Elmer wasn't quite sure where to look, torn between staring in
wonder at the baby and his worries over Lona. "Lona?" He softly whispered
her name, stroking her cheek with one hand as he tentively touched the baby
once more with a finger. Why wasn't she conscious? He looked up at Hook
for a moment, worry filling his eyes and his expression plainly saying what
he couldn't bring himself to speak out loud.
Hook looked over at Chris, honestly not sure of what to say to Elmer. He was feeling a bit more hopeful that they would be able to save Lona, but at the same time he knew there wasn't a way to know for sure. He vaguely remembered reading something in medical school about some mothers hemorrhaging after the birth. If that happened now....
"She's doing fine," Chris said with a slight smile as she glanced up at Elmer for a moment, before beckoning for Antubis to join her after a slight hesitation. Miraculously, it seemed that with the baby being born,
the bleeding had slowed considerably. Of course, Lona was definitely way too pale still but Chris felt her hopes rising rapidly that things would be okay, especially if they could get a transfusion started soon.
"Some mamas like to sleep after they have their babies," Mary said, smiling and letting out a slight giggle at the sight of the still more than a bit worried expression on Elmer's face. "Mine always slept."
As she talked, she reached down and gently touched the baby herself. It really seemed like someone ought to be holding the poor little thing. Mary glanced over at Elmer but he still seemed to shocked that the baby was actually there to take the initiative to pick it up.
"Antubis?" Mary let the baby wrap its tiny fingers around one of her fingers and she gently touched it. Someone really, really needed to be holding the little thing and since it didn't look like Doctor Lona could at the moment, then the baby's daddy would just have to manage it.
Elmer didn't notice what Mary was doing, he was so torn between trying to focus on both Lona and their baby at the same time. Okay, Chris said that Lona was okay but how much did she actually know about this anyway? Did anyone here know much about babies being born and what was normal?
'That would be Mary and I,' Antubis said with a chuckle as he stretched out a paw at Mary's bidding, cutting through the cord between two ties with one of his claws very carefully. 'Really, now, what did all of you do in medical school anyway? How many naughty things could you find to do? Well,' He gave Elmer a pointed look as he spoke. 'I think we know all about the naughty things you can dream up.'
Elmer started to glare at the anteater but he stopped when he suddenly saw Mary lift the baby up into her arms, tucking the blanket that had been arranged over its back around it more securely as she lifted it.
"Hey!" His eyes widened even more with sudden fright. If the baby got dropped Lona would never forgive him!
"Here." Mary moved over to Elmer, before he could do anything to stop her reaching out and tucking the baby into his arms.
Elmer looked from Mary to the baby, his expression even more frightened now if such a thing were possible. What in the world was the little girl thinking giving him the baby to hold? He would drop it or break it or.... He frantically looked around the room for someone, anyone who looked like they could do a better job of this than he could.
'They don't break. Believe me, I would know after over a thousand years if it was possible for them to break,' Antubis said as he finished talking to Chris and moved back to his original position, his snout poking over Elmer's good shoulder now, sniffing the baby slightly. 'Just move your hand a bit. You want to hold the head a bit more.'
Elmer looked down at the baby, trying to adjust his hold like the anteater said when suddenly the baby opened its eyes fully, looking up at him with what he could only assume was curiosity.
"It's alright," he whispered as he cuddled the baby close to him,
the fear he had felt slowly fading away with each moment that the baby was in his arms. It felt like everyone else in the room had suddenly faded away as he looked down at his child. So, so innocent. 'I'm not going to goof anything up this time,' He wasn't sure if he spoke that aloud or not.
He wasn't sure if he could do this, if he could be the sort of father that their baby deserved but looking down at it he knew he was certainly going to do his best or die trying. He wasn't going to disappoint his child,
wasn't going to disappoint Lona again. Suddenly the thought of her snapped him back to reality and he looked down into her pale face as worry suddenly washed over him once more. If they lost her now.... The thought of the baby never knowing its mother sent a cold chill up his back, much, much too close to what had happened with his own mother.
"Please, Lona, you have to get better," he whispered into her ear as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. "We need you. Please don't leave us."
Hook looked over at Chris, honestly not sure of what to say to Elmer. He was feeling a bit more hopeful that they would be able to save Lona, but at the same time he knew there wasn't a way to know for sure. He vaguely remembered reading something in medical school about some mothers hemorrhaging after the birth. If that happened now....
"She's doing fine," Chris said with a slight smile as she glanced up at Elmer for a moment, before beckoning for Antubis to join her after a slight hesitation. Miraculously, it seemed that with the baby being born,
the bleeding had slowed considerably. Of course, Lona was definitely way too pale still but Chris felt her hopes rising rapidly that things would be okay, especially if they could get a transfusion started soon.
"Some mamas like to sleep after they have their babies," Mary said, smiling and letting out a slight giggle at the sight of the still more than a bit worried expression on Elmer's face. "Mine always slept."
As she talked, she reached down and gently touched the baby herself. It really seemed like someone ought to be holding the poor little thing. Mary glanced over at Elmer but he still seemed to shocked that the baby was actually there to take the initiative to pick it up.
"Antubis?" Mary let the baby wrap its tiny fingers around one of her fingers and she gently touched it. Someone really, really needed to be holding the little thing and since it didn't look like Doctor Lona could at the moment, then the baby's daddy would just have to manage it.
Elmer didn't notice what Mary was doing, he was so torn between trying to focus on both Lona and their baby at the same time. Okay, Chris said that Lona was okay but how much did she actually know about this anyway? Did anyone here know much about babies being born and what was normal?
'That would be Mary and I,' Antubis said with a chuckle as he stretched out a paw at Mary's bidding, cutting through the cord between two ties with one of his claws very carefully. 'Really, now, what did all of you do in medical school anyway? How many naughty things could you find to do? Well,' He gave Elmer a pointed look as he spoke. 'I think we know all about the naughty things you can dream up.'
Elmer started to glare at the anteater but he stopped when he suddenly saw Mary lift the baby up into her arms, tucking the blanket that had been arranged over its back around it more securely as she lifted it.
"Hey!" His eyes widened even more with sudden fright. If the baby got dropped Lona would never forgive him!
"Here." Mary moved over to Elmer, before he could do anything to stop her reaching out and tucking the baby into his arms.
Elmer looked from Mary to the baby, his expression even more frightened now if such a thing were possible. What in the world was the little girl thinking giving him the baby to hold? He would drop it or break it or.... He frantically looked around the room for someone, anyone who looked like they could do a better job of this than he could.
'They don't break. Believe me, I would know after over a thousand years if it was possible for them to break,' Antubis said as he finished talking to Chris and moved back to his original position, his snout poking over Elmer's good shoulder now, sniffing the baby slightly. 'Just move your hand a bit. You want to hold the head a bit more.'
Elmer looked down at the baby, trying to adjust his hold like the anteater said when suddenly the baby opened its eyes fully, looking up at him with what he could only assume was curiosity.
"It's alright," he whispered as he cuddled the baby close to him,
the fear he had felt slowly fading away with each moment that the baby was in his arms. It felt like everyone else in the room had suddenly faded away as he looked down at his child. So, so innocent. 'I'm not going to goof anything up this time,' He wasn't sure if he spoke that aloud or not.
He wasn't sure if he could do this, if he could be the sort of father that their baby deserved but looking down at it he knew he was certainly going to do his best or die trying. He wasn't going to disappoint his child,
wasn't going to disappoint Lona again. Suddenly the thought of her snapped him back to reality and he looked down into her pale face as worry suddenly washed over him once more. If they lost her now.... The thought of the baby never knowing its mother sent a cold chill up his back, much, much too close to what had happened with his own mother.
"Please, Lona, you have to get better," he whispered into her ear as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. "We need you. Please don't leave us."