"Lucas, I'm so scared...", Brooke cried.
The ride to the nearest ER seemed like an eternity but Lucas had managed to arrive there in record time. Seconds after pulling up to the door and lying on the horn, a team of doctors and nurses were at the vehicle with a stretcher, gently loading Brooke onto it. She had regained consciousness, which seemed like a hell of a good sign to Luke but he knew they weren't out of the woods yet. He was beyond frightened but he knew he had to keep it together for her sake.
"Brooke, everything is going to be okay."
"What if I'm going into labor, Luke? Oh my God, the baby isn't due for another five months! It is way too soon! I cannot be having this baby right now!"
Her sobs and tears were uncontrollable so much that the emergency team was finding it difficult to work on her.
"Brooke, listen to me. I know you're scared, honey. I am too but everything is going to be okay. You've got to be still so the doctors can do their job, okay? Just hold my hand and look in my eyes. I'm not going anywhere and I promise we will get through this together."
His words had an amazing calming effect on her. She was still upset and with all the poking and prodding going on down below, it was easy to want to squirm around but Lucas was there like a rock. He firmly but gently held her hand, stroking the sweat soaked strands of her hair with his free hand as he whispered words of encouragement in her ear.
"Lucas..."
"Shhh, you're fine, Brooke. I've got you, sweetie. You're fine."
His words sounded remarkably soothing and calm and they showed no inkling of the emotional breakdown he was having inside. He looked over at the lead doctor who appeared to be working feverishly on his wife. Luke knew it was out of his hands now, that it was up to God and this amazing team of doctors and nurses helping Brooke. He wanted to cry, to yell at them and tell them to try harder to save their child. Instead he locked eyes with the head doctor, beseeching him with his expression to do something, anything to make it all better.
Lucas looked down at the tears streaming from Brooke's eyes as he desperately tried to control his own. Please, please God, he prayed. Don't do this. Not to me or our baby but especially to Brooke. She's been through so much. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost this baby.
As if God heard his plea for help, Lucas breathed a quick sigh of relief when the doctor spoke the first hint of good news.
"We stopped the bleeding", he said.
Those four words were music to the Scott's ears.
"Is our baby okay?" Brooke sobbed. "Did I lose the baby?"
"Mrs. Scott, your cervix is still closed which is a good sign and there is no indication that the fetus has been expelled although we won't know for sure until we see the ultra sound."
Lucas and Brooke held each other tighter. There was hope yet for their little baby.
"Lucas...", she cried.
"It's okay, Brooke", he said, kissing her forehead. "See? I told you everything was going to be okay."
For a few seconds there was a calm after the storm.
"Dammitt", the doctor muttered.
"Doc?" Lucas questioned as his heart pounded and Brooked clawed her nails into his arm.
"No heartbeat", the nurse said solemnly.
Brooke buried her face into Lucas' collar.
"Again?"
"No fetal heartbeat detected."
Lucas felt like he might faint. He would have lost it right then and there if it hadn't been for Brooke. His child's heart was not beating and his own may as well have stopped. He felt sick until he saw a look of pure relief etch across the doctor's face as he took a deep breath. The nurse smiled as well.
"Fetal heart rate?"
"114", the nurse said out loud.
"What's going on?" Brooke asked frantically.
The doctor removed his stethoscope and hooked up a monitor. A strong, steady continuous sound blared across the room.
"What's that?" Lucas asked.
"That's your baby's heart beat, Mr. Scott. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Little heart's beating like a choo choo train."
Tears of immense joy and relief clouded Luke's eyes. He and Brooke could only stare at one another in awe. That sound, that strong, beautiful steady sound was the heartbeat of the child they had created.
After a few more tests, the nurse poured a cold jelly like substance over Brooke's abdomen.
"Mrs. Scott, we're going to perform the visual ultra sound now. I know the jelly is a little cold but just bare with me."
The jelly was cold but Brooke couldn't even feel the discomfort. Her eyes were locked to the screen in front of her where a fuzzy image was becoming more and more visible.
"Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Scott. Everything looks good. Head to bottom, it is 4 and a half inches long, weighing in at approximately 3 and a half ounces."
"That seems so tiny", Luke said with concern.
"It's normal for 16 weeks gestation, Mr. Scott. Right now your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, it will go through a tremendous growth spurt. The weight will double weight and a few inches will be added to the length. If you look right here, the lower limbs are much more developed. The head is more erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved toward the front of its head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of the more advanced body systems are working, including the circulatory system and urinary tract. The heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day and we calculated the exact rate at 114. Anything between 110 and 160 is normal. Anyway, the patterning of the scalp has begun, though hair isn't recognizable yet as you can probably see. Although closed, the eyes are moving slowly, and the baby has even started growing finger and toenails."
"Oh my God..." Brooke whispered.
The couple was mesmerized by the color three-dimensional image on the screen. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.
"Mr. and Mrs. Scott, would you like to know the sex of your baby?"
Brooke stared into Lucas' eyes and they both nodded in unison.
"Looks like you have an active, beautiful, healthy baby girl."
Both began to cry softly to themselves. It was now more real somehow. Brooke's growing bump, the sound of a heartbeat and now an actual physical image gave proof that the tiny creature in Brooke's belly was real. It was no longer "it", or a distant thought or some pawn in divorce proceedings. "It" was a "she" and she was real. Baby Girl Scott.
"Am I okay?" Brooke asked.
"Everything looks good but of course we'll want to keep you here overnight for more observation."
Brooke nodded as her eyelids grew heavy and she was wheeled away to the maternity ward. She could not fight the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion looming over and soon she succumbed. Sleep was peaceful and rather deep and it was late the next morning when she finally woke up. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the light and figure out where she actually was. The wretched memories of the previous night came crashing back then she smiled as she remembered the heartbeat and the sonogram. All the heavenly proof she needed that her daughter was going to be alright.
"Lucas...", she whispered.
"Huh?" he said springing up as he wiped the sleep from his tired eyes. "I'm here. I'm here, Brooke. You okay?"
"Yeah", she whispered. "Will you...can I have some water please?"
He poured from the pitcher to the cup then gingerly held it to her lips as she thirstily sipped from it.
"You feel okay?"
"Yeah, but...what, what are you doing here, Luke?"
"Where else would I be? I wanted to be with you...and with our daughter."
There was something so tender about the way he said "daughter" that touched her heart and soul. She absently stroked his cheek with her fingertip.
"And how are we this morning, Mrs. Scott?" the doctor asked as he entered the room.
"Much better, thanks to you", Brooke smiled.
"Your discharge papers have been filed and you are free to go. Spend the rest of the week resting in a stress free environment and be sure to see your regular OB/GYN next week at the scheduled appointment. Before you go, the nurse will inject you with what we call a progesterone shot and you should continue those on into the third trimester."
"So everything's okay?"
"Everything is okay."
"But...Doc, Luke...um, this is all my fault."
"Brooke..."
"No Lucas. You were right. Yesterday after work, I...I played tennis with a friend. I felt fine and I thought it was okay. I guess it wasn't. I almost killed my baby..."
"Hey, hey, hey, it's not your fault", Lucas whispered as he kissed her tears.
"Your husband is right, Mrs. Scott. A tennis match had nothing to do with your episode last night. In fact, I encourage pregnant women to remain active in their daily routines and exercise in moderation. You can go to work, cook, shop, take a short jog, have sex...none of that is going to hurt the fetus. The tests we ran on you last night tell us that you have a hormonal imbalance. This frequently happens in pregnancies and it isn't your fault or the result of something you did or did not do. Your body just doesn't produce enough of the hormone that keeps your uterine lining sustaining the baby. The injections we are giving you are progesterone supplements will correct the problem."
Brooke breathed another huge sigh of relief. The baby had been saved, a possible miscarriage prevented. It had been another blessing from God but she shuddered to think what would have happened if Lucas hadn't been at the house.
"Home sweet home", Lucas sighed as he helped Brooke up the stairs.
"Yeah."
"You should get in bed and I'll get you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry. Really I just want to sleep for a while."
"Me too", Lucas yawned. "We were up all night. Well look, I'll go crash on the couch and I'll be up to check on you later, okay?"
"No. I don't want you sleeping on the couch."
"Okay. I'll go back to the guest house but I really think I should be close by just in case you need anything."
"I don't want you in the guest house."
"Brooke, I..."
"Will you sleep here? With me?" she weakly asked as they stopped in front of the master bedroom.
"Brooke...are, are you sure?"
"Last night was one hell of a scary night and it could have been a whole lot worse but everything is going to be okay...and I owe it all to you, Luke."
He simply smiled and nodded as he opened the door. She changed into fresh bedclothes and he helped her into bed. He wanted to hold her, to touch her soft middle that was the safe haven for their child but he knew she wasn't ready. And for the first time he was fine with that. He didn't need more. For now just being next to her and knowing that their little girl was safe was more than enough.