Abby jumped awake, a little unsure of where she was until she heard
the beeping of the machines. She had fallen asleep beside her baby
daughter. She glanced into the incubator and saw the little girls chest
rising and falling with the help of the machine. She was still on the
machine, that had to be a good sign right, the doctors had told her that
her baby wouldn't be alive at this time. She looked around to find the
doctor and saw him at the other end of the room. "Doctor Neilson, how's she
doing?" Abby asked apprehensively. She wanted to hear what was happening
but she also knew that it could be bad news.
"There has been slight improvement but not enough. She is still in critical
condition. We'll wait for the next 48 hours and by then there will
hopefully be more improvement and she can come off the ventilator."
Abby breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe her baby would be okay, maybe she wouldn't have to go through the trauma of burying her child. She knew that no matter what she couldn't cope if her daughter died. She looked around the NICU to see if she could see Susan or Carter. She had been so pleased when he had shown up the night before. She hadn't realised just how much she needed him until he spoke. The feeling of being in his arms again just felt so right. She knew it was wrong to want him, but she couldn't help the way she felt.
Susan climbed the stairs to the OB department. She had managed to grab a few hours sleep before going back to find out if baby Holly was okay. When she had watched the scene unfold in front of her the night before, between Abby and Carter, she knew she was right to call him. She only hoped that they could sort something out between them. Walking up to the NICU door she could see Abby still perched by her daughter's incubator. She looked around but she couldn't see Carter, he wasn't in Abby's room which was where she had sent him the night before to get some sleep.
"Susan." Abby's voice brought her back to reality.
"Hey." Susan's voice was quiet.
"She made it through the night." Abby said with a smile on her face. "They say she's still critical but she could be okay." Tears shone in Abby's eyes as she told her best friend of her good news.
"Abby that is fantastic." Susan said hugging her friend. "What does Carter think?"
"I haven't seen him. Susan I never got the chance last night to thank you for calling him. I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't there. You are such a good friend to me and I hope that one day I can return the favour."
"Abby you are already a good friend to me. You just concentrate on your daughter getting better." Susan gave Abby another hug before letting go.
"What do you think of her name?" Abby asked coyly. Abby couldn't think of a more appropriate way of thanking Susan than by naming her daughter after her. She knew that it was a good omen and maybe would bring baby Holly some luck.
"It's such an honour." Susan said choking back her tears. She had been filled with pride when Abby had said the baby's name the night before. To be included in her name was a big thing for Susan. "I'll go and see if I can find Carter for you."
"Thanks Susan, I'll be here." Abby said returning to her chair. The doctor was by the incubator. "Doctor Neilson, I may have been rather rude last night when you tried to tell me what exactly was wrong with Holly. I apologise for that but I am sure you understand what I was feeling."
"Miss Lockhart, don't worry about it. I have the unfortunate job of dealing with this every day. What you said last night was nothing." The doctor smiled nervously.
"I was wondering if you could tell me now. I know she isn't out of the woods yet, but please I need to know." Abby said as she lowered herself down into the chair beside Holly's incubator. She reached her hand inside and touched her tiny daughters cheek.
"Well, we are unsure of what caused you to go into early labour, but it is a possibility that stress caused it. I believe you were still working a lot down in the ER." Abby nodded her head, but didn't look the doctor in the eye. She felt so guilty. "When Holly was born her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. That's why we have had to intubate her. We are unsure of how long she went without oxygen but tests so far say there appears to be no permanent brain damage." Abby breathed a sigh of relief. Abby glanced over to her daughter again. "We are hoping to try in the next few days to try her without the tube and see how she does. Being a nurse and Med Student you yourself will now the risks."
"Yes, I do. Thank you for being so honest with me Doctor Neilson." Abby smiled up to the young doctor. "Just one favour. DO everything you can to help her. I don't know what I would do if she didn't survive."
"We'll do our best Miss Lockhart."
A.N - I knwo that this is a shorter chapter but what I wanted to happen next will be better served in a new chapter. I want to thank you all for the positive reveiws. And don't worry I couldn't kill off a Carby baby. With the reveiw on the medical stuff, I know that a baby born four weeks early and weighing 4lbs can survive as it happened with my niece, but there were complictions with Abby's birth which I have hopefully cleared up in this chapter if not then let me know. But thank you for pointing it out to me.
Abby breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe her baby would be okay, maybe she wouldn't have to go through the trauma of burying her child. She knew that no matter what she couldn't cope if her daughter died. She looked around the NICU to see if she could see Susan or Carter. She had been so pleased when he had shown up the night before. She hadn't realised just how much she needed him until he spoke. The feeling of being in his arms again just felt so right. She knew it was wrong to want him, but she couldn't help the way she felt.
Susan climbed the stairs to the OB department. She had managed to grab a few hours sleep before going back to find out if baby Holly was okay. When she had watched the scene unfold in front of her the night before, between Abby and Carter, she knew she was right to call him. She only hoped that they could sort something out between them. Walking up to the NICU door she could see Abby still perched by her daughter's incubator. She looked around but she couldn't see Carter, he wasn't in Abby's room which was where she had sent him the night before to get some sleep.
"Susan." Abby's voice brought her back to reality.
"Hey." Susan's voice was quiet.
"She made it through the night." Abby said with a smile on her face. "They say she's still critical but she could be okay." Tears shone in Abby's eyes as she told her best friend of her good news.
"Abby that is fantastic." Susan said hugging her friend. "What does Carter think?"
"I haven't seen him. Susan I never got the chance last night to thank you for calling him. I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't there. You are such a good friend to me and I hope that one day I can return the favour."
"Abby you are already a good friend to me. You just concentrate on your daughter getting better." Susan gave Abby another hug before letting go.
"What do you think of her name?" Abby asked coyly. Abby couldn't think of a more appropriate way of thanking Susan than by naming her daughter after her. She knew that it was a good omen and maybe would bring baby Holly some luck.
"It's such an honour." Susan said choking back her tears. She had been filled with pride when Abby had said the baby's name the night before. To be included in her name was a big thing for Susan. "I'll go and see if I can find Carter for you."
"Thanks Susan, I'll be here." Abby said returning to her chair. The doctor was by the incubator. "Doctor Neilson, I may have been rather rude last night when you tried to tell me what exactly was wrong with Holly. I apologise for that but I am sure you understand what I was feeling."
"Miss Lockhart, don't worry about it. I have the unfortunate job of dealing with this every day. What you said last night was nothing." The doctor smiled nervously.
"I was wondering if you could tell me now. I know she isn't out of the woods yet, but please I need to know." Abby said as she lowered herself down into the chair beside Holly's incubator. She reached her hand inside and touched her tiny daughters cheek.
"Well, we are unsure of what caused you to go into early labour, but it is a possibility that stress caused it. I believe you were still working a lot down in the ER." Abby nodded her head, but didn't look the doctor in the eye. She felt so guilty. "When Holly was born her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. That's why we have had to intubate her. We are unsure of how long she went without oxygen but tests so far say there appears to be no permanent brain damage." Abby breathed a sigh of relief. Abby glanced over to her daughter again. "We are hoping to try in the next few days to try her without the tube and see how she does. Being a nurse and Med Student you yourself will now the risks."
"Yes, I do. Thank you for being so honest with me Doctor Neilson." Abby smiled up to the young doctor. "Just one favour. DO everything you can to help her. I don't know what I would do if she didn't survive."
"We'll do our best Miss Lockhart."
A.N - I knwo that this is a shorter chapter but what I wanted to happen next will be better served in a new chapter. I want to thank you all for the positive reveiws. And don't worry I couldn't kill off a Carby baby. With the reveiw on the medical stuff, I know that a baby born four weeks early and weighing 4lbs can survive as it happened with my niece, but there were complictions with Abby's birth which I have hopefully cleared up in this chapter if not then let me know. But thank you for pointing it out to me.