Note: I'm not at all a doctor so I'm not 100 sure that the information here's correct. I just needed Maureen to have the baby early and didn't know what causes it or anything. Hope you guys like this! It's almost done, so let's have some reviews!
They took Maureen back right away. Roger stayed as long as they'd allow. He tried to talk her through the contractions. The nurse hooked up an IV to stop them, but it wasn't working. They ran tests Roger hadn't heard of before. The doctor came in, eyes dancing over test results, after an hour.
"All right, Ms. Johnson. We have some test results in."
"What is it? What's going on?" Roger asked.
"Well, the medication we've given hasn't stopped the contractions."
"So I noticed," Maureen said, wincing as another gripped her.
"Why isn't the medication working?"
"We're not entirely sure. Nearly half of all premature births are for no apparent reason."
"But the baby's not born yet."
"Mr. Davis, we've given Ms. Johnson the highest level of medication that we can without endangering both her and the baby."
"What are you saying?"
"The contractions are regular and she's dilated to a six. The baby will be born tonight."
"But I'm only at 30 weeks!"
"It's not unheard of for babies born at thirty weeks to be perfectly healthy."
"But it's not common," Roger said.
"No, no it's not. The sooner we do this, the better chance the baby will have."
"Is the baby okay?" Maureen asked.
"For the moment."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means that the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. It's a fairly common occurrence and usually straightens itself out. In this case though, it's endangering the baby because of the compounded stress of contractions."
"So what are you going to do?" Maureen asked, clutching Roger's hand.
"We need to perform an emergency Caesarian section."
She nodded. "Can, um, can Roger come with me?"
The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I'll give you a moment alone while I get the papers for you to sign."
The doctor left and Maureen's tears returned. "Roger, it's too soon. It's too soon."
"It's okay, Mo. The baby will be fine. You'll be fine. We'll just have him here sooner than we thought. It'll be fine."
Maureen brushed away some tears. "I want you to promise me something."
"Maureen…"
"You're the one who always says I'm a drama queen, now let me have my moment."
Roger managed a little smile. "Okay."
"If anything happens to me…okay, I know nothing's going to happen but I feel better if I say this, so just shush…if anything happens to me, you have to promise me that you'll take care of the baby. Okay?"
"I promise. But like you said, nothing's going to happen."
"Roger?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Roger leaned down and kissed her. "You're welcome. I'll be right there in the waiting room, okay? I won't go anywhere."
She nodded, wiping a tear. "Guess this is the first sign."
"Of what?"
"That he doesn't take after either of us," Maureen said, giggling.
Roger frowned. "What? How do you figure?"
"When was the last time either of us was early for anything?"
Roger had to laugh. "Guess you're right."
The doctor returned with papers for her to sign. Medical releases and papers allowing Roger to make any necessary medical decisions on behalf of her and the baby.
"Okay, we'll need to get going then," the doctor said, tucking the papers into her file.
Roger bent down and kissed Maureen again, first on the lips and then the forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too," she whispered.
Roger leaned down to her stomach and kissed it. "I'll see you soon, buddy."
He left as the nurses came to wheel her to the operating room.
