Chapter 4
It took them around and hour and a half (when it usually took fifteen minutes) to get to the hospital and check in. But now Monica and Andrew were back on track and doing well in a private labor room. Although they had been here as well for about an hour and Dr. Cheshire still had not checked in on them. He was Monica's OBGYN and had been her pregnancy doctor throughout the entire thing. Of course Abby and Mike hadn't arrived either, nor Tess or Gloria. For now it was just the two of them. The storm was still raging outside but luckily the hospital had a back-up generator so they still had power. Otherwise a lot of people would be in serious trouble.
But just then a young nurse appeared in the doorway to their room and knocked on the side of the door. "Hi, sorry, Monica?" She confirmed a little uneasily. Monica nodded briefly, clearly unaware of what the nurse was about to tell her. But the young woman went on just the same. "Um, I'm afraid Dr. Cheshire won't be coming because of the storm. It's caused a lot of accidents and power outages and anyway, we do have a replacement and he's really great. So if you could just hang in there for a few more minutes, we should be able to get him in here." She informed before turning and disappearing out into the hall again.
Andrew then turned his attention back to his friend and seated him self next to her on the bed. "How are you doing?" He inquired in a voice so tender and caring that it made Monica want to cry as he stroked her amber hair lovingly against the pillow. She thought about the question carefully before she replied. She knew she had to tell him the truth or she would burst into tears. "I'm scared." She told him openly as a single tear rolled from her hazel eyes down her angelic features. Suddenly an incredibly sympathetic expression came over Andrew and he leaned down and planted a loving kiss on his friend's forehead. The truth was that he was quite frightened about the whole ordeal as well but he decided it would be best not to let it show.
"Monica, don't worry. A few more hours and this is all going to be over okay? Everything's going to be fine." He reassured as he reached over and took Monica's hand comfortingly. She managed a small smile but it was very suddenly wiped from her pretty face as another contraction wracked her petite frame. Andrew felt her squeeze his hand as she waited for the pain to pass, but it was longer this time and she managed for a few seconds before she let out another painful scream, causing Andrew's heart to nearly break in his chest. He didn't know how long he could stand watching her like this but it was clear that his friend needed him and he knew he had to stay.
When the agony had passed, Monica glanced back up at her friend and it was clear for him to see that her eyes were glazed over with pain now and he wished he could do something for her. But it was then that the replacement doctor appeared in the doorway and both Monica and Andrew were very relieved to see who it was. "Sam." They both greeted in unison when they saw him. Sam was what they call a Special Forces angel and now that they thought about it, it really didn't surprise them that he was here now.
"Hello Monica, Andrew." He nodded a return greeting and moved over to the hospital bed with a clipboard in hand. "I'm sure much to your relief, I will be delivering the baby." He informed them with a friendly smile across his dark face. Both Monica and Andrew managed a small smile and nod in return. It didn't take long for Sam to check Monica's progress before he told them that she was actually pretty close. He then left them with the assurance that he would be back in an hour to check her again before disappearing out into the hall.
Andrew was about to speak to his friend again when he heard the hollow sound of his cell phone ringing. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out and answered. Of course he wasn't surprised when he heard Gloria's voice on the other end. "Hey, Andrew listen, we're stuck in traffic and it doesn't look as though we're going anywhere for a while." She informed him quickly and it was easy for Andrew to hear the sound of thunder and car horns and shouting in the background as she spoke. "Well, hurry up okay? Monica's really close and…are Abby and Mike with you?" He added as an after thought, clearly dreading the thought of none of them getting here on time.
But Gloria only confirmed his worst fears. "Sorry Andrew, they are and we're going to be out here for a very long time. You're going to have to handle that yourself." She told him quickly and Andrew opened his mouth to say something else but before he could, Gloria hung up and all he could hear was the flat sound of the dial tone. He sighed and pressed the END button on the phone before repocketing it in his jeans.
Monica glanced up at him with clear concern etched across her face. "Was that Gloria?" She guessed correctly, knowing exactly why her pupil would be calling. Andrew nodded with a very sorry expression as he took her hand once again. "Yeah, I don't think they're going to make it on time." He told her sadly as he seated himself on the bedside. Monica was about to answer when she felt her insides contract once again and this time it was much worse than it had ever been before. She cried out in anguishing pain and squeezed Andrew's hand once again. He immediately knew that this was going to be a long few hours, but when the time came, she was going to need him more than she's ever needed him before.