Chapter Twenty-One
*The Time Has Come*
"So I guess we're going to the hospital then." Lucas was on edge.
"Yeah, get my bag and call you mom." Peyton instructed as the contraction ended. He helped her back in the truck, his hands shaking the whole time. On the way to the hospital every red light seemed like an eternity. Lucas would go into a trance, strictly focusing on the road, until Peyton would wince and ask how long it had been since the last contraction.
They got the hospital and a nurse rushed Peyton up to the labor and delivery ward. The doctor then began his examination.
"According to your file you are not due for another two weeks. I would like to try to stop the labor and prolong the pregnancy to reach the 38-week mark. However if you continue to progress there should be no serious complications." He told them blandly.
"I think my water just broke." Peyton stammered.
"Well then we will have to let the labor take its course." The doctor said before leaving.
"What a boring guy." She commented before groaning and squeezing Luke's hand until it went numb.
"Just breath." He reminded her and himself.
"I am but its not working." She held her breath to the end.
"I'm going to see if my mom is here. I'll be back in five minutes I promise." Lucas dashed out to the waiting room where he found his mother pacing.
"How is she, what did the doctor say?"
"They wanted to stop the labor but Peyton's water broke so they're letting her have the baby. It should be okay though, don't worry." Lucas hugged her.
"I can't believe this is happening today. It's so surreal." She was dazed.
"What about the café?" He wanted to know.
"Deb is closing up for me tonight and Haley will we here soon too."
"I have to get back now. I'll let you know if anything happens."
"The doctor says that I'm dilated five centimeters." Peyton said when Luke came back.
"That's good. You're halfway there." He encouraged.
"That was the easy half. The next couple hours are going to be tough...Here comes another one." Her whole body tensed up and Lucas felt helpless not being able to do anything about it.
"You're doing great. Just keep breathing." He whispered while wiping her forehead with a cold cloth.
"Shut up with the stupid breathing already." She growled. Lucas backed off in bewilderment.
"Don't take it personally." The nurse walked in. "It's just the pain talking."
"Good to know."
"I'm nurse Miller. I'll be with you until the end of my shift at midnight." She told them.
"It's gonna take that long?" Peyton looked stunned.
"You aren't going anywhere soon." She laughed at Peyton's impatience. "I'll get some ice chips for you." The nurse left.
"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Lucas hurried out. Somehow he ended up back in the waiting room again. This time Haley and Nathan joined Karen.
"Is everything okay?" Haley jumped up.
"Yeah, I was looking for the bathroom." Luke's eyes were fixated on Nathan. Normally he would have made some sarcastic remark about his presence but he was taking the high road.
"I'm glad you ended up here. I was afraid I would be sitting out here without updates. Speaking of which-"
"Peyton was five centimeters about 45 minutes ago...Well I need to find the bathroom. I'll come back in an hour." He waved walking down the hall.
"Lucas...I think...I need...an epidural ." Peyton said between breathing.
"When the nurse come in we'll ask-" She squeezed his hand like there was no tomorrow.
"You know crippling me isn't going to make it less painful." Lucas flexed his hand.
"Of course not but you deserve a little taste of it." He would have defended himself but the nurse walked in.
"How are things in here?" She asked.
"I think it's time for some medication." Peyton blurted out.
"This is usually the point when women want it. I'll get the doctor."
The anesthesiologist came in and Lucas nearly fainted seeing the huge needle being stuck in Peyton's back. By the time he was done it was 10:30 pm and both of them were exhausted from the day. They dozed off into a much needed slumber but Lucas was woken up by the beeping of the baby's heart monitor.
"Peyton! Peyton wake up! Something's wrong!" He shook her.
"What's going on?" She asked the doctor frantically as he rushed in the room.
"You're baby's heart rate has dropped dangerously low. The labor is causing stress. You will need to have a c-section immediately. The baby may need to be given oxygen or breathing tube because the last two weeks of pregnancy is when the lungs finish developing." The doctor began to wheel Peyton out with the help of two other nurses.
"What am I supposed to do?" Luke ran after them.
"In ten minutes you can come into the operating room but for now you can inform any family members of the situation. You will need to put on the sterile suit over your clothes. The nurse will direct you." He told Lucas before going into the O.R. He didn't even give them a chance to say good-bye.
The nurse led him to the waiting room to find everyone sleeping, even Deb and Keith. The only one awake was Nathan.
"Is something wrong?" He saw the distant look in Lucas's eyes.
"Actually yeah...umm...The doctor said that Peyton needed needs a c-section because the baby can't handle the contractions and...umm...It might need help breathing when it's born." Luke explained stumbling along the way.
"I'm really sorry to hear it." Nathan was uncomfortable with the situation.
"Can you just tell everyone when they wake up." Lucas requested before turning to leave.
"Lucas wait." Nathan called after him. "This may sound really strange to you but I want to be this baby's uncle. I know I haven't been much of a brother to you or even a friend for that matter but I just wanted you to know that I want to fix what happened between us. I realize that what I did to you was wrong and I want to make it up to you."
"I'm glad we can put this behind us. Haley can finally stop worrying about us smashing each other's heads in. I'm just sorry that it had to happen under these circumstances...I got to go."
"I'll tell everyone. I hope things go all right."
"I'll come back with the news." The nurse was waiting outside surgery. She handed him the blue sterile suit and he put it on. The nurse instructed him to sit on the stool next to Peyton but not to look over the screen where to doctor was operating. Lucas walked in and was intimidated by the starkness and sterility.
"Lucas." Peyton groaned. He rushed over to her side and sat down. "Is it gonna be okay?"
"Just relax and think positive." He told her, brushing a curl from her face, but truly he didn't know that it would be.
*The Time Has Come*
"So I guess we're going to the hospital then." Lucas was on edge.
"Yeah, get my bag and call you mom." Peyton instructed as the contraction ended. He helped her back in the truck, his hands shaking the whole time. On the way to the hospital every red light seemed like an eternity. Lucas would go into a trance, strictly focusing on the road, until Peyton would wince and ask how long it had been since the last contraction.
They got the hospital and a nurse rushed Peyton up to the labor and delivery ward. The doctor then began his examination.
"According to your file you are not due for another two weeks. I would like to try to stop the labor and prolong the pregnancy to reach the 38-week mark. However if you continue to progress there should be no serious complications." He told them blandly.
"I think my water just broke." Peyton stammered.
"Well then we will have to let the labor take its course." The doctor said before leaving.
"What a boring guy." She commented before groaning and squeezing Luke's hand until it went numb.
"Just breath." He reminded her and himself.
"I am but its not working." She held her breath to the end.
"I'm going to see if my mom is here. I'll be back in five minutes I promise." Lucas dashed out to the waiting room where he found his mother pacing.
"How is she, what did the doctor say?"
"They wanted to stop the labor but Peyton's water broke so they're letting her have the baby. It should be okay though, don't worry." Lucas hugged her.
"I can't believe this is happening today. It's so surreal." She was dazed.
"What about the café?" He wanted to know.
"Deb is closing up for me tonight and Haley will we here soon too."
"I have to get back now. I'll let you know if anything happens."
"The doctor says that I'm dilated five centimeters." Peyton said when Luke came back.
"That's good. You're halfway there." He encouraged.
"That was the easy half. The next couple hours are going to be tough...Here comes another one." Her whole body tensed up and Lucas felt helpless not being able to do anything about it.
"You're doing great. Just keep breathing." He whispered while wiping her forehead with a cold cloth.
"Shut up with the stupid breathing already." She growled. Lucas backed off in bewilderment.
"Don't take it personally." The nurse walked in. "It's just the pain talking."
"Good to know."
"I'm nurse Miller. I'll be with you until the end of my shift at midnight." She told them.
"It's gonna take that long?" Peyton looked stunned.
"You aren't going anywhere soon." She laughed at Peyton's impatience. "I'll get some ice chips for you." The nurse left.
"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Lucas hurried out. Somehow he ended up back in the waiting room again. This time Haley and Nathan joined Karen.
"Is everything okay?" Haley jumped up.
"Yeah, I was looking for the bathroom." Luke's eyes were fixated on Nathan. Normally he would have made some sarcastic remark about his presence but he was taking the high road.
"I'm glad you ended up here. I was afraid I would be sitting out here without updates. Speaking of which-"
"Peyton was five centimeters about 45 minutes ago...Well I need to find the bathroom. I'll come back in an hour." He waved walking down the hall.
"Lucas...I think...I need...an epidural ." Peyton said between breathing.
"When the nurse come in we'll ask-" She squeezed his hand like there was no tomorrow.
"You know crippling me isn't going to make it less painful." Lucas flexed his hand.
"Of course not but you deserve a little taste of it." He would have defended himself but the nurse walked in.
"How are things in here?" She asked.
"I think it's time for some medication." Peyton blurted out.
"This is usually the point when women want it. I'll get the doctor."
The anesthesiologist came in and Lucas nearly fainted seeing the huge needle being stuck in Peyton's back. By the time he was done it was 10:30 pm and both of them were exhausted from the day. They dozed off into a much needed slumber but Lucas was woken up by the beeping of the baby's heart monitor.
"Peyton! Peyton wake up! Something's wrong!" He shook her.
"What's going on?" She asked the doctor frantically as he rushed in the room.
"You're baby's heart rate has dropped dangerously low. The labor is causing stress. You will need to have a c-section immediately. The baby may need to be given oxygen or breathing tube because the last two weeks of pregnancy is when the lungs finish developing." The doctor began to wheel Peyton out with the help of two other nurses.
"What am I supposed to do?" Luke ran after them.
"In ten minutes you can come into the operating room but for now you can inform any family members of the situation. You will need to put on the sterile suit over your clothes. The nurse will direct you." He told Lucas before going into the O.R. He didn't even give them a chance to say good-bye.
The nurse led him to the waiting room to find everyone sleeping, even Deb and Keith. The only one awake was Nathan.
"Is something wrong?" He saw the distant look in Lucas's eyes.
"Actually yeah...umm...The doctor said that Peyton needed needs a c-section because the baby can't handle the contractions and...umm...It might need help breathing when it's born." Luke explained stumbling along the way.
"I'm really sorry to hear it." Nathan was uncomfortable with the situation.
"Can you just tell everyone when they wake up." Lucas requested before turning to leave.
"Lucas wait." Nathan called after him. "This may sound really strange to you but I want to be this baby's uncle. I know I haven't been much of a brother to you or even a friend for that matter but I just wanted you to know that I want to fix what happened between us. I realize that what I did to you was wrong and I want to make it up to you."
"I'm glad we can put this behind us. Haley can finally stop worrying about us smashing each other's heads in. I'm just sorry that it had to happen under these circumstances...I got to go."
"I'll tell everyone. I hope things go all right."
"I'll come back with the news." The nurse was waiting outside surgery. She handed him the blue sterile suit and he put it on. The nurse instructed him to sit on the stool next to Peyton but not to look over the screen where to doctor was operating. Lucas walked in and was intimidated by the starkness and sterility.
"Lucas." Peyton groaned. He rushed over to her side and sat down. "Is it gonna be okay?"
"Just relax and think positive." He told her, brushing a curl from her face, but truly he didn't know that it would be.