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"You think your baby's coming," Allie echoed.
Chantal let out a big breath, "Yeah," she said fretfully.
"You think you're in labor," Reid squeaked and Chantal nodded. "You're having contractions, how far apart?"
"I've been having them for a while. I haven't really been able to time them you know. They're getting pretty close together and pretty intense. I think my water broke; I'm feeling kind of wet. I've been afraid to say anything, to draw attention because I didn't know what Daryl…"
Allie looked, "Oh yeah, it broke alright."
"Uh, should we time the contractions for a few…"
"Aargh! There's one now." Chantal yelled, starting to pant. Reid looked at his watch. Chantal continued to pant until her contraction passed.
"There," Allie said, rubbing her friend's back, "You're doing great Chantal."
"No, it's not great, it's too early," Chantal replied painfully.
"12.7 of births in the United States are preterm," Reid supplied. Both women glared at him, "Oh sorry."
"Ooh," the expectant mother groaned as another contraction started.
"Here we go again," Allie held her friend's hand and tried to assist her with her breathing.
"Two minutes," Reid announced, pulling out his phone.
"Who are you calling," Allie asked?
"911, we need to get her to the hospital." Reid responded. He punched the numbers. "This is Dr. Spencer Reid of the FBI. We have a twenty-three year old female here, eight months pregnant, in labor. The contractions are two minutes apart. We're at the Mount Pleasant High School." He listened to the person on the phone. "There has to be someone." He listened some more. "Well, what are we supposed to do? No, I know what to do in theory. Please send someone as soon as you can." He ended the call. "There was a big fire at a nursing home here. There are quite a few casualties. All the paramedics are tied up. Sooo we're on our own."
"We're on our own," Allie yelled incredulous. She grabbed Reid and pulled him off to the side and whispered, "What are we going to do?"
"I guess we have to deliver the baby."
"Do you know how to deliver a baby," Allie demanded?
"In theory, I mean, I've read books."
"Of course you have," Allie replied
"But I've never actually done it but we don't have any choice, do we?" Reid admitted, attempting not to squeak.
"What do you need," Allie wanted to know?
"Blankets and towels would be helpful. Do you have a nurse's room or an infirmary that might have them? The locker room maybe."
"I'll find them," she said and headed quickly for the door but stopped before she got there, bent down and removed her stilettos. "Those will only slow me down," and she ran out the door.
Chantal continued to breathe through her contractions, and cried. "Oh God, it's too early. My baby's not going to make it."
"Chantal, babies born at thirty-two weeks or more are almost always viable. All the major organs are formed. They're about sixteen to eighteen inches and three to five pounds. I'm sure your baby will be fine." Reid hoped he sounded convincing. He remembered what Allie said about every couple having a baby being a crapshoot but he didn't think it wise to mention that at this juncture.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only a few minutes, Allie came running into the room, her arms loaded down with towels, blankets, a pillow and a first aid kit.
"Let's get her down on the floor," Reid spread one of the blankets on the floor and Allie and Reid helped Chantal to stand and laid her, somewhat awkwardly, on the blanket. The pillow was positioned under her head. "Comfortable," Reid said.
"Oh yeah, never better," Chantal snapped sarcastically.
Must be in transition, Reid thought. It shouldn't be long now, he figured, as Chantal had another contraction and swore like a sailor.
"Why is this happening to me? The last time I saw the doctor everything was fine," Chantal lamented through her tears.
"It's probably the stress from being abducted by a serial killer. Stress can cause the release of certain hormones that can induce labor," Reid explained.
"Do you have a fucking answer for everything genius," Chantal screamed. Definitely in transition, Reid thought.
Allie helped position Chantal on her back with her knees bent and legs apart. They placed towels around the area where the baby would come. "Okay Honey," she said to Reid.
Reid took position at Chantal's feet, "Uh, Chantal, uh, I'm sorry to uh have to, you know, get this personal," he said before looking under the blanket. "She's fully dilated and I can see the head, which is good. Ninety-six percent of births present head first." He informed them.
Chantal banged her fists on the floor. "I don't care what percentage of babies come head first, and I don't care what percentage of babies are premature and I don't care about hormones that are brought on by alien abductions. I just want this baby out of me healthy. You got that Einstein?"
"Uh, next time you have a contraction, if you could push, okay Chantal." Reid went over in his mind all that he had read about childbirth. "Okay Chantal, when the contraction starts, I need you to take a deep breath, hold it for the count of ten and push. Then repeat it for the length of the contraction."
"I'm having one now," Chantal told them as she did as Reid instructed while Allie supported her from behind. Chantal's long blond tresses were falling from the pins and combs holding them in place, soaked from perspiration. Her makeup ran, as her face was damp from her perspiration and tears. Allie wiped her face with a towel.
The contraction ended and Chantal lay back on the pillow. "What's happening down there Doc?"
"The baby's head is partly out. After the next contraction it should be out," Reid informed the women. "How are you doing Chantal."
"Considering, I'm stuck in my old high school, having a baby with the help of two people who've never done this before, I'm just great. How about you?"
"Good," Reid replied absently, totally immersed in the task at hand as Chantal began to have another contraction and Reid gently guided the baby's head out. "The baby's head is out now Chantal," he informed the young woman as he began to clean off the head and try to rid the baby of secretions from its mouth and nose that could block the airway.
"Oh my God," Chantal said as she squeezed Allie's hand. "Does it look okay?"
"Well, I haven't really seen many babies but it looks fine." It was rather red and wrinkly and covered with guck but he believed that was how they were supposed to look at this stage. Reid remembered when Haley had brought Jack to the office for the first time. The women had made such a fuss over how cute the baby was and he'd thought 'I guess so if you find redness and wrinkles attractive', come to think of it, he thought he'd actually said it out loud. He remembered Garcia asking Morgan if he'd like one and in true Morgan fashion, he'd replied he'd stick to practicing. Oh boy, just practicing sounded like a really good idea about now.
He was jolted from his reverie by the start of another contraction. He gently guided the head downward, as he remembered from his reading, to allow one shoulder to emerge. He then guided the baby upwards and the other shoulder emerged and the rest of the baby followed. He tipped the baby down to try to drain secretions and flicked the soles of the baby's feet and the sound of crying erupted in the room, undoubtedly the sweetest music to ever come from this music room. "You did it Chantal. You're a mother!"