If It Doesn't Work...

Trish woke up a few hours later and saw only Hunter. "John?" She asked quietly.

"Locked in the bathroom. Didn't want to see you unconscious." Hunter hung his head. "You're marrying that wimp."

"Not a wimp." Trish whispered. "What did they say?"

"You're on meds, strong ones to stop the contractions. But it wasn't working earlier. It's working better now. But take it easy kid."

"I will. Get John, tell him I'm awake."

"No. We need to talk. About your options."

"What are they?"

"Well, you're on pain pills so you can't feel the contractions, but they're registrering. We have to change meds."

"So change them."

"You're so young Trish." He stroked her cheek.

"What's wrong Hunter?"

"Well, it's the side effects that bother me." Hunter wiped away the tears that were streaming down his cheeks.

"What is going on?"

"It's a lose lose situation."

"Why?"

"Well, if you take the pill you could die. And if you don't the baby could."

"Give me the pill."

"I can't do that until you think a little."

"Why not Hunter?"

"Because I can't lose you."

"I can't lose the baby."

"You and John could try this time. I can't kill you. And by letting you take the pill that's what I'm doing."

"Gimme the damned god forsaken pill you fathead!" She yelled.

"No think Trish the baby has better chances of living then you do, and less people to leave behind."

"Then you want me to think let me think with John." Hunter went to the bathroom and picked the lock, only to find he picked the wrong lock and walked in on some fat dude taking a dump. So he went next door and picked that lock.

"Go see your fiancee."

"I can't. It hurts me to see her."

"Do it, she wants to kill herself to save a bastard baby, talk to her."

"Don't talk about that child that way."

"Then stop me." John stood up and got in Hunter's face, Hunter grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him to Trish's room. He threw him in there and shut the door leaning against it so he couldn't get out.

"John, the news is bad. I have two options, both of them resulting in a possible death, one for me and one for the baby. I can't choose. I would rather die and let the baby have a good life."

"It won't be able to, it will be an orphan. So, take the other option."

"Give birth to a 2 month premature baby?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Yeah, that's what it takes."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I'll take the chance." She sighed. "With the baby." John smiled because he would still have Trish but then teared up at the thought of losing the baby. They both cried for a few minutes and then called in the doctor. She was taken to the delivery room and gave birth to a 6lb 2oz baby girl Samantha.

But the problems weren't over yet.

"John's back in the bathroom, how are you?"

"I'm," Trish sighed and yawned. "Better."

"You want me to get John?"

"No let him stay there until something new happens. I don't want him to get upset." Trish looked up at Hunter from her wheelchair. "You can sit on the other side of her. She'd like that." Hunter sat down on the other side of Samantha.

"She's tiny."

"She's a baby."

"She's so pale. I don't think she's supposed to look that."

"She's not Hunter. She's young, and little and she may not ever be normal." Trish looked away and started to cry again. "She can't breathe on her own. Those machines do it for her. She won't eat on her own they have to tube feed her. I can't watch it. It's worse than any horror movie I've ever seen."

"So don't watch her."

"I'm not leaving until she gets better."

"Then I'll stay. Dave's out there waiting for you. He wants to see the baby."

"So call him in." Hunter stood up and got Dave.

"Hey sweetie."

"Sit, talk. I have forever and a day in here."

"Shh, she'll be be fine." Dave sat where Hunter had been sitting and tapped on the incubators glass. "What did you name her?"

"Samantha. She just looks like a Samantha." Dave reached his hand in the hole at the side.

"She's just too little. How is she?"

"I don't know. It doesn't look like she's doing too good."

"No it doesn't. But according to Hunter she looks better than she did at birth."

"Oh, definetley. A lot better."

"Let's go get some coffee. You need some, and it's not allowed in here is it?"

"No, it's not. Let's go." They went to get coffee thinking that at least things would be the same for a little while but when they got back Hunter had great news.

"Trish, the baby."

"Oh god, what's wrong?"

"Nothing it's good. She was breathing on her own." Hunter smiled and pulled Trish into a hug. Dave grinned and pulled her away from Hunter.

"I love you guys." She whispered through joyous tears.

"Trish, I need to talk to you over there." The doctor said as he walked out of the nursery.

"I already heard doctor."

"No there's more, you have a decision to make and it will be rough." Trish walked silently over to the corner with the doctor.

"There was good news though, what's going on?"

"Well because she's breathing on her own, but barely you should know, she can feel, which means she is probably in pain. So we need to kow if you want to pull the plug and let her live without it, and see if she can live without it, or leave her on and stop her breathing for awhile, stunt her lungs growth so she'll need her machine and she won't feel pain."

"What happens if we leave her on the machine?"

"She could become dependent and always need it."

"I need to talk to John." She whispered and walked away. "Hunter, get John out of the fucking bathroom so we can talk."

"Trish, I know what's going on."

"Dave how could you know what's going on."

"Umm, my twins? Kenneth was born 19 minutes after Keith oxygen deprived? You remember."

"I know, I'm sorry. I mean, well, Samantha is so fragile looking. I'm worried, either thing we do we could lose her whole being. The way she'll do thing when she grows up, how she acts."

"Do what you think is best. But, understand you want her to live life to the fullest while she can."

"So pull the plug?"

"No, that is up to you. Not even up to you and John, just you. You're her mom." Trish hugged Dave and he kissed her head. "But talk to John, we can be of some help. Men I mean. We do know some things."

"Like what?"

"Like how to hold you while you think. So get him. Give him a chance." Dave pulled away from the hug as John came down the hallway followed closely by Hunter.

"Hey honey." John said and kissed her cheek. "What's wrong?"

"The baby, she's breathing."

"That's great! So can I see her?"

"It's not great, that means she can feel things. We don't want that. But if we stop that, she could be dependent and breathe on her own. But if we don't stop it she might not live."

"You're very open and subtle. You just tell me like it is Trish, and I can't do that. I beat around the bush I don't say anything the way I want it to be said. I love you for that."

"John just help me."

"I don't know Trishy, maybe we should pull it. Let her decide."

"I don't know John."

"We aren't any help. Let her decide."

"O.K, we'll pull it."

"That's go tell the doctor."

"John, will you held her while she decides?"

"Why?"

"Because you haven't held her yet. And I tried but I cried to hard and Hunter took her away."

"I guess. I mean I don't know if I can either."

"Try."

"Come on."

"John."

"Yeah?"

"Come here." He leaned into her and she put her arms around him. "I love you."

"Shh. I love you too." They walked in to the nursery where the doctor was leaning over Samantha. "We've decided."

"Good, good."

"To pull it. Let her decide whether or not she wants to live." Trish leaned into John's chest and he held her close. "John's gonna hold her. I can't do it."

"That's fine. Let me get her." The doctor called in for another doctor to assist him and left Trish and John waiting.

"Are you sure I can do this hon?"

"I'm sure I can't and you have to be strong for your wife."

"Alright, this is Dr. Mattews, he will be assisting me in caring for Samantha. So whenever you're ready we'd like to get started."

"Yessir." He undid some wire's and handed Sammy over to John.

"Now hold her to you real tight so she can hear your heartbeat, she'll like that." John did that and started to tear. "Just hold her."