I do not own Bates Motel.
But, in some ways, I do own a Dylan. And I love him so much.
Yeah, Whatever
Hello, Katie
Emma's impromptu nap lasted fifteen minutes.
"Hey."
Dylan surged with relief.
"Hey."
Emma's expression was clear. And sheepish.
"Did I run Dad off?"
Dylan grinned.
"A little. But I think he'll be back soon."
He rubbed her hand gently.
"Are you okay? Are you hurting?"
Emma shook her head.
"No. I'm numb. It's so weird. Everything got really heavy and thick and then I just . . ."
She blushed.
"I can't believe I said that stuff in front of him."
Dylan grinned bigger.
"Yeah, it was pretty awesome."
Emma giggled.
The door opened then.
"Hey, Dad."
Will Decody smiled mildly.
"Hey, baby girl."
Emma blushed.
"Sorry I embarrassed you earlier."
Will Decody waved a dismissive hand.
"Say no more about it. And I mean that. I'm actually in the process of trying to forget all about it if you don't mind."
His tone was light and easy, also completely unBates-like.
God, I love being part of this family.
The doctor entered then, followed closely by a nurse.
"Feeling better, Emma?"
Emma nodded.
"Epidurals are wonderful. Well, not getting them but . . ."
The image of all those needles rose up in Dylan's mind and-
Ugh-
-he reflexively grimaced, squeezing Emma's hand.
She glanced at him and he managed a sick smile.
Will excused himself from the room then and after a brief exam from which Dylan averted his eyes . . .
I can't watch that again.
. . . the doctor straightened.
"Okay, you are now fully effaced and dilated. Are you ready to see your baby?"
Emma lit up.
"Yes!"
The doctor smiled.
"Good. We're taking extra precautions to guard against infection so we'll need to get your husband scrubbed in and dressed out. After that, we'll start you pushing. Okay, Emma?"
Dylan rubbed her hand as she nodded nervously and the doctor continued.
"It shouldn't take too long and we'll be monitoring you and the baby closely the entire time. If something happens, we'll be ready for an emergency c-section if we have to."
Emergency. Oh god.
"As soon as the baby is born, we'll need to start you immediately on a magnesium drip again to bring down your blood pressure. It should normalise within twenty four hours and the preeclampsia will be gone."
Okay, only twenty four more hours, okay.
"Do you have any questions right now?"
Emma looked at Dylan then at the doctor and shook her head.
"I don't think so."
The doctor nodded a final time.
"Okay, let's get started. Dad, if you'll go with the nurse, they'll fix you up."
It took a full five seconds for Dylan to realize the doctor was talking to him.
"Oh. Okay. Sorry."
Dylan kissed her head again.
And went with the nurse to get ready for his baby.
Will patting Dylan solemnly on the shoulder as he passed him in the hall.
"I'll be in the waiting room, Dylan. You both'll do just fine. Tell my daughter and my granddaughter I love them."
Dylan thought he nodded.
"Okay. I will."
It had all gone according to plan.
"And she's out! A beautiful baby girl!"
Emma covered in a sheen of sweat, had slumped back against Dylan, all energy evaporated in a single . . .
"How're those lungs holding up?"
"Better than my vagina right now, oh god-"
. . . explosion of relieved breath.
Thanks to the speedy induction drugs, she had only had to push for thirty minutes.
Never making a sound . . .
Wow, good drugs-
. . . until a moment before the baby had entered . . .
". . . mmmmmmm . . ."
. . . the world and a strange mewling sound had escaped her slender throat.
Frightening Dylan-
". . . it's okay, Em, it's okay, you got this, you got this, Em, I love you, you got this . . ."
But now it was over . . .
"Emma, they need to check the baby, you just rest okay, we need to take care of you here . . ."
. . . and Dylan had numbly cut the cord . . .
Sure it's okay?
. . . and the nurse's had whisked the baby away . . .
Hey, give her back, we just got her-
. . . to check and record her stats.
That baby, that beautiful baby-
"Dylan, Dylan, something's wrong, listen, Dylan-"
. . . that baby who was not breathing right.
That nurses were still working on.
That they were not bringing over.
"Emma," the doctor directed firmly. "We're going to take good care of the baby, its okay. Now you need to be still so we can take care of you. We need to guard against infection here and bring down your blood pressure. Please let us take care of you. Nurse, we need her mag drip stat-"
Emma, who had been struggling in Dylan's arms to rise, slumped back again.
Face drawn thin and clenched.
"Dylan, Katie, get Katie-"
And suddenly a nurse was right there with the baby.
"Momma, I need to borrow Dad now. I need him to help me with the baby, okay?"
Emma drew a stricken breath.
And released her deathgrip on Dylan.
Dylan who panicked-
"Emma-"
"Dad, I need you to help me with your daughter, okay? Come with me. Please."
Emma's eyes were scared and big in her pale face as she looked at Dylan.
But her voice, trembling and rough with emotion, was determined all the same.
"Take care of Katie for me."
And the nurse pulled him away.
"The baby's not breathing well enough on her own. Her O2 levels are a little low. Not severely but not high enough to be stable. I can take her to the NICU and put her on oxygen if I have to but I want to try something else first."
They were in an adjacent room, dim and quiet and unoccupied.
Dylan stared down at the small bundle in the woman's green scrub arms.
"What do I do?"
"Take off your shirt. Sit down in this chair and get comfortable."
Without hesitation, Dylan shrugged off his protective scrubs.
His brown shirt.
His undershirt.
And sat.
Cold.
"This is called kangaroo care."
The nurse unwrapped the bundle and lay the naked newborn on her father's smooth chest.
Covered both father and daughter with a warm blanket.
Dylan cradled the child.
"What do I do?" he asked again.
The nurse laid a hand on the covered child.
"Relax. Hold her. Talk to her. Breathe normally so she can feel it. I'll be back in a few minutes to check her O2 levels."
Dylan nodded.
"Is my wife okay?"
The woman smiled gently.
"She's in good hands. I'll give you an update when I come back."
Dylan tore his gaze away from his daughter long enough to look up.
"Okay, thank you."
And then the nurse left.
And Dylan Brian Massett finally met his daughter.
Hello, Katie.
She was beautiful.
Perfect.
And beautiful.
Dark, slightly, damp blond hair.
Little round face.
Swollen tiny eyes, owlish expression.
Sweet little pug nose.
Bow lips.
Little balled-up fists under her chin.
She didn't look sick.
She didn't look underoxygenated.
She just looked little.
Little and beautiful and wrinkly and . . .
"Hey, Katie."
. . . perfect.
"I'm your daddy."
And Dylan Massett was in love.
"I'm gonna take care of you."
Fearfully.
"You're going to be okay."
Wonderfully.
"You're strong."
Completely.
"And your mom is strong."
In love.
"And you're going to be okay."
His voice was husky with the tears trickling down his face freely now.
His tears of joy. Of gratitude. Of fear.
Of love.
He held her close, tucked almost up to his chin.
So he could whisper to her, quiet and calm and soothing.
So she could hear him.
Feel him.
And know how loved and safe and wanted she was.
"I love you, Katie. We love you. Everything's going to be okay."
He talked and held and rocked and cooed for what felt like forever.
The babe was still and warm and soft in his arms.
They rocked in a twilight haze, Dylan Massett enveloping his daughter with all the warmth and love and strength all he could.
As much as he could.
For as along as she needed.
"We love you, Katie. We love you."
Until the nurse came back.
"Okay, Emma is resting comfortably. They've got her cleaned up and she's hooked up to a magnesium sulfate drip to help bring down her blood pressure. She's fine."
Dylan nodded, face still grim.
"Let's see how the little one is, okay?"
Dylan reluctantly let his baby daughter go, instantly missing the warmth of her tiny body.
"Okay," the nurse said after a minute. "Oxygen saturation levels are improving. Good job, Dad."
And she passed the baby back.
"Let's give her ten more minutes to make sure she's fully stabilized. I'll tell Mom."
Dylan clung to his daughter.
"Emma's father is in the waiting room-"
The nurse smiled.
"Yes. You've drawn quite a crowd."
Dylan stared at her blankly.
"What?"
The woman chuckled.
"There's about ten people in the waiting room with him. You've got a big family."
Family?
"We don't have any family but us."
Kindness emanated from the medical attendant.
"Family are people who care about you and take care of you. Not just blood."
And then she left Dylan again.
With his wonder.
And his daughter.
Yay, Katie!
Hope you enjoyed reading!