So…sorry I wrote a chapter as intense as the last one and then disappeared, but I've spent the last two weeks going nonstop in the horse racing industry, and since the Kentucky Derby was yesterday and I slept 15 hours today, I finally have the time and energy to update.
"Someone get towels," Paige said, realizing that if she didn't snap to, no one was going to – and by no one, she meant her husband, as Toby was busy with the newest addition to what was left of Air Scorpion. "Don't make her lay in all this mess."
"Where are we going to get towels?" Walter asked. "We're in the middle of the woods."
"Last time I checked, we had towels in our luggage. They don't need to be clean to mop up amniotic fluid and vomit."
"Ugh," Florence moaned, shifting in Paige's arms.
"It's okay," Paige said, brushing her hair back over her forehead. "How do you feel?"
"Weak," Florence said. "Things still kinda hurt. Toby, what's going on with my baby?"
"I've got Baby hooked up to the ventilator," Toby said. "And I've got it all toasty warm in there. We're as stable as we can be in these conditions. Birth weight seems to be slightly over one pound, which is a good sign, considering." He reached over and rubbed Florence's leg, which was still trembling. "I know you know there's a long road ahead and we have to get out of here and back to a hospital," he said, "but at least from first impressions, it seems she has everything going for her."
Walter returned with the towels, dropping to his knees. "Toby," he said moments later, "she's still bleeding, it appears." He gave a worried glance at Paige and Florence. "I wasn't, like, looking…"
"Walter, no one cares," Florence grumbled irritably.
"Yeah," Toby said in a voice that was low but betrayed his concern. "Yeah…"
"Toby?" Paige asked.
"Florence," Toby said, his voice back to the cool, professional tone, "early deliveries can increase potential complications for the mother as well as the baby. There are also certain things that are more likely if the mother is over thirty. One of the situations that is more likely in both those scenarios is the retention of the placenta."
Paige glanced at Walter at the same time he glanced at her.
Toby continued. "It is possible that you still might pass it naturally, but your baby is almost twenty minutes old now and concern begins after a half an hour. You haven't had any more contractions?"
Florence shook her head. "No. I hurt but…but not like that."
"How do…we fix it?" Walter asked.
"Treatment for a retained placenta is, simply, to get the placenta out. Sometimes, you can do it…manually, but given that we aren't in a sanitary environment, I don't feel comfortable attempting that."
"Can't you just pull on the cord?"
"In some cases, yes, gently, but the cord is very thin," Toby said. "If I tried, it would likely break, and if it broke too far inside her, we would then have nothing. The problem is I don't have any of the hormones that we would inject to stimulate the process, either. Florence, you don't have to pee by any chance?"
"No," she said. "I used the bathroom before we went out to get sticks."
Toby bit his lip. "Baby is too small to breastfeed, and your milk probably won't come in for days, anyway."
"So what do we do?" Paige asked, her voice shriller than she'd expected.
"We hope it comes out on its own, and we hope that we're found fast."
Toby didn't say or we'll lose them both, but he didn't need to for Paige to know that was how his sentence ended.
There was a sound from outside. All four adult sets of eyes moved in the same direction.
Walter got to his feet. "I'll tell them."
By the time Sylvester got into the plane, it was obvious Paige and Toby had made some effort to prepare him. Florence was propped up against one of the seats, a blanket covering her from the waist down. Paige was kneeling next to her, but once she saw Sylvester, she got to her feet, putting a hand on his arm briefly before joining Walter outside.
"I'll leave you two alone," Toby said, "but I'll be up in the cockpit if you have any questions."
"Lori," Sylvester said, his voice sounding airy. He dropped down next to her. "Oh, sweetheart."
His hand found hers, and their fingers linked together as Sylvester pressed his lips to her forehead. "Walter didn't tell me much," he said. "Just…just what happened."
"It's a girl," she said quietly. "I haven't seen her. We had to put her right in the womb."
Sylvester drew in a deep breath through his nose. He wanted to cry, to apologize for not being there with her, to be angry at himself that he wasn't. Only one of those things wouldn't be harmful to the woman he loved who had already been through so much. "I'm sorry I left you alone."
She gave him a small smile. "I wasn't alone."
"They were all with you?"
"Toby delivered the baby. Paige held me, and Walter had my hand. I wasn't alone, I promise."
Sylvester lifted their hands and kissed hers. "I'm still sorry."
"I know. It's not your fault." Florence bit her lip. "Sylvester, if we don't get out of here…"
"Happy and Walter have gone for the clearing. They said they'll get help if…if it's the last thing they do."
"I said…" Florence took in a few breaths. "I said I was scared. When it was all happening." She shook her head, tears springing back to her eyes. "Well, it's still happening and I'm still scared."
Sylvester settled in next to her. "So am I."
"It's you. That's nothing new." She gave him a light jab with her elbow.
"Hush." He smiled.
Florence leaned her head against his shoulder. "Sly, did Walter tell you the placenta hasn't come?"
"He did."
"If it doesn't, I could keep bleeding. Get an infection. And if we aren't rescued, I could die."
"Floren – "
"Don't tell me not to talk like that. It's facts." She squeezed his hand again. "And so I don't want you to interrupt me with 'you can tell me later,' or 'don't do this' or any of that bullshit. Because all I'm going to say is I love you, and I love our baby, and that's something I would say anyway. Okay?"
"Okay." Sylvester was quiet for a long moment. "I love you, too. And I love our baby, too."
"Good." She kissed his shoulder, and then put her head back against it.
"How do you feel?" He asked. "I mean like, despite the whole…"
"Like crap."
"Oh, okay."
She gave a little laugh. "You know I'm a very candid, oh ow." She tensed up, placing a hand on her side.
"Contraction? Placenta? Florence?" Sylvester's heart began racing all over again.
She relaxed back against him. "I don't know what that was, but it didn't do anything." She looked at him. "You probably want to go in the cockpit with Toby and see her."
"I'm not leaving your side, Lori."
"I want you to go into the cockpit and see her."
"I shouldn't see her before you."
"Why does that matter?"
"Bec…no, you're right. But you're sure?"
She nodded. "I need to talk to Paige about something anyway."
"Okay." Sylvester got to his feet. "I love you. And I'm just saying that because I'd say it anyway."
She smiled again. "Right back at you."
