A/N: Sorry it took me until now to get this posted! I had some unexpected distractions today and didn't have a chance to write until this evening. I know lots of folks have been waiting for a new chapter all day, so here it is...
Chapter 35:
"I'm OK" said Mac as the contraction finally ended and she caught her breath again. "That was the worst one so far."
"You handled it really well though" said Harm as he took her hand. "You're gonna do just fine with this Mac, I know you are."
"Are you ready for this?" she asked him.
"Definitely" he answered, a big smile gracing his face. "I'm ready for everything you could possibly throw at me, and knowing you the way I do, that could be just about anything."
"Since these contractions are merely a preview of what's yet to come" she said, "by the end I may be literally throwing things at you!"
"That's fine, babe" he said as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. "I'm here for you, even if it means I end up with a few bruises to show for it."
"I'll try to go easy on you, sailor" smiled Mac.
"I know you will" replied Harm, "but don't hold anything back on my account. Is it OK if I park here, or should I drop you off up front?"
"Here's fine" said Mac, "I can walk, no problem."
"OK" said Harm as he pulled into a space and turned the car off. He got out, put his cover on, and went around to help Mac out. They walked hand-in-hand to the entrance, hoping the next contraction would wait until they made it inside. No such luck.
"OW! Dammit, that hurts!" cursed Mac as they stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Breathe, Mac" encouraged Harm, "it'll let up in a minute and we'll get you inside."
Mac nodded and breathed as best she could, holding tight to Harm's hand for support.
"There" she said after a short while, "it's better now, let's go." They walked the rest of the way to the hospital doors, and once inside Mac took a seat while Harm went up to the desk.
"Yes, sir, how may I help you?" asked the nurse behind the desk.
"My fiancée is in labor" he replied. "She's pre-registered, Colonel Sarah Mackenzie." The nurse typed a few things into the computer, then went to a file drawer next to her and flipped through it.
"Here we are" she said as she pulled a file from the drawer. "Mackenzie, she's Dr. Mianni's patient, correct?"
"Yes, that's right" said Harm. "Uh-oh, we forgot to call her, is she on duty today?"
"Yes, sir, she is" replied the nurse, "I'll get you taken up to the maternity floor and have them page her for you."
"Thank you, lieutenant" said Harm.
"I need the Colonel to come up here for just a moment" said the nurse. "I need to get her armband put on."
"Sure" said Harm, "just a second." He walked over to where Mac was sitting.
"You need to come up here for just a moment" he told her, "so the lieutenant can put your armband on."
"OK" said Mac, slowly standing up and taking Harm's hand.
"Here we go, Ma'am" said the nurse as she put Mac's armband on. "I've got a wheelchair here for you as well."
"I'll take it" said Mac. She carefully sat down in the wheelchair, and lifted her feet up so the nurse could lower the foot rests.
"OK, you're all set, Commander, Colonel" said the nurse. "Let's get you upstairs."
"Lead the way, lieutenant" said Harm. He followed the nurse, who pushed Mac's wheelchair, to the elevators down the hall. Moments later, they arrived on the maternity floor, and were led to the nurses station to check in.
The nurse who'd taken them up handed Mac's file to a nurse at the desk, and gave her a brief run-down of the situation.
"Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, Dr. Mianni's patient, 40 weeks, pre-eclampsia from 30 weeks on" she said, "contracting every 10-14 minutes for the past 2 hours."
"Alright, Colonel" said the nurse at the maternity desk, "let's get you into a room and see what's happening with your baby." She pushed Mac's wheelchair down the hall a short distance and made a left turn into a brightly lit room.
"There's a gown on the bed for you" she said, "and once you get changed, we'll get you hooked up to the fetal monitor and we'll check your cervix to see how many centimeters dilated you are."
"OK" said Mac as she got up from the wheelchair. The nurse took the chair out of the room and closed the door to give Mac some privacy.
"You need any help with this?" asked Harm as he took the gown off the bed and handed it to her.
"I don't think so" she said as she took the gown and headed to the bathroom in the corner of the room.
"Lemme know if you change your mind" he said. While Mac changed into the gown, he took off his jacket and loosened his tie. "Oh, damn" he said to himself as he realized at that moment that he'd left Mac's suitcase in the car.
"Can you tie this for me?" she asked him as she emerged from the bathroom clad in the light blue gown.
"Sure" he said, "then I've gotta run back to the car real quick, I forgot to bring your suitcase up."
"Oh yeah" said Mac with a little laugh, "we might need that, huh?"
"I think we just might" laughed Harm. "There you go, all tied. Why don't you get in bed and I'll go let the nurse know she can come hook up the monitors while I run back to the car?"
"OK" agreed Mac. He helped her get into bed and covered up, then he kissed her forehead before leaving the room.
"I need to run back to the car for just a moment" he told the nurse at the desk, "but Colonel Mackenzie is ready for the monitors and whatever else needs to be done right now."
"Yes, sir" replied the nurse, "I'll go take care of that."
"Thank you, lieutenant" said Harm, "I'll be right back." He took the elevator down and ran out to the parking lot. He grabbed the suitcase from the backseat, closed the door and pressed the "lock" button on the remote as he headed back towards the hospital. Within 5 minutes, he was back in Mac's room.
"Just in time" said Mac.
"In time for what?" asked Harm, setting the suitcase down against the wall in the far corner of the room.
"Contraction" said Mac, "get over here!" The nurse was just about to check Mac's cervix when it hit, so she stepped back and let Harm in to take Mac's hand. It had been almost exactly 14 minutes since the contraction she'd had on the way into the hospital.
"That's good" Harm said, "just breathe…" Mac didn't say anything this time, instead concentrating on her breathing as best she could.
"That wasn't too terrible" she said once the pain let up. "Bad enough, but I know they'll get a lot worse before we're finished."
"You did good, babe" said Harm, bringing her hand up to kiss it. "I'm glad I got back up here in time so you didn't have to do that by yourself."
"I could've done it" said Mac, the Marine in her shining through.
"I know you could've done it" said Harm, "but I want to be here for everything, just like I promised I would be."
"I know you do, babe" said Mac with a smile. "Oh hey, did they page Dr. Mianni yet?"
"Yes, ma'am" said the nurse, "She should be up within the hour. Can I check your progress now?"
"Sure" said Mac. The nurse pressed a button on the bed and lowered the head several inches.
"Just lay back and relax as much as you can" said the nurse, "might be a bit less uncomfortable that way."
"OK" said Mac, laying back and holding tight to Harm's hand.
"Ow!"
"Sorry, Colonel" said the nurse as she moved her fingers around slowly. "Feels like you're about 2 centimeters dilated right now, and the baby's head is at about a minus two station."
"That means we've got eight centimeters to go before she can push, and right now the baby's head is still two centimeters above the cervix, right?" asked Harm.
"Very good, Sir!" exclaimed the nurse as she finished the exam and pulled the sheet back down over Mac's legs. "I can see someone paid close attention in childbirth class!"
"I tried to" said Harm, "I wanted to come into this knowing as much as I could."
"Impressive, huh?" Mac asked the nurse.
"Very" she said, "I've been doing this for 5 years, and never have I seen a dad who knew that much this early in labor." Harm smiled and blushed a little.
"So what do we do now?" asked Mac.
"I need to get your IV started" replied the nurse. "Dr. Mianni will be up shortly and she'll wanna check you then, and we'll be keeping a close eye on your blood pressure and the baby's heart rate. Aside from that, we'll just let nature be nature."
"Lieutenant, is there any mention of our birth plan in the Colonel's file?" asked Harm.
The nurse opened Mac's file and looked through several pages before she found the birth plan. "Yes, Sir" she replied, "right here. It says you'll ask for pain medication if you feel it becomes necessary. Is that still your plan?"
"Yes, it is" answered Mac. "I'd also like to walk around as much as possible and maybe get in the whirlpool after awhile."
"I think we can accommodate you there, Colonel" said the nurse. "Let me go get what I need to start your IV, and once we get that going, you can walk around the corridor if you want to while we wait for Dr. Mianni."
"OK, great" said Mac. As the nurse left the room, Harm walked over to his jacket and fished his cell phone out of the pocket.
"Who are you calling?" asked Mac.
"For starters" he replied, "Harriet, then Mattie, and then my mom."
"Oops" said Mac, "we promised your mom we'd call as soon as we left for the hospital, and we forgot."
"Yeah, but she'll understand." said Harm. "I've gotta go outside to use this, will you be OK for about 10 minutes?"
"Sure" said Mac, "they should have the IV done by the time you get back, and then we can make laps around the halls, should be real exciting!"
"OK" said Harm, "I'll hurry back, don't deliver while I'm gone, got it?"
"Go make your calls, goofball!" laughed Mac. Harm gave her a big smile as he headed out the door. Shortly thereafter, the nurse returned to do Mac's IV.
"Would you prefer it in the back of your hand" asked the nurse, "or the back of your forearm?"
"Forearm, definitely" answered Mac. "I'll never understand how people can stand having those things in the back of their hands!"
"I guess it doesn't bother some folks as much as others, ma'am" replied the nurse as she rubbed Mac's left forearm with an alcohol wipe. "I'm gonna inject a little numbing agent first, so that should be the only needle stick you feel."
"OK" said Mac, looking the opposite direction. She felt the little stick of the numbing agent, and she felt the pressure of the IV going into her arm, but it wasn't really painful.
"All finished, ma'am" said the nurse as she applied the last piece of tape to Mac's arm to hold things in place.
"Great" said Mac. "I need to use the restroom."
"Sure, ma'am, go ahead" said the nurse. Mac went to get out of bed just as the next contraction hit. She laid back down in the bed and grabbed a fistful of the sheet with both hands.
"Breathe, ma'am" said the nurse.
"I'm breathing, lieutenant" said Mac, "this isn't the first contraction I've had, you know!"
"Sorry, ma'am" replied the nurse. "Would you like me to do anything for you?"
"No" said Mac in between breaths, "the Commander will be back any moment." No sooner had Mac finished her sentence than Harm walked back in the room.
"Oh Mac" he said, "I'm sorry!" He set his phone down on the bedside table and Mac reached out her hand towards him. He took her hand and held it in both of his own, and within another minute, the contraction was over.
"What took you so long, sailor?" asked Mac as she laid her head back onto the pillow.
"My mom wouldn't stop asking questions" he said. "I finally had to cut her off and tell her I'll call her back later. I'm sorry I didn't make it back up here sooner, babe."
"It's OK" replied Mac. "Did you get a hold of Harriet?"
"Yep" he said, "she's gonna go home and change after work, make sure the boys are all set and then she'll be here as long as we need her to be."
"Mattie?" asked Mac.
"She'll be here a little later on" replied Harm. "She has to wait until her friend gets off of work and can drive her over here, but she said she'll be here the whole time, no matter how long it takes."
"I'm trying not to think too much about how long it might take" said Mac.
"Just keep in mind what we'll have to show for it when it's over, babe" said Harm with a smile. Mac smiled and rubbed her tummy just a bit.
"How about we go for a walk?" she asked him.
"Sounds good" said Harm. "Can you get up by yourself?"
"Yeah" said Mac, "and in fact I was getting up and heading to the restroom when that last contraction hit, so that's my first stop before we go anywhere!"
"Understood" said Harm. Mac got out of the bed and rolled her IV pole beside herself to the restroom.
"Can you get my robe out of the suitcase, please?" she asked him when she came out of the restroom.
"Yeah" he answered. He went over and opened the suitcase, moved a few things out of the way, and pulled out her light purple, terry cloth robe.
"I'm not sure we can get this on you with that IV, babe" said Harm as he thought about it a little.
"Oh, crap" said Mac. "Maybe the nurse can come unhook it so we can get the robe on?"
"I'll go ask" he said, "hang on." Harm walked to the nurses station, and returned a moment later with Mac's nurse, and she was carrying another hospital gown.
"I've got something that'll work better than trying to put your robe on, ma'am" said the nurse. "We can unsnap this at the shoulders and put it over your arms from the back, then re-snap it. It'll accomplish the same thing as the robe and it'll be a lot easier to get on and off."
"Fine with me" said Mac, "as long as I'm covered up, I don't much care what it's with!"
The nurse helped Mac get the second gown on, and then Harm took the IV pole in one hand and Mac's hand in the other as the two of them began their walk. They walked passed another couple who was doing the same thing they were.
"Must be a popular pastime" joked Mac as they rounded a corner.
"Hey, it must work or nobody would do it" said Harm. Mac squeezed his hand really tightly and stopped walking.
"Here, Mac" he said, letting go of the IV pole and taking a hold of her arms. Remembering what they'd learned in their childbirth class, he pulled her arms up around his neck, and she leaned the top of her head against his chest. She looked down at the white tile floor and concentrated on breathing.
"Oh, God this hurts" she whimpered.
"I know it does, babe" said Harm softly, "but you're doing great, just keep breathing." Mac nodded as she slowly let out a breath.
"There" she said a minute or so later, "over."
"Great job" said Harm as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips. "Wanna keep going?"
"Yeah" said Mac, and they began walking towards the end of the hall. As they were almost back to their room, they saw Dr. Mianni at the nurses station.
"Hello, Sarah" said the doctor when she noticed Harm and Mac approaching her. "How are you doing?"
"At this moment" said Mac, "good. Ask me in another 10 minutes or so, and you'll probably get a different answer!"
Dr. Mianni laughed. "So you're still contracting about every 10 - 12 minutes?"
"Yeah" replied Mac, "is that good?"
"It's fine this early on" said the doctor. "Of course you know that the further along your labor goes, the closer together and the stronger we need your contractions to be, but for now you're doing fine. How are you doing, Harm?"
"I'm fine" he replied, "but then I'm not the one in labor!"
"No, but as things really get going" said the doctor, "you'll find yourself doing a lot more than you might realize just yet."
"I'll be glad to do anything she needs me to" said Harm.
"He's been great, doctor" said Mac, "so far, I haven't had any urges to hurt him!"
"Again" laughed Dr. Mianni, "give it time! Why don't we head back to your room so I can check and see how you're progressing?"
"OK" said Mac, and they all made their way a short distance down the hall. Once in the room, Harm helped Mac out of the second gown and into the bed.
"Better hurry, doctor" said Mac as she laid down and bent her knees, "we've got about 4 minutes until the next contraction."
"I'm all set" replied Dr. Mianni as she sat on the edge of Mac's bed and moved the sheet aside. "I'll be gentle and quick, I promise."
"I know you will" said Mac. She winced and jumped just a little as the doctor examined her, but it wasn't anything she couldn't tolerate. Harm stood beside her and caressed the back of her hand.
"Well" said Dr. Mianni as she pulled the sheet back over Mac's legs, "no change from before, still dilated to two centimeters and the head is still at minus two."
"Are you serious?" asked Mac in a tone of surprise combined with disappointment.
"I'm serious, Sarah" replied the doctor. "Don't worry about it though, it's still very early and your pattern of contractions is well within the normal range."
"What about everything else?" asked Harm, "blood pressure, baby's heart rate?"
"Everything so far is just fine, Harm" answered the doctor as she glanced again at the printout from the fetal monitor and at the screens on the others.
"Can we walk around some more?" asked Mac.
"Sure" said the doctor, "go right ahead."
"At what point would it become a problem to still only be dilated to two centimeters?" asked Mac.
"I'll give you another couple of hours" said Dr. Mianni, "and if the next time either I or the nurse checks you we find you haven't progressed any, we'll talk about a couple options for helping things along, OK?"
"OK" said Mac.
"Anything else you'd like to ask me?' said the doctor.
"Not that I can think of" said Mac, "babe?"
"Nothing here" replied Harm.
"OK then" said Dr. Mianni, "go ahead and walk as much as you'd like to and unless you feel we need to check you sooner, we'll do it again in a couple hours."
"Thank you, doctor" said Harm. Dr. Mianni left the room, and Mac began to cry.
"Hey babe" said Harm as he pulled her close, "it's OK, everything's fine."
"I've been in labor for almost 4 hours and nothing is changing" she cried. "I know what the 'options' are if I haven't made and progress by the time they check me again, and I don't want either of them."
"Let's not think about those just yet, OK?" he said as he brushed the tears off her face. "Let's get this other gown back on you and let's go make as many laps around these halls as we can, and we'll see what happens from there."
Mac nodded and stood up so Harm could help her into the other gown. Just as she did, the next contraction hit.
"Oowwwww!" she said, grabbing a hold of his shoulders.
"Put your arms around my neck like before" he said, "and your head here, there you go, just like that." They stood beside the bed and swayed back and forth a little bit as Mac took slow, careful breaths. As the pain drew to a close, there was a familiar face at the door.
"Hi, Harriet" said Mac, a little out of breath. "Come on in, you just missed the fun!"
"I gathered that" replied Harriet. "Are they getting really bad?"
"Not too bad yet" said Mac. "I'm able to breathe through them."
"And I'm still standing!" joked Harm. Harriet laughed and agreed with him. "So, what has the doctor said?" she asked.
"Dilated to two centimeters and the head is at minus two" said Mac. "That's where I was when we first got here as well as where I was when my doctor checked me a few minutes ago, but she said things are going well for now and we'll give it a couple more hours before we talk about doing anything to nudge things along."
"Ok, cool" said Harriet. "Have they had you out walking the halls?"
"Yeah" replied Harm, "we've been out there some and that's where we're headed now if you'd like to join us."
"Sure" said Harriet. Harm helped Mac get back into the second gown, and he took Mac's hand while Harriet handled the IV pole this time. They managed to make two complete laps before the next contraction hit. Harm stopped and leaned against the wall while Mac put her arms around his neck and her head onto his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, it was comforting to her.
"Very good, Colonel - I mean, Mac" said Harriet when Mac lifted her head up and let her arms slide off of Harm's neck.
"Thanks" said Mac. "It'd be a little easier to do that if someone wasn't so tall." She looked at Harm and smiled.
"I'm sorry, babe" he said, "I'll try to lean down more from now on, OK?"
"I'm just teasing you, Harm" said Mac. "You're doing great, don't change a thing."
"You two are so perfect together" said Harriet.
"You think so?" asked Mac.
"Oh my gosh, yes!" Harriet exclaimed. "Y'all are soul mates if ever two people were soul mates."
"I think so, too" smiled Harm. "Too bad it took us so long to realize that for ourselves."
"Hey, no regrets, remember?" said Mac. "Today is all about the here and now, and what we're doing now is walking so hopefully this baby will decide to be born sometime this week!"
"Aye aye, ma'am!" said Harm as he gave Mac a mock salute.
"Goofball!" she said as she playfully swatted his chest. They walked through the halls for another half hour before stopping for a bathroom break, then they walked for another 45 minutes, stopping for 3 more contractions before heading back to Mac's room.
"See if the nurse will come check me, please?" Mac asked Harm as Harriet helped her get back into the bed.
"It's been almost 2 hours" said Harm, "I'm sure she will. I'll be right back." He returned a few minutes later followed by the nurse.
"How are you feeling, ma'am?" the nurse asked Mac.
"Kind of tired" answered Mac, "but pretty good I guess."
"Good" said the nurse. "Go ahead and lay back and we'll see if all that walking made any difference for you."
"I sure hope it did" said Mac as she bent her knees again and tried to relax. She didn't jump this time when the nurse touched her cervix, and she wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.
"Well?" asked Mac when she felt the nurse take her hand out.
"Sorry, Colonel" said the nurse, "still no change. You've got a stubborn little one in there!"
"Gee" said Harm, "wonder where it could have gotten that from?"
"Take your pick!" replied Mac. "Dr. Mianni said there were a couple of things we could talk about doing in the event that I hadn't progressed any by now, do you know what they are?" she asked the nurse.
"Yes, ma'am" answered the nurse, "she said we can either break your water, or we can start you on a drug to make your contractions stronger."
"I don't want any drugs" said Mac, "at least not that particular one and not right now."
"OK, ma'am" said the nurse. "How do you feel about letting the doctor break your water?"
"What exactly is involved there?" asked Harm.
"It's a very quick and simple procedure, Sir" answered the nurse. "The doctor would insert a plastic 'stick' with a small hook at the end of it through the Colonel's cervix and rupture the amniotic sac around the baby."
"That sounds painful!" said Mac.
"It can be a bit uncomfortable, ma'am" said the nurse, "but it's not usually too painful. Do you need a few minutes to talk about it perhaps?"
"Actually" said Mac, "what about getting into the whirlpool? Could we try that instead?"
"I think so, ma'am" replied the nurse. "Dr. Mianni said that you'd indicated a desire to try that if possible, so let me go page her and double check, and if she says now's a good time for that, we'll get you set up."
"Thank you, lieutenant" said Mac as the nurse left the room. "I really hope they'll let us try the pool, I don't want those drugs and I sure don't want them "rupturing' anything in there!"
"I know, babe" said Harm.
The nurse returned about 10 minutes later after speaking with the doctor. Mac was sitting on the side of the bed, breathing through the end of the latest contraction. Harm was kneeling in front of her so she could wrap her arms around him, and Harriet was rubbing her lower back.
"Good news, Colonel" she said, "you can try the tub!"
"Oh, good!" said Mac. "Just show me where to go and I'm there!"
"It's down the hall just a bit" said the nurse.
"He's allowed to get in, too, right?" Mac asked pointing to Harm.
"As long as you remembered to pack his swim suit, ma'am" said the nurse, "otherwise he'll need to just sit on the edge of the tub."
"I've got my swim suit, lieutenant" said Harm. "It's one of the first things she packed!"
"Wonderful sir" said the nurse. "If you'd like to get it, we'll all head down the hall." Harm went over to the suitcase, grabbed his American flag patterned Tommy Hilfiger swim suit and Mac's red bikini top, and they started out towards the whirlpool room.
"I think I'll stay here, Mac" said Harriet.
"You don't have to stay here, Harriet" said Mac, "you're welcome to come down there with us."
"I know, but someone should be here in case Mattie shows up while y'all are down there" said Harriet, "and besides, y'all need some privacy once in awhile."
"Well, if you'd like to stay here and wait for Mattie, you can" said Harm, "but please don't feel like we don't want you down there if you'd like to be there."
"I know, Harm" said Harriet, "I'm fine waiting here, really. Go on ahead, I'll be here when you get back."
"OK, that's fine" said Mac. "You know where we are if you need us!" Harriet took a seat by the window as Harm and Mac followed the nurse down the hall.
"There's a restroom right there for you to change in, Sir" said the nurse as they arrived.
"Thank you, lieutenant" he said. "I'll be out in a second" he told Mac. "Here, babe, you want this?" he asked, handing Mac her bikini top.
"Yeah" she said. She changed into it while Harm donned his swim suit. He brought his uniform out and laid it on a chair next to the door.
"Ok, ma'am" said the nurse, "let the Commander get in first, then you can sit down with your back to him." Harm carefully climbed into the tub, then held his hands up to help Mac in.
"Careful, babe" he said, "there you go, sit down, alright, you comfortable?"
"Oh yeah" she said as she let out a long sigh. "This is gonna help a lot, I can tell already."
"I'll leave you two alone for awhile" said the nurse. "There's a call button on the wall right here if you need anything, OK?"
"Yes, thank you, lieutenant" said Harm.
"Isn't this great?" Mac asked him after the nurse had left. The water was just right, not too hot or too cold, and the massaging jets were on enough to create a relaxing ripple in the water.
"Yeah, it's really nice" agreed Harm. "How long do you think we'll have to sit in here?"
"Forever" said Mac as she leaned her head back against Harm's chest.
"Well, I sure hope not" he said, "considering why we're in here in the first place!"
"Yeah, yeah…" said Mac. "Speaking of that…" He felt her body tense up against his and he knew she was contracting again.
"Breathe through it, Mac" he said softly. "That's it…again…good…another…good…"
"Ow! Ow!" she said between breaths.
"You're doing great, babe" he said, "just keep breathing…it'll be over soon…"
"Whew" said Mac as she let out the last breath she'd been hanging on to.
"Getting worse?" asked Harm as he lifted her hair up off her neck.
"A little maybe" she said, "hard to know for sure since the water is helping with the pain."
"You're doing an amazing job" he said, "I want you to know that."
"So are you" she said, looking up at him. He leaned down and their lips met lovingly.
"This is almost as nice as the bubble bath we took together last week." said Mac.
"Almost as nice?" questioned Harm. "What was nicer about that?"
"It had bubbles and candles" answered Mac.
"Yeah, but this one has us having our baby" replied Harm. He put his hands on Mac's tummy and she put hers atop his, just as they'd done in the bubble bath, only this time they both choked up a bit.
Meanwhile, back in Mac's room…
"Colonel Mackenzie's room" said Harriet into the receiver.
"Hi, this is Trish Burnett, Harm's mother, whom am I speaking with?"
"Oh, hi, Mrs. Burnett, this is Harriet, Harm and Mac's friend. How are you?"
"I'm about to burst with excitement! Is everything OK? Where are they?"
"Oh yes, they're fine. They're down the hall in the whirlpool right now."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Mac's labor has been steady but slow, so they're trying the tub in hopes it'll help move things along a bit. I can go check on them if you'd like?"
"No, no, don't bother them, I was just calling to let Harm know that Frank and I left La Jolla two hours ago, and our flight is scheduled to get into Dulles just before midnight local time."
"Alright, I'll write that down and make sure he gets the message as soon as they get back to the room."
"Make sure he knows we're renting a car and we'll take care of getting ourselves to the hospital. We don't want him worrying about anyone except Mac and the baby!"
"I'll make sure he understands, ma'am! Anything else?"
"No, that's all for now. I won't call when we get in, since it'll be so late, but we'll go straight there from the airport and we'll be in the waiting area whenever Harm gets a chance to come find us.
"Sounds great, ma'am. Have a good flight, I'll see you when you get here."
"Thank you, Harriet. Bye!"
"Bye." Harriet hung up the phone and jotted down the message while it was fresh on her mind. She picked the book she'd been reading back up and made it through another 3 pages before…
"Knock, knock, anybody home?"
"Hey, Mattie, come on in!" exclaimed Harriet. "They're down the hall in the whirlpool right now, but they'll be back after a bit."
"Cool" said Mattie. "How's it going, is everything OK?"
"Going great" said Harriet. "Labor has been kind of slow though, so they wanted to see if sitting in the tub for awhile might help. They said you could go down there if you wanted to."
"No thanks!" said Mattie adamantly. "From my understanding, Harm's in his swim suit and Mac's in half of hers, and that's a scene better left to them and them alone!"
"Are you planning on watching any of the delivery?" asked Harriet.
"Oh yeah" answered Mattie, "why?"
"I just wondered since you don't want to go see them right now" said Harriet, "and I can promise you Mac will be a lot more revealing during the delivery than she is right now in the tub!"
"I'll be fine with that" said Mattie, "I'm just not too comfortable visiting them while they're in the tub together and working through the pain and all. I dunno, seems kinda stupid, but that's the way it is."
"It's not stupid" said Harriet. "They won't mind if you just wait here with me. Do you wanna go grab a Coke or anything?"
"Nah, I'm good for now" said Mattie. "Has Harm eaten anything yet?"
"Now that you mention it" said Harriet, "no."
"I'll see if I can convince him to go grab a snack after they get back down here" said Mattie. "I know Mac can't eat, but he need to keep his strength up, you know?"
"Oh yes, I know" said Harriet. "We'll see if he can be persuaded to take a short break. He's been right by her side since they got her this afternoon."
"No surprise there" said Mattie.
"None at all" agreed Harriet. "I wonder how things are going down there…?"
A/N: I know, everyone wants to KILL me right about now for stopping where I did! Sorry!Events this special cannot be rushed, though, so we've all got to be patient! We're in the home stretch, folks, that baby is on the way:) Oh yeah, as far as any medical stuff that I might not have gotten exactly right, please forgive me. Unfortunately I have loads of experience with the issues in the first few chapters of the story, but none whatsoever of any of this, so I'm just going by what I know others have gone through. :(