Chapter 5
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own ER. The song "Blackbird" is by the Beatles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Married Life
Mark Greene put the finishing touches on the nursery that his soon-to-be newborn son would occupy when his wife, Susan Lewis-Greene, appeared in the doorway.
"Wow, this looks fantastic," she said, her hand on her belly. The nursery walls were painted a creamy off-white color, and Mark had hung a border of teddy bears across the middle of the wall. A crib, dresser, changing table, and rocking chair completed the room.
"Thanks," Mark replied. He stepped off the small ladder he'd been standing on and kissed Susan. "Now, where do you want the crib? In here or in our room?"
"Our room," Susan answered. "I'd just feel better if we were closer to the baby."
"Done," Mark said. Susan stepped back and Mark pushed the crib into their room. Susan followed and sat on the bed.
"You know," she said. "I'm due soon and we still haven't decided on a name."
"Maybe we should wait until he's here," Mark suggested. "The name we choose might not fit the baby."
"You're right," Susan said. "At least we agree on our favorite names."
Mark turned to his wife. "And now," he began, "is time for you to rest."
Susan frowned. "Mark, all I've done is rest for the past two weeks. I'm bored. I want to go out and do something."
"We can take a walk," Mark offered.
"We've done that," Susan sighed. Mark sat next to her and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, I'm just so ready for the baby to come. I want to hold him, kiss him…and my back really hurts." Mark leaned over and kissed Susan's head.
"Want to take a nap together?" he said softly.
"Yeah," she replied, sounding a bit tired. The couple reclined back onto their bed, Mark's arms around Susan. He covered her with a light blanket and caressed her head until she fell asleep.
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A few days later, on a warm September night, Susan walked around her bedroom, rubbing her back. She was growing uncomfortable by the minute. Susan decided to rest on her bed and stretched out with plenty of pillows behind her for support.
Mark walked into the room and instantly felt sorry for his wife. He knew that as much as she loved being pregnant, the past few weeks hadn't been easy. Susan had also been having some contractions during the day, but they were too far apart to go to the hospital.
"Hey," Mark said as he sat on the bed by Susan. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore," Susan answered. She grimaced in pain and clutched the pillow near her. "Ooh, that was a strong one."
"How many minutes apart were the last contractions?" Mark asked.
"About ten," Susan said. "Mark, I really want to go to the hospital now. I'm ready."
"Okay, we'll go," Mark replied, and gently helped Susan up from the bed and into the car.
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Two hours later, Susan and Mark were in the delivery room. Susan's water had broken about an hour earlier and her contractions had increased. They were now coming every five minutes, and after an Epidural, Susan felt much better.
"I love whoever invented the Epidural," she muttered. Mark continued to be a source of constant support for Susan, kissing her head and rubbing her back. Dr. Janet Coburn entered the delivery room then and smiled at the couple. The three doctors were also colleagues at County, and they all knew the ER was filled with excited doctors and nurses waiting to hear news.
"How are you doing, Susan?" Janet asked.
"Not bad. I love the Epidural," Susan replied with a grin.
"And you're fully dilated now," Janet said. "I want you to start pushing now."
"Okay," Susan said tiredly. She sat up and grabbed Mark's hand.
"Good, I'm going to count to ten and you push," Janet instructed. She counted and Susan pushed. "Excellent. Bear down more and push!" Susan did as she was told, and Janet looked up at her. "You're doing a great job, Susan. Just a few more pushes and he's here!"
"I can't believe it!" Mark said in excitement. He kissed Susan's hand.
"Susan, just push a bit more. The head's almost out," Janet said. Susan bore down and pushed, and a few moments later, a baby's cry filled the room. "You did it! Congratulations! It's a boy!"
"Oh my goodness," Susan said as tears filled her eyes.
"Dad, do you want to cut the cord?" Janet asked.
Mark wiped his own eyes and took the scissors. He cut in the spot Janet indicated and watched as the nurses cleaned off his son and weighed him. After he was wrapped in a blanket, the baby was handed to Susan.
"He's perfect," Susan said in awe. She leaned in and kissed her son on the head. "Hi there, little one. I've been waiting for this day to arrive."
"I think he has your eyes," Mark said. "He looks like you," Susan replied softly. She looked up at her husband. "I know you want to hold him."
"More than anything," Mark stated. He sat next to Susan on the bed and she placed the baby in his arms. "Hey little buddy, I'm your daddy." Mark kissed the baby and turned to his wife. "Thank you for making me a daddy again."
"Thank you for making me a mommy," Susan said. She kissed Mark on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he said, and stared at the baby again. "So, we need to think of a name."
"Christopher," Susan declared. "That should be his name."
"Christopher Greene," Mark replied. "I like it. Do we want a middle name?"
"You can choose that," Susan offered. Mark gazed at Christopher and then looked at Susan. "Christopher James Greene. How does that sound?"
"Perfect," Susan answered. Mark handed the baby back to her and wrapped his arms around his wife. They sat and stared in amazement at their son.
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That night, Susan sat in a rocking chair in her room. She held Christopher in her arms and softly sang to him.
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you only were waiting for this moment to arise." Susan gently kissed Christopher and gazed in awe at her son.