The next two chapters will be set within the same time frame, and will be describing one memory in two parts...Enjoy! :)
Gabriella Bolton was fed up. She was heavily pregnant, five days past her due date, and felt incapable of doing anything other than lounging around all day. Which seemed to suit her, as that was all her husband would allow her to do these days anyway.
On this particular day, Gabriella decided she had had enough. The doctor had given them a leaflet detailing various ways to induce labour, and the first thing on the list was 'a long walk'. "Troy! Come on, let's go for a walk. It says here that long walks can help speed along labour contractions." Troy looked over at his wife, about to protest. But when he saw the look on her face, which was one of stubborn defiance, he decided to give in. "Okay," he replied. "But let's not be too long, alright?" Gabriella nodded, and the couple got ready to leave. Troy went to find his shoes, and had only left her alone for half a minute when he heard her scream.
He darted back to the lounge to find Gabriella bent down on her knees, and holding onto the coffee table for support. He told himself to keep calm as she yelled, "Troy, the baby's coming!" He knelt down beside her, and gave her a kiss on the nose, rubbing her back. When the contraction had passed, Troy helped her up onto the couch. "I can see that. Guess we won't be needing that walk after all, huh?" he chuckled. Then he went to find Gabriella's overnight bag, which had been packed and ready for a month. Troy decided it would be quicker to drive them to the hospital rather than to wait for an ambulance, and after a ten minute drive, they arrived.
As a nurse at the reception helped Gabriella into a wheelchair, she turned to Troy. "Is there anything important we need to note down about your wife's medical history?" she asked. She knew that the couple's doctor wasn't at the hospital yet, and had already informed them that another doctor would be seeing to Gabriella in the meantime – one who wouldn't have time to read her medical notes, if the speed of her contractions were anything to go by. It seemed this baby was making up for its lateness by making an appearance as soon as possible!
"Yes – she's diabetic," Troy answered, squeezing Gabriella's hand as she felt another contraction hit her. The nurse took a note of this, and quickly took them to the maternity unit. Within half an hour, their usual doctor arrived and it was quickly determined that Gabriella needed to be taken to the delivery room there and then. The doctor had also become worried as her blood pressure seemed alarmingly high.
Troy felt a wave of terror after hearing the tone in the doctor's voice. What does that mean? He thought, trying not to let his wife see the fear in his face. "Troy? What's going on? I'm scared. You are staying with me aren't you?" she asked. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "of course I am, I'm not going anywhere."
There had been some concern that the baby was in distress, but Gabriella did well, and Troy was relieved when it was announced that they had a healthy baby daughter. "Gabi, we have a little girl! I'm so proud of you," he told her while the nurses wrapped their baby in a blanket. She smiled weakly, but did not manage to reply. Her body suddenly went limp and she became unconscious.
"Gabi? Oh my god, what's happening?" Troy yelled as a nurse ushered him away. Seeing that he was in a state of shock, she told him that a nurse was going to take their little girl to the hospital nursery. Their families had not arrived yet, and Troy would have argued to keep his new daughter with him, if his mind hadn't been so frozen with fear.
Minutes later, the doctor approached him. Troy noticed that he had a serious expression on his face and his heart dropped. "Mr Bolton, your wife has lost a lot of blood, and has suffered a haemorrhage. She is still unconscious, but we are trying to stabilise her. Her condition is very serious. I'm afraid all we can do is wait." The doctor offered him a small smile in compassion, before returning to his duties.
It was all Troy could do to keep himself from falling to the floor. He recalled how terrified he had been when Gabriella had collapsed a couple of years back, just before they discovered that she had Diabetes. The thought of losing her, his Gabriella, was more than he could bear. Preparing himself to re-enter the hospital room, Troy looked through the window at the love of his life and prayed. Please don't leave me...