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Wilson paced back and forth, back and forth until someone finally stopped him by saying that Becca wanted to see him. He rushed into the operating room only to find her legs up in the stirrups and a white sheet raised above her stomach.
"What's going on?"
"Because of the risk to Becca and the baby," Dr. Van Zandt explained, "we have to do a c-section."
"What about her liver?" Wilson asked as he went and took Becca's hand, stroking the top of her head with his free one.
"After we deliver the baby, we'll deal with that. But, I must warn you, you might not want to be in here for the delivery."
"Why not?"
"Her blood is not clotting the way it should. We're doing everything to fix this, but she's going to lose a lot of blood. I don't know if you want to see that or not."
"I don't care," he squeezed Becca's hand. "I'm staying with her."
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Wilson went out to the payphone in the waiting room. He took a deep breath and called his home number, awaiting his mother's voice on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Mom? It's Wilson."
"How's Becca? Your father called me."
"She has to deliver. Her liver is leaking and her blood vessels are doing something."
"Oh my. I don't know what to say. Do you want me to come down there?"
"Yeah, but you don't have to rush. Give it an hour or so."
"OK." She paused. "How far along is Becca now?"
"A few days shy of eight months."
"I had you at eight and a half months," his mother said, desperately trying to make him feel better. She didn't know what else to do. "It's natural for the first baby to be born a little early."
"This isn't natural. They're forcing it."
He heard her sigh into the phone. "It'll be fine honey. Don't worry."
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Wilson sat next to Becca as they pumped her full of twelve different medications and prepped her for the major surgery to deliver her child. Becca was pretty out of it, but more alert than could be expected. Wilson saw them preparing the scalpel and his knees went weak.
"Are-are you sure you want me to stay?" He asked her.
"Chickening out?" she whispered.
Wilson had all these images of Becca being sliced open and blood being everywhere. His mind was definitely going at light speed. "N-no." He gulped.
"I'm not going to force you, but I'd like you to be here. Please stay."
"Sure. I'll stay." He closed his eyes and willed the images to leave his head. With moderate success, he regained his composure.
"If you stay," one of the nurses piped up, "stay by her head. The sheet is here for a reason."
"Um, thank you."
Becca saw Wilson's face immediately drain of all color. "Are you squeamish?"
"I didn't think I was. But the thought of it all now is making me sick." He immediately cursed himself for admitting it. Becca had enough to worry about. She didn't need him on her mind, too. "But I'm fine. Don't worry. It's really OK."
She laughed a little and closed her eyes slowly. "Whatever you say."
Becca was out of it for the next twenty minutes until Dr. Van Zandt came in with another doctor, a surgeon Wilson was told, and they went to change her medication.
"Wait a sec," the new doctor said as he looked up at Wilson. "You're staying here?"
"Yeah," he answered.
"You can't. She's at too high of a risk. You'll need to leave."
"But I want to be with her. She wants me to be with her."
"She's going to be knocked out. We need to use regular anesthesia, not just an epidural."
"Why?"
"It's best for her and the baby. Trust me."
Dr. Van Zandt intervened. "You can stay here until she actual goes out, OK?"
Wilson looked to Becca and she nodded at him. "OK."
Dr. Van Zandt walked up to Becca. "Let me explain the procedure. A thin tube called a catheter will be placed into your bladder to drain urine during surgery, and the needle in a vein in your hand has already been inserted to give you fluids during the operation and medications if needed. We are going to shave your abdomen, and after that and you are asleep, I will make the first incision. Dr. Kramer is just here to observe and assist me if I need him. The incision will be just above your pubic bone. The second incision is made in the wall of the uterus. I will then open the amniotic sac and remove the baby. You should not feel anything. Next I will detach and removes the placenta. Then the incisions in the uterus and abdomen are closed, and as long as all goes well you'll be done. The procedure will take about forty-five minutes to complete, but the baby will be out in about five minutes. I can bring it right out to Wilson if you want me to after it's cleaned up."
"Sure," she said, "but what do you mean 'as long as everything goes well'? Shouldn't everything be fine?"
"Yes, it should. But we don't call high risk pregnancies 'high risk' for kicks and giggles. You're at a higher risk for complications due to your preeclampsia. But I have done plenty of births, most of them cesarean births, successfully. So has Dr. Kramer. You are in good hands." A nurse went over to Becca with a needle. "We're going to put you to sleep now."
"What am I, a dog?"
"No, no. I'm sorry. We are going to administer the anesthesia. Say good-bye to your husband and we will begin."
Wilson bent down so his face was at her level. He reached out and rubbed his hand over her cheek gently, ending by tracing her bottom lip with his ring finger. "I love you." He kissed her lips, then her forehead.
Becca used most of her strength to reach for his hand and squeeze it as tightly as she could. "I love you, too."
"Bye honey. I'll see you in forty-five minutes."
"When you see the baby," she said before he had a chance to walk away from him, "tell him that I love him."
"Him?"
"I have a premonition."
Wilson smiled at her. "OK, I will. Bye Becca."
"Bye," she whispered.
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A/N: Let's see. This about as cliché of a birth as you can get so far and I made up that whole liver thing. I don't really see how this could be any worse. And, on top of all that, everyone seems to be sick of Wilson, Becca, or both. I find that laughable actually.
I believe there are two more chapters after this one. The last chapter is almost 3000 words. Oh mon Dieu!
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Ding dong. There's a stork at Wilson's door. Review.
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