Chapter 11
Birth
Emmy's P.O.V
I felt another contraction as Jonathan closed the door behind him. The darn things had been so inconsistent the last two weeks; I had no idea when I'd be going into labor. There was a side of me that really didn't want Jonathan to go just in case. However, I knew medical school was very rigorous and I wanted Jonathan to succeed and excel with his schooling.
Karl knocked on the door about 15 minutes after Jonathan left.
"Hey sis, so you think today is the day?" Karl asked me as I let him into the apartment.
"I have no idea. Jonathan didn't want to leave me home alone, so I called you." I told him.
"Makes sense, is there anything I can do that would be helpful?" he asked me.
"Nope, I think the main thing is just to wait till labor starts or Jonathan gets home."
"Well, that doesn't sound like fun…..how about a game of Checkers?"
"Sure why not." I responded. We spent most of the morning playing Checkers. I could feel the contractions starting to become steady but they still were about 10 minutes apart and the hospital didn't want me to get there until they were about 3 minutes apart so I just ignored the contractions as much as I could.
It was around noon when I sent Karl out to my little balcony garden to get some green peppers when I felt a pretty strong contraction. I leaned against the kitchen counter trying to steady myself. It lasted about a minute but it didn't matter unless the next one was only a few minutes away and the one after that and the one after that.
Karl brought in some green peppers and started to make some fajitas when I felt another contraction. I tried my best hide it, not wanting to get him worked up over nothing. Five more minutes and I felt another contraction. Then three minutes passed and another contraction hit, then another and another.
An hour passed with the contractions being very consistent. I looked up at the clock and realized Jonathan would be getting out of class in about 15 minutes.
"I'm going to quickly get some last minute things packed for the hospital." I informed my brother before I walked over to mine and Jonathan's bedroom.
"You think it's time?" Karl questioned as he followed me into the bedroom.
"The contractions have been coming…."I paused as I felt another contraction hit.
"They've been coming every three minutes for the past hour, I think once Jonathan come home it'll be time to head." I told my brother after the contraction was finished. I picked up my mostly packed suitcase and put it on the bed when I felt gush of fluid splashed between my legs.
"What was that?" my brother questioned. He gave me a questioned look, unsure of what he should do.
"My water just broke." I smiled, glad labor really had started.
"What do you want me to do?" Karl asked. I handed him my cell phone.
"Call Jonathan. We…." I started but was stopped by another contraction.
"Hey Jonathan…Its Karl…I think Emmy's in labor." I heard my brother say into the phone.
"Her water broke and I have no idea what to do. Should I just pack her up in the car? She's panicking. She's in a lot of pain….." Karl exaggerated. By that time I was done with the contraction and took the phone away from my brother.
"Hey, it's me. Don't listen to my brother; he's the one panicking not me. I'm fine but I do think we'll need to head to the hospital once you get here. They've been coming every three minutes." I told my husband over the phone.
"I'll be there shortly. Have everything packed and ready to go." Jonathan instructed.
"Will do; see you in a few minutes." I told him. After saying "bye" I hung up the phone and went back to getting last minute things packed up. I felt another really intense wave hit with some added pressure. I realized labor had progressed faster than I thought it would.
"Karl, will you move the suitcase?" I asked my brother as another contraction hit. Now they were only a minute or two apart.
"What are you talking about? We need to finish getting things ready so we can leave for the hospital?" Karl said closing and lifting the suit case off of the bed as I quickly got on the bed right before another contraction hit. The contractions were only a minute apart and lasting about a minute and half.
"I don't think he's going to wait until we get to the hospital…. I feel it." I said looking up at my brother after another contraction finished.
"Damn, what should I do? I can boil water. I can get towels. What do you need? Please don't make me catch the baby. Seeing my sister give birth really isn't on my bucket list." Karl continued to panic.
"Karl calm down. Just bring in a bowl of warm water, there are some clean towels in the bathroom, bring a couple of those. There are some blankets in the nursery bring a couple of those in." I instructed. I grabbed the sheets under me digging my nail into them as hard as I could and held in a scream. Karl quickly left the room and gathered all the items I had asked him to get.
I heard the front door open and close; I heard my brother and my husband talking for a moment before Jonathan came into the bedroom to see me lying on our bed.
"Are you sure you can't make it to the hospital?" Jonathan asked quickly walking over to me.
"There's no way, he's coming soon. I can feel it." I told Jonathan as I felt another wave hit me. I made a muffled high pitch sound as I dug my nails into the sheets under me again.
"You're in labor, scream if you have to." Jonathan instructed. I shook my head. I didn't need to scream. This was going to be over soon. Once that contraction ended I held Jonathan's hand.
"Please don't leave me." I whispered.
"I'm not." Jonathan responded as our eyes met. We quietly knew that Jonathan was going to have to deliver the baby himself. Jonathan let go of my hand and quickly got things ready, for when the baby did come.
"Karl, call 911. We need the paramedics here." Jonathan calmly told my brother.
"You're not really going to deliver the baby here, are you?" Karl asked Jonathan.
"Do you want to catch it?" Jonathan dared.
"Nu-uh, you're the one that's been to medical school. Not me, man." Karl shook his head.
"Two weeks of medical school doesn't make me certified to deliver babies." Jonathan responded.
"Jonathan." I cried out as I felt another contraction starting. He looked back at me and held my hand as Karl quickly ran out of the room with the cell phone in his hand.
"Just breathe, Emmy. You're doing great." Jonathan softly answered; I nodded doing my best to breathe through the contraction. I leaned my forehead against his hoping to gain some kind of strength for this.
"You're doing great, Emmy." Jonathan repeated and encouraged as the contraction started to die down.
I was so glad he was there. He obviously didn't want to be the one to catch the baby but I was grateful he was willing to do it. He was definitely the most qualified out of anyone there.
"I can do this, I can do this." I repeated several times after the contraction finished.
"I know you can." Jonathan gently kissed my hand.
"I love you." I whispered as I tried to catch my breath. "I love you." My words seem to catch him by surprise. He thought a moment and went to say something but another intense contraction was starting.
"I need to push." I told him. My body was involuntarily started to push.
"Follow your instinct; push when you feel it's right." Jonathan told me getting ready to catch the baby. I nodded and pushed. We did another five pushes like that.
"He's almost here," Jonathan informed me. I gave one final push and our son was born. I watched as Jonathan quickly moved with some of the tools I'm sure he had got from school.
Within a few seconds our son, Alexander, started to cry. After he wrapped the baby in a warm blanket, Jonathan stared at our son for a few moments. He seemed to be in awe of the new little life before him.
"He's beautiful…just like you." Jonathan stated. He looked up from the baby to me. I smiled at him as he moved over to me and gently handed me our son. I looked down at the little bundle in my arms.
Baby Alex was such a handsome little guy. He had Jonathan's beautiful blue eyes and dark brown hair.
"He's perfect! Can you believe we're parents now?" I asked him completely awe-struck at the sweet little boy. Jonathan was now sitting next to me on the bed; his arm was around me as we both were looking down at our son.
"It seems surreal." He said giving me a soft. I smiled at him and gave him a kiss. I couldn't believe we were a real family now.
Jonathan's P.O.V
"Where is she?" I asked Karl as I closed the door behind me.
"She's in the bedroom." Karl replied with some towels in his hands.
"Why is she in there; we need to get going?" I asked. I was hoping to move quickly.
"She's not going to make it to the hospital."
"What do you mean?'
"She thinks she can't make it to the hospital in time to have the baby." Karl answered nodding towards the bedroom. I quickly walked over to where my wife was. If the baby really wasn't going to wait, I needed to act and fast.
"Call 911. Get the paramedics here." I told Karl before I quickly went into my office got out some of the supplies I had bought for school and walked back over to the bedroom.
"Are you sure you can't make it to the hospital?" I asked as I walked into our bedroom.
"There's no way, he's coming soon I can feel it." She answered. I could tell she was having a contraction by the high pitched muffled sound she was trying to keep in.
"You're in labor, scream if you have to." I tried to calmly tell her. She shook her head, I didn't know what she was thinking but after a few more seconds the contraction seemed to be finished.
"Please don't leave me." She whispered as she took my hand.
"I won't." I said as her eyes met mine. I was going to have to deliver my son, myself. Karl came in with some towels, a bowl of warm water, and some blankets. I got things ready to the best of my knowledge. I was only a couple of weeks into my basic obstetric class; I didn't have the experience I needed to do this.
"Karl, call 911, get the paramedics here." I repeated calmly. The last thing I wanted to do was cause Emmy any more stress. Any stress she felt could affect the baby and could cause problems with the birth process.
"You're not really going to deliver the baby here, are you?" Karl whined.
"Do you want to catch him?" I dared him. Damn, Emmy's brother was annoying.
"Nu-uh, you're the one that's been to medical school. Not me, man." Karl shook his head.
"Two week of medical school doesn't certify me to deliver babies." I commented.
"Jonathan." I heard Emmy say. She sounded distressed. I quickly turned back to her as another contraction seemed to be starting. Karl left the room quickly with his cell phone.
"Just breathe, Emmy. You're doing great." I tried to calmly encourage her. She pressed her forehead against mine.
"You're doing great." I repeated. She nodded.
"I can do this…I can do this…"she told herself a few times.
"I know you can." I nodded. A few seconds of silence went by as Emmy tried to catch her breath.
"I love you…I love you." She breathlessly said. I was surprised by her words. Did she mean what she said? Or was she simply in the moment?
Still there was something about her in that moment. Sweat glistened her face but the look in her eyes; I could almost see her feelings for me. It was in that raw moment where my own feelings became more apparent.
"I need to push." Emmy informed me. I nodded and got ready to catch my son.
"Follow your instinct, push when you feel it's right." I told her.
After about six pushes our son, Alexander, was born. I quickly tried to clean out his air way and within a few minutes he was crying.
I quickly wrapped him in a warm blanket, hoping he would be warm enough until the paramedics arrived. I stared at him somewhat in awe. I was holding my son.
"He's beautiful," I told Emmy, looking up at her, "just like you." She smiled at me and I moved up by her and handed her our son. She watched him for a moment, she seemed like she was taking all his little features in.
"He's perfect." She finally said, "Can you believe we're parents?"
"It seems surreal." I smiled to her. She returned the smile and gave me a soft kiss. I looked between Emmy and Alex and realized that this was my family and I loved both of them.
"Here, you hold him for a minute." Emmy said and she handed Alex back to me.
"Are you alright?" I asked her. She looked very pale.
"I'm fine, just tired." She shrugged with a soft smile. I smiled at her and looked down at our baby. A few second later I looked back to Emmy expecting to see her radiant smile only to find that she was losing consciousness
"Emmy?" I asked as her eyes closed.
"Emmy!" I repeated while lightly shaking her.
"Karl!" I called out and walked over to the door when Karl appeared.
"Take the baby. I need to help Emmy." I said, quickly handing my son to Karl.
"What's going on?" he asked me. I went back into the bedroom only to realize how much blood Emmy was losing.
"Damn, not this again." I said, walking over to her. "Where are those damn paramedics? They should have been here by now."
"They sure are taking their time aren't they?" I heard the oaf say.
I checked Emmy's vitals. Her breathing was slowing and her pulse was very weak. She was hemorrhaging badly and would quickly bleed out if she didn't get the help she needed.
…..
Author's Note: Hello everyone. Sorry for such a long delay. I was preparing for finals and now school is officially over for the semester so I should be able to update more routinely.
Thanks to ZabuzasGurl and rubymaya92 for reviewing. Rubymaya92, I promise I'm not giving up on the story. I just haven't had time to update until now.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try to get the next chapter out within the week. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks!—Lin
Oh and if you're following my other Dr. Crane story, the next chapter should be out within the next day or two.
