Someone get me a wheelchair, and set up monitors. Foetal and adult." Mark demanded.
He wanted to know what was going on just as much as Susan
"I need an ultrasound too Haleh" Mark shouted
"Ok, no problem" Haleh answered
"It's ok Susan, we're going to get you into bed and check everything out, ok?" Mark whispered
Susan just nodded as they lifted her onto a bed.
"Ok, lets see how our little one is doing" Mark said
As Mark did the ultrasound there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Woah Mark, her pressure is getting real high. 130 over 100 and rising" Haleh said
"Oh God. Ok we need to get her into a trauma room. What the baby's heart rate?" Mark asked quickly
"Um 145. Not too bad at the moment" Haleh answered "Susan's BP is rising 135 over 115"
"Oh no, please don't let this be happening." Mark yelled as he fought back the tears.
They all knew what was wrong with Susan, their faces showed it. She was suffering from Eclampsia. They needed to get her blood pressure down and get the baby out, otherwise both could die.
Mark knew it and it was tearing him apart.
"Someone page Carter 911. I don't care if it's his day off, I want him here. And page OB, the OR. Just page anyone who you think can help" Mark screamed as the tears began to fall.
Everyone knew Mark wanted Carter there more for friendship support than to help medically.
Just as Mark was ready to administer anti-hypertensives Susan began to slip into unconsciousness. They all knew the next step was likely to be a seizure.
"Come on honey stay with us. Doctor Lewis come on, stay awake" Haleh exclaimed as she stroked Susan's hair.
But it was no good Susan was unconscious now, and the baby's heart rate was now at 155. The baby was becoming distressed.
Mark administered the anti hypertensive drugs to help bring Susan's soaring blood pressure down. It had now reached 150 over 120, no wonder she was unconscious.
Mark tried to remain calm, but as Susan's heart rate rose they knew what was coming.
As Susan began to seize Mark gave her Phenabarbitone. He had to sedate her if just to stop the seizures. Her body writhed as if in agony. They had to get the baby out. Mark knew that.
Carter and the OB resident arrived at the same time.
"Is she actually in labour?" The OB resident asked
"No, but we need to get this baby out!" Mark yelled
"I know, Doctor Greene. Lets get her up to the OR. She needs a section. You've done well Doctor Greene, considering the circumstances. You've lowered her BP to 130 over 100, and hopefully it will continue to go down a little. She's also stopped seizing, this is the perfect time for the section. Do I have your consent?"
Mark stood there in shock taking a few seconds to answer as he stared as Susan's motionless body.
"Yes, go please go" Mark shouted
As Mark watched Susan go up he broke down and the tears came freely. Carter approached him and took Mark away from the trauma room. He sat him down and got him some water.
"Do you want to go up with her? I'll come too if you want" Carter asked sensitively
"Yeah, I want to see her." Mark replied quietly
As Mark and Carter stood outside the OR they could see Susan lying and the monitors beeping almost normally. Her BP was 130 over 90. That was ok, as her diastolic blood pressure had come down. Just as they were looking for the foetal heart rate the surgeon produced a baby boy.
Mark gowned up, followed by Carter, to greet his new born son. For a month premature he was still big, weighing in at 5lbs 12oz and born at 6.27am on the 12th November. Mark wept as he saw his little boy lying in the baby warmer. He certainly had a good pair of lungs on him, and everything seemed to be in order.
Apart from Susan. As the surgeon was closing, he looked at Mark.
Mark knew that look meant, all you can do now is wait and see if she pulls through. "So do you have a name for this little guy?" Carter asked
"There are two, we can't decide on. I want to wait until Susan wakes up." Mark replied
Carter looked at Mark as if to say,
'You know that might not happen'
But Mark had every faith it would, even if he had to stay by her bed every second of every day.
Although the baby was ok, he was still taken to the NICU ward as he had been in distress when born. Mark followed him up there and took another look at his son.
He then went down to recovery to sit beside Susan. He held her hand for hours, the monitors bleeped just like Mark expected.
After almost 12 hours Mark was getting desperate, he was asking everyone to pray for Susan.
At 5.46pm Mark was beginning to consider the unthinkable, when Susan's eye's flickered and she squeezed Mark's hand.
She was back, she was alive, and she had a little boy to meet.
"Hey you, you had us all worried" Mark whispered
"I don't remember much. Just being in a lot of pain, and then not being" Susan replied
"How do you feel now?" Mark asked
"Exhausted and a bit sore but otherwise ok." She answered
Mark checked Susan's chart, her blood pressure was down to 125 over 85, and her heart rate was a healthy 72.
"I'm not surprised you're tired. But at least you have a beautiful baby boy to show for it" Mark said as baby Greene was brought in, dressed in a blue romper suit.
"We have a boy?" Susan asked
"Yup. He has lovely green eyes and fair hair. He's perfect." Mark said as he lifted the baby out of his maternity cot.
He held him close to Susan, then as she sat up he placed him in her arms.
Susan smiled with delight
"What shall we call him?" Susan asked
"Well I had been thinking some more about that, and I came up with something we hadn't thought about" Mark said
"Ok, let's here it" Susan asked
"How about Joshua Douglas Greene?" Mark replied
"I like it. It suits him. And when he's older he'll have a cool name and be known as JD." Susan answered
"Does that mean I can go and introduce him to the gang downstairs?" Mark asked
"Yeah ok then. I guess I'll just stay here." Susan said
"You'll be out in a few days, I'll be back in a bit. And when you do get out, I'll bring the white romper suit and blanket set so we can take him home in it." Mark said
"Ok then. And Mark, I love you." Susan answered
"I love you too." Mark replied as he took Joshua to meet the ER staff.
As Mark made his way into the ER his first stop was the desk.
"Hey Jerry, could you put out an announcement to all the ER staff who are not currently busy to come to the front desk" Mark asked
"Sure Doctor Greene. And I take it this is the newborn?" Jerry replied
No sooner had Jerry put out an announcement that most of the ER staff appeared.
As they all approached their facial expressions changed. They all knew it was ok, that Mark wouldn't have brought the baby down if Susan wasn't alright.
Even Carter had stayed on, he had managed to change his day off.
"I would just like to say that Susan is awake and she is doing really well. Our Son was born at 6.27am and has all his ten little finger and toes. We did have names planned but all that has kind of gone out of the window. So I would like you all to welcome Joshua Douglas Greene to the ER. But not too loudly because I don't like the crying"
Smiles spread across the ER as little Joshua got cuddles from most of the ER staff, even Carter had a brief hold, before Mark took him back upstairs to his mommy.
Chapter 15: Warmth and Support
It was now November 12th and Susan was working one of her last remaining shifts. Shame it had to be a 9pm to 6am graveyard, and on a Tuesday night. Luckily she had Mark there to work with her. Well for most of it any way. He was off at 3am, but he had been on since 6pm.
Susan was so huge now, she could no longer drive to work, and Mark wouldn't let her take the El, so she had to get cabs everywhere.
She could still make her way round the ER quickly though, even if it was more shuffling than walking. Getting through trauma room doors was also a bit of a pain, especially when other people were trying to get through at the same time. Her feet would hurt but she wouldn't complain. This baby was all she had ever wanted so there was no cause for complaint.
Mark would smile when she flopped down on the couch in the Doctor's lounge then had to be helped up by either himself or another member of staff. Carter tried to help once and ended up on the floor, Susan was just too big for him to get her up by himself.
Susan was a little embarrassed, but when she saw Carter laughing, the blushes disappeared. She managed to wiggle herself to the edge of the couch and he helped her up from there.
Each day Susan would have a new tale to tell about the nightly activities the baby had been taking part in. Mark would get teased about having sex with a pregnant woman to which he would reply
"Have you seen the size of Susan? We tried but she nearly crushed me. Pregnancy and sex just do not go together"
"Well they kinda do Mark. How do you think she got pregnant? And I thought you were a doctor!" Carter yelled back
Mark just smiled as he walked round to collect another chart, just 2 hours to go until he was off. He didn't like leaving Susan to work after him, he felt guilty for letting her work on when she was obviously so tired. But Susan is not a person to argue with and she insisted to everyone that she did not want her shifts covered.
As Mark walked to exam 1 he could see Susan coming towards him, she had one hand clasped to her front and one to her back in a vain attempt to stay upright. Her eyes were half closed, and she was yawning as she advanced down the corridor.
"Gangbanger, I did CPR for 25 minutes, I'm feeling a little tired now." Susan said as she slumped in a chair in exam 1.
"Then go and have a sleep, if only for half an hour. We can cope. Why do you think they call it a graveyard?" Mark said as he sutured a knee laceration
"Maybe I will. Exam 4 free?" Susan asked
"Take your pick, exam 2, 4, the lounge, the front desk." Mark answered
"Ok. I'll be in exam 4. Wake me up if it gets busy." Susan yawned as she waddled to exam 4
"Must be pretty far gone now, that young lady." Mark's patient piped up
"Yeah, she's nearly 8 months, working one of her few remaining shifts." Mark replied
"Well she's beautiful, the father must feel very lucky. To have a beautiful girlfriend, I didn't see a ring, and a baby on the way." The patient stated
"Oh he is. He's very happy indeed" Mark said with a huge grin on his face
"It's your baby Doctor Greene? Well in that case she is a very lucky lady too." the patient said before lying back down.
Susan got just over an hours sleep before the baby woke her up. It was certainly stretching it's legs. Susan didn't find the kicks cute any more. They hurt. Everything hurt now, she could see why so many pregnant women disliked the last few months of pregnancy.
Susan began to weep as the baby kicked again, with even more force. She tried to get comfortable but it seemed impossible, no matter how many pillows she had. Her back hurt and so did her legs. She felt like she shouldn't cry, this was all she had ever wanted, but now that didn't seem to matter as Susan began to cry harder.
Just by chance Mark came in to wake her up to find her crying. He hadn't seen her cry properly in a long time. She had, had a few hormonal weeps at sad movies, but nothing serious.
He walked up to Susan and put his arms around her.
"What's wrong?" Mark asked quietly
"All I wanted was some sleep. I got an hour and then it started kicking. I tried to get comfortable and I can't. Everything hurts, my back, my stomach, my feet, my head. I am so grateful to be having this baby but right now I feel so tired." Susan sobbed
"It's ok. You're allowed to feel tired. You're working your ass off at 8 months pregnant. I'd say it was fairly normal to be tired, exhausted even." Mark replied
Susan clung on to him, for his warmth and support. He laid her down across his knee and stroked her hair. After about 5 minutes she had fallen back to sleep. He gently got up and placed her head on a couple of pillows. He got a blanket and laid it over her. She looked peaceful, even if she did have red tear lines down her face.
As he left the room he put a Do Not Disturb- Pregnant Doctor Sleeping sign up on the door. As far as he was concerned exam 4 was out of bounds, for the rest of his shift anyway. As he looked at his watch Mark realised he only had 40 minutes of his shift to go.
That left Susan and Luka as the attending physicians on until 6am. Carter had left at 1am and Wednesday was his day off, so he wouldn't be in. Chen was on at Midday the next day and Kerry was on at 9am.
"Should be ok" Mark thought "She'll be ok after a couple of hours sleep"
"How is she?" Luka asked
"Exhausted. She needs a bit more sleep. Will you be ok when I go? I mean I can always stay."
"Mark we will be fine. I will only wake Susan if I need to." Luka replied
"Ok then. Well I'm off in half an hour. If you need me when I'm gone, call me. Ok?" Mark said
"Yes Mark. I will call you if we have any problems. Not that I think we will" Luka said reassuringly
During the last 30 minutes of Mark's shift he managed to see 3 more patients, clearing the remaining charts in the rack.
Mark made his way to the lounge, collected his things, then headed for Exam 4. Susan stirred as he opened the door.
"Hey you. I'm going home now, my shift has finished." Mark said quietly
"Ok. I'm getting up now any way. Can't wait for my shift to finish I have an awful headache." Susan replied
"Do you want anything for it?" Mark asked
"No, guess baby is just hungry or thirsty. Probably both knowing this little one" Susan replied
She seemed brighter after having 2 hours sleep, despite having a pounding headache.
"I can come pick you up when you finish if you want?" Mark asked
"No, you go home and sleep. I have a cab booked anyway. I'll be home just after 6, ok?" Susan replied
"Ok then. See you later." Mark said as he kissed Susan and escorted her out of exam 4.
Susan was a little wobbly on her feet but Mark and her just put it down to having just woken up. She was always a bit bleary eyed in a morning or after a brief nap.
As Mark left the hospital he felt slightly uneasy about Susan, but he knew that if he went back she would only get annoyed at his fussing.
At 3.45am Mark climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep. At the same time Susan was experiencing some mild stomach pain but her headache was getting worse.
"Must just be wind" Susan thought as he had consumed a huge burger from Doc Magoo's. That food always gave her indigestion, but she had just fancied it. At least her craving had been satisfied.
Forty-five minutes later however Susan was feeling very unwell. Her headache was so bad she could hardly see straight and the pains in her stomach had increased in intensity.
"Jerry I don't think I can stay to 6, I feel awful." Just as Susan said it she had to grab the desk for support.
"Want me to call Dr Greene?" Jerry asked
"Yes please. I'm just going into the lounge" Susan replied
As the phone rang Mark looked at the clock 4.32am. He picked up the phone to hear Jerry's voice.
*Phone call*
"Hey Doctor Greene. Dr Lewis has asked me to phone you. She wants to come home, she's not feeling well and was wondering if you would come and pick her up." Jerry said
"Yeah sure. Tell her I'll be there in 20 minutes." Mark replied
"Ok Doctor Greene, I'll pass the message on." Jerry answered
"Thanks Jerry." Mark said as he put the phone down
*End of phone call*
As Jerry walked into the lounge he found Susan nursing a glass of water and a vomit bowl (Jerry's affectionate name)
"Hey Doctor Lewis. Doctor Greene will be here in about 20 minutes. Is there anything I can get you?" Jerry asked
"Just a law suit against Doc Magoo's." Susan replied
"Ah, bad meal yesterday huh?" Jerry asked
"No just a while ago" Susan answered
"Oh ok. I just thought food poisoning took a while to surface." Jerry responded
Susan thought about it and realised he was right. She began to get worried, she couldn't think of a rational explanation for the way she was feeling. The morning sickness had finished about 2 months ago, so it wasn't that.
When Mark arrived Susan was getting worse, something was very wrong. She was limp and not very responsive. She was still conscious, but was not making much sense.
"Someone get me a wheelchair, and set up monitors. Foetal and adult." Mark demanded.
He wanted to know what was going on just as much as Susan
"I need an ultrasound too Haleh" Mark shouted
"Ok, no problem" Haleh answered
"It's ok Susan, we're going to get you into bed and check everything out, ok?" Mark whispered
Susan just nodded as they lifted her onto a bed.
"Ok, lets see how our little one is doing" Mark said
As Mark did the ultrasound there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Woah Mark, her pressure is getting real high. 130 over 100 and rising" Haleh said
"Oh God. Ok we need to get her into a trauma room. What the baby's heart rate?" Mark asked quickly
"Um 145. Not too bad at the moment" Haleh answered "Susan's BP is rising 135 over 115"
"Oh no, please don't let this be happening." Mark yelled as he fought back the tears.
They all knew what was wrong with Susan, their faces showed it. She was suffering from Eclampsia. They needed to get her blood pressure down and get the baby out, otherwise both could die.
Mark knew it and it was tearing him apart.
"Someone page Carter 911. I don't care if it's his day off, I want him here. And page OB, the OR. Just page anyone who you think can help" Mark screamed as the tears began to fall.
Everyone knew Mark wanted Carter there more for friendship support than to help medically.
Just as Mark was ready to administer anti-hypertensives Susan began to slip into unconsciousness. They all knew the next step was likely to be a seizure.
"Come on honey stay with us. Doctor Lewis come on, stay awake" Haleh exclaimed as she stroked Susan's hair.
But it was no good Susan was unconscious now, and the baby's heart rate was now at 155. The baby was becoming distressed.
Mark administered the anti hypertensive drugs to help bring Susan's soaring blood pressure down. It had now reached 150 over 120, no wonder she was unconscious.
Mark tried to remain calm, but as Susan's heart rate rose they knew what was coming.
As Susan began to seize Mark gave her Phenabarbitone. He had to sedate her if just to stop the seizures. Her body writhed as if in agony. They had to get the baby out. Mark knew that.
Carter and the OB resident arrived at the same time.
"Is she actually in labour?" The OB resident asked
"No, but we need to get this baby out!" Mark yelled
"I know, Doctor Greene. Lets get her up to the OR. She needs a section. You've done well Doctor Greene, considering the circumstances. You've lowered her BP to 130 over 100, and hopefully it will continue to go down a little. She's also stopped seizing, this is the perfect time for the section. Do I have your consent?"
Mark stood there in shock taking a few seconds to answer as he stared as Susan's motionless body.
"Yes, go please go" Mark shouted
As Mark watched Susan go up he broke down and the tears came freely. Carter approached him and took Mark away from the trauma room. He sat him down and got him some water.
"Do you want to go up with her? I'll come too if you want" Carter asked sensitively
"Yeah, I want to see her." Mark replied quietly
As Mark and Carter stood outside the OR they could see Susan lying and the monitors beeping almost normally. Her BP was 130 over 90. That was ok, as her diastolic blood pressure had come down. Just as they were looking for the foetal heart rate the surgeon produced a baby boy.
Mark gowned up, followed by Carter, to greet his new born son. For a month premature he was still big, weighing in at 5lbs 12oz and born at 6.27am on the 12th November. Mark wept as he saw his little boy lying in the baby warmer. He certainly had a good pair of lungs on him, and everything seemed to be in order.
Apart from Susan. As the surgeon was closing, he looked at Mark.
Mark knew that look meant, all you can do now is wait and see if she pulls through. "So do you have a name for this little guy?" Carter asked
"There are two, we can't decide on. I want to wait until Susan wakes up." Mark replied
Carter looked at Mark as if to say,
'You know that might not happen'
But Mark had every faith it would, even if he had to stay by her bed every second of every day.
Although the baby was ok, he was still taken to the NICU ward as he had been in distress when born. Mark followed him up there and took another look at his son.
He then went down to recovery to sit beside Susan. He held her hand for hours, the monitors bleeped just like Mark expected.
After almost 12 hours Mark was getting desperate, he was asking everyone to pray for Susan.
At 5.46pm Mark was beginning to consider the unthinkable, when Susan's eye's flickered and she squeezed Mark's hand.
She was back, she was alive, and she had a little boy to meet.
"Hey you, you had us all worried" Mark whispered
"I don't remember much. Just being in a lot of pain, and then not being" Susan replied
"How do you feel now?" Mark asked
"Exhausted and a bit sore but otherwise ok." She answered
Mark checked Susan's chart, her blood pressure was down to 125 over 85, and her heart rate was a healthy 72.
"I'm not surprised you're tired. But at least you have a beautiful baby boy to show for it" Mark said as baby Greene was brought in, dressed in a blue romper suit.
"We have a boy?" Susan asked
"Yup. He has lovely green eyes and fair hair. He's perfect." Mark said as he lifted the baby out of his maternity cot.
He held him close to Susan, then as she sat up he placed him in her arms.
Susan smiled with delight
"What shall we call him?" Susan asked
"Well I had been thinking some more about that, and I came up with something we hadn't thought about" Mark said
"Ok, let's here it" Susan asked
"How about Joshua Douglas Greene?" Mark replied
"I like it. It suits him. And when he's older he'll have a cool name and be known as JD." Susan answered
"Does that mean I can go and introduce him to the gang downstairs?" Mark asked
"Yeah ok then. I guess I'll just stay here." Susan said
"You'll be out in a few days, I'll be back in a bit. And when you do get out, I'll bring the white romper suit and blanket set so we can take him home in it." Mark said
"Ok then. And Mark, I love you." Susan answered
"I love you too." Mark replied as he took Joshua to meet the ER staff.
As Mark made his way into the ER his first stop was the desk.
"Hey Jerry, could you put out an announcement to all the ER staff who are not currently busy to come to the front desk" Mark asked
"Sure Doctor Greene. And I take it this is the newborn?" Jerry replied
No sooner had Jerry put out an announcement that most of the ER staff appeared.
As they all approached their facial expressions changed. They all knew it was ok, that Mark wouldn't have brought the baby down if Susan wasn't alright.
Even Carter had stayed on, he had managed to change his day off.
"I would just like to say that Susan is awake and she is doing really well. Our Son was born at 6.27am and has all his ten little finger and toes. We did have names planned but all that has kind of gone out of the window. So I would like you all to welcome Joshua Douglas Greene to the ER. But not too loudly because I don't like the crying"
Smiles spread across the ER as little Joshua got cuddles from most of the ER staff, even Carter had a brief hold, before Mark took him back upstairs to his mommy.