Two days past the due date
Maria was unable to get comfortable in her chair. Every few minutes she felt the need to move around. She stood up and took a walk around the office before getting back into her chair but was up again less than a minute later. Danny watched his wife and wished he could help but the looks she was giving him told him to wait until she asked for him to do something. By her dates, Maria was two days past her due date. They had seen her doctor last night and were told that she would probably not deliver for at least a few days.
"Danny, I don't know what to do. I'm so uncomfortable, sitting in my chair hurts, walking around isn't bad but I can't do that all day. Got any suggestions?"
"I know what might help you relax but we can't do it here. Let me see if Gee will give us the rest of the day. Be right back." Maria continued to pace back and forth. Just as Danny came back with the news that they could leave his wife was standing still looking at the mess on the floor. Tears were running down her cheeks. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Danny asked as he walked over to her. He looked down and saw the large puddle on the floor. "Oh, oh, oh my, looks like our kid finally wants to meet us. Let me call your doctor." He took his cell phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial. "This is the husband of Maria Baez Reagan. I think her water just broke." He listened for his instructions. "Okay, no problem, we'll be right there. I'm a cop so I can use lights and sirens. Thanks, see you there." He hung up the phone and yelled to his boss. Mike came out and saw everyone staring at his top detectives. "Gee, get us an RMP, we need to get to St. Vincent's now. Her water broke; there's a bit of a mess over here…"
Gee yelled for an officer and helped Danny gather up their things and get into a patrol car. Danny sat in the back with his wife and the car took off. Mike went back inside, found the custodian and told him of the mess that needed to be cleaned up. Then he called the commissioner. Frank called for his detail and requested a car for Henry as well as a car for Carmen and Ana and then notified Jamie and Erin. While enroute, he called Sean and Jack with the update.
The RMP made record time to the hospital and brought the car to a halt at the entrance to the ER. Someone was waiting with a wheelchair and brought them directly to the Delivery Suite. The staff helped her change into a more suitable hospital gown and determined that she was ready to deliver. The staff took their assigned places ready to bring this new life into the world. Danny stood by ready to coach her with her breathing.
"Ah, Danny," said one of the nurses, "I think you're about to see your child. We're well past the point of no return. Just hold her hand and encourage her to push when doc gives the word." To Maria, it seemed like an eternity of pushing but in actuality it was less than five minutes before Mary Elizabeth Baez-Reagan came screaming into the world. She continued to scream after being placed on her mother's abdomen and was totally incensed when someone insisted on rubbing her all over. All the voices in the room overwhelmed her and she tried to drown them out. Finally, a blanket was wrapped around her and she was handed to her father. She seemed to remember the voice but didn't care for his face and she screwed up her face and screamed as loud as she could. Then, she was given to someone else but this voice she remembered and the screaming stopped. It was the voice she heard every day, either talking to her very softly or to someone else in the room who made the voice she knew talk really loud. Then, a stranger came over and took her away from the voice and she started crying again.
"Okay, Mary Elizabeth weighs in at seven pounds, six ounces, and she's twenty inches tall. Her APGAR scores are nine and ten. Now, little one, this won't hurt, we're just going to take your foot prints…" and the baby started up again. Then, some medication was given and that really hurt! And then drops were put in her eyes. She had enough trouble seeing, why couldn't they leave her alone and let her go back to the voice she knew? Screaming didn't seem to get her what she wanted so she tried something else. She urinated on the body closest to her but it was the voice she knew with the face she didn't like. Now, she wished they would put her back where she had been in the nice warm, dark wet place.
"Maria, she is so beautiful. I think she has your eyes and my nose," said Danny. The nurse finished her tasks and handed the infant to her father. Maria reached out for her child and tried to see if she would nurse. Now this could be really good, decided the baby and she settled down. The noise was still overwhelming to her and she began to fall asleep.
The doctor finished up her tasks with her patient and looked down to see mother and baby bonding. Dad stood by looking so proud even though he really hadn't done much. "Maria, everything looks great. Do you remember when you started getting uncomfortable?" asked the doctor.
"Probably about an hour or so after we got to work. It didn't really hurt but the chair was uncomfortable. Guess I was in labor then?"
"Most likely. You seemed to handle it very well. Now, if you have pain we do have several things you can have if you need them but with Dad here, I think you'll be fine. If she has stopped nursing and you can remove your nipple from her mouth easily, you might want to hold her more upright and pat her back to remove any air she might have swallowed." Maria did as she had been asked and was rewarded with a loud belch. "We'll be moving you to your room shortly. I understand the waiting room is full of people who want to meet the newest Reagan. Dad, why don't you come with me and you can tell them all the important facts." Danny kissed his wife and daughter and followed the doc out of the room down the hall and through another set of doors. He walked into the room filled with family and friends.
"Folks, the newest member of our family arrived about thirty minutes ago and has the loudest scream I've ever heard. When the baby is hungry, no one will be sleeping." He pulled out his phone and showed them the pictures he had taken. "This is Mary Elizabeth Baez-Reagan, born at 1242. She weighed in at seven pounds, six ounces and is twenty inches tall. Maria will be moved to her room shortly and you can see the baby in the nursery for now."
Everyone oh'd and ah'd at the pictures and waited to see the baby in person. She had fallen asleep allowing her mother to also take a nap. The family visited briefly and then left the new parents to enjoy the time with their daughter. Danny never left their room. Eddie had gone to the house on Staten Island and found Maria's hospital bag that had been packed for weeks. She also picked up some clothes for Danny and brought everything to the hospital. Mother and baby were doing well. Maria was able to produce enough milk for the baby and had even begun to pump some extra so Danny could also feed his child. The jaundice frequently seen in newborns was treated in their room by placing the baby near the window and exposing her skin to the sunlight. Within twenty four hours, the color was gone. The pediatrician, Doctor Bordiuk visited daily and was impressed.
The following months flew by. Maria was home for twelve weeks after the birth and then returned to work. Danny then took twelve weeks of parental leave and enjoyed spending time with his daughter. They spent just about every moment of every day together. They did the grocery shopping, household chores like laundry and vacuuming, they even took a few trips to see mom at work. This benefit hadn't been available when his sons were born and he realized that he missed out on so much with the boys. Danny talked constantly to the baby and was thrilled when she started to babble back to him. They would hold long conversations and she never told him something he didn't want to hear.
As the time for Danny to return to work approached Maria had asked her mother to be the caregiver for their child. Danny found a driver to pick Carmen up each morning and after dinner, they would take her home. Carmen loved caring for her grandchild and continued speaking Spanish and English to develop her bilingual speech. Maria had been speaking to the baby in both languages before they were discharged from the hospital. Both Danny and Maria agreed that they had never been so happy. They worked hard but still found time to be with each other and their precious baby girl.
Family dinner had also changed. Just as Nicky had moved out of the area so had both Sean and Jack. They both found careers in service. Sean was on track to become a social worker. He had hopes of working with disadvantaged boys and showing them a better way to live. Jack had been recruited by a company in Vermont and would be managing Clinical Research projects. Jack Boyle had returned full time to the table. They were looking for a suitable home in case their daughter returned to the area and in hopes of grandchildren. Mary Elizabeth (or Emmie as she was called) sat between her parents. She was old enough to start tasting table food and enjoyed it.
