Chapter 3
An hour and a half later, the launch arrived safely in New Cape Quest. Nathan had arranged to have a taxi waiting, so they bid goodbye to Lieutenant Brody and went on their way to the hospital.
As soon as they entered the maternity ward, however, Nathan knew something was terribly wrong. He saw a doctor speaking with the Noyces, and Janet was in tears while Bill looked stoic. He rushed over to them. "Sorry, sorry, I'm here. I'm Captain Nathan Bridger. Are my fiance and baby all right?" he asked breathlessly.
The doctor held out his hand. "Captain Bridger, I'm Dr. Baxter, and I've been overseeing your fiance's care. We had to take the baby early via C-section. You'll be glad to know he's doing just fine. He's a couple weeks early, and his weight is a tad light so he's been brought to the neonatal intensive care unit, but his lungs are more developed than we'd anticipated, so I suspect after a week or two, you'll be able to take him home. Congratulations, you had a son."
Nathan couldn't help but notice the doctor lacked enthusiasm in his voice. "And Kristin?"
"She's suffering from septicemia."
"Septicemia?" Wendy repeated. "How is that possible?"
"What..what's that?" Lucas asked.
Nathan had nearly forgotten she and Lucas were even with him. "Sorry," he muttered. "This is Dr. Wendy Smith and Lucas Wolenczak...close friends of Kristin's."
"And I was her primary physician on the submarine," Wendy added.
"Perhaps you can shed some light on this then?" Dr. Baxter asked. "Did she have any bacterial infections of any kind in recent months?"
Wendy shook her head. "No, she's been perfectly healthy."
The younger doctor nodded. "It's possible she didn't even realize then. Septicemia, in layman's terms, is blood poisoning; it's caused when bacterial infections go untreated. Did she mention to anyone she wasn't feeling well over the past several days at least?"
"She'd said she was tired...exhausted really," Janet said, finally stepping forward. "But she...she'd chalked it up to being very pregnant, and I'd thought the same thing. Dr. Schumacher had said she was healthy."
Dr. Baxter nodded. "Well, since Kristin had told her she'd been fine, I think the doctor took her at her word. We're not very good mind readers. Dr. Schumacher and I have both been consulting over her case now, and we're doing our best to treat her condition. We've got her on very strong antibiotics and oxygen. We're monitoring her blood pressure, and yes, it is low, but she's stable. We're in the process of moving her to intensive care."
Nathan suddenly became lightheaded upon hearing the news. He felt torn. In one room, he had a brand new son, and he should have been overjoyed. But in the other, his fiance was fighting for her life. "What..." His voice sounded gravelly, and he cleared his throat before speaking again. "Sorry, what are her chances?"
He took a deep breath. "Honestly, each case is different, but I will say that we believe we've caught it early enough."
"Could...could she..." He couldn't bring himself to say the word. Losing Carol had scarred him, and he couldn't imagine losing the only other woman he'd ever loved.
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. "I won't lie to you and tell you no; she's got a 50/50 chance. It's up to her, really. I...I do realize what a shock this is, and I want you to know how deeply sorry I am. We are going to do everything we can, I promise you."
Nathan swallowed hard. "Can I see her...please?"
"Of course," he said, glancing to the others. "But I'm going to ask that it's only you for now, since the others aren't family. Does she have any other family?"
"A daughter," Nathan said quietly, his eyes snapping to Janet.
Janet instantly understood. "I'd called her earlier to let her know. She's supposed to be on the next flight out from Argentina."
"Very well," Dr. Baxter replied before turning back to Nathan. "You can see her as soon as we have her situated in a new room in intensive care. In the meantime, why don't you go see your son? The NICU nurses have some questions for you."
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One of Dr. Baxter's nurses, Betsy, led Nathan to the NICU while the others stayed in the waiting room.
"It's just one floor up," Betsy said. "Would you prefer the stairs or the elevator?"
"Stairs," Nathan said. The way his luck had been, he didn't want to risk getting stuck in an elevator.
She led him to the staircase, and they made their way up one floor. After walking down a few hallways and turning several corners, they came upon a nurses' station.
Betsy approached one of the nurses. "Janice, this is Captain Nathan Bridger; he's the father of the Westphalen baby."
Janice, a woman in her mid-forties with short, dark, curly hair flashed Nathan a smile before turning back to Betsy. "Thank you; I'll take it from here."
Betsy gave him a warm smile and a wave before leaving the way they'd came. "Good luck, Daddy."
Nathan's stomach fluttered slightly. He'd been dealing with a whirlpool of emotions since he'd found out about all this, but it suddenly just hit him that he was about to meet his newborn baby, a premature one at that. Before he could mentally prepare himself, Janice turned to him.
"Don't worry; you're going to be fine."
His brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"
"Sorry," she replied. "It's just you have that look in your eye; it's the same look I see with all the new fathers that come in here."
"Well, this isn't exactly my first time."
"You've had other premature children?"
He shook his head. "No, I meant this isn't my first child."
"Oh, I see; well, a premature baby has a few extra instructions, but other than that, it's not that different. I know you're itching to see him, so follow me. Once we're inside, I'll explain everything."
After dressing in scrubs for protection, they entered the NICU. Nathan saw several incubators, some with parents nearby. He tried to find the one that contained his child when he noticed Janice was already standing by an incubator in the back. He quickly made his way over to her and looked inside.
Lying there was a tiny, sleeping baby boy, a serene look on his face. Nathan could instantly tell the resemblance. He had Kristin's nose and her chin, but he also reminded him of Robert when he was young, and everyone had said Robert was the spitting image of himself. He was wearing a little blue hat on his head. Beneath the hat, wisps of dark, curly hair escaped. He didn't know long he'd been staring at him when Janice placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you ready to hold him?"
"Can I? Doesn't he need to stay in there?"
"We are giving him oxygen, but his lungs are well-developed. He can breathe on his own." As she carefully lifted the baby out of the incubator, he made a tiny whimper. "Oh, don't worry, little man; you're about to meet your daddy." She then swaddled him in a white blanket and handed him to Nathan.
"Here you go, Daddy."
Nathan took the small baby in his arms and rocked him gently for a few moments until he quieted.
He was about to ask the technical questions when Janice said, "I'll leave you alone for a little while. When I come back, we'll talk about other things." She nodded to a nearby rocking chair. "Go ahead and have a seat with him if you need."
Nathan obliged, and the baby made a tiny squeak. "Shh,"he soothed gently. "I'm here, my sweet boy, and I won't let anything hurt you. I know you're probably wondering where Mama is. Well, she...she's very sick, little man, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she gets back to you." He sighed and shifted him onto his shoulder, gently rubbing the baby's back. "I hope she makes it back to us, but if not, I promise I'll take care of you. And I'll tell you about her every day..." His eyes stung at the thought, and he prayed that wouldn't be his reality.
The baby, however, made a soft humming noise, almost as if he was saying he understood, and Nathan couldn't help but laugh softly, the boy melting his fears away for the moment.
"We have been waiting so long to meet you, Miles." He paused. "That's what your mother and I are calling you. Miles James Bridger."
The infant made another squeak.
He chuckled. "Oh, you like it, do you?"
The boy yawned softly before opening his eyes and staring up at his father. Nathan half-expected him to cry, but he didn't.
"That's a fine name," Janice said. "And I see you two are getting along perfectly."
Nathan nodded, looking up at her. "He's stronger than he looks."
"Indeed," she replied. "He's a little lighter than we normally like to see. He's five pounds, two ounces. However, his lungs are healthy, so he's got a better chance of leaving the NICU earlier than others babies. Once he hits the preferred weight and doesn't show signs of any other health issues, you should be able to take him home."
At that moment, Betsy entered the NICU. "Captain Bridger, Dr. Baxter sent me to let you know you can go see Kristin whenever you're ready. I can escort you there or give you directions if you're going to stay in here for a little while."
Miles suddenly started fussing, and Nathan was suddenly torn about what to do.
"He's probably hungry," Janice said, moving to retrieve a tiny bottle of formula. "Go and see his mother. We can handle things from here."
Nathan hesitated, but he allowed her to do what she needed. Seeing Kristin was more important. He took Miles' tiny hand in his and whispered, "I'll be back," before following Betsy out of the NICU.
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The moment he'd walked into Kristin's room, Nathan had felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest. She looked so small compared to the machines that surrounded her bed. He stood in the doorway for a few moments, too afraid to move.
He jumped slightly when Betsy's communication device went off. She answered and said, "Be right there," before turning back to Nathan. "You can go inside. I'll be back a little later to check on you, but take all the time you need."
Nathan nodded and watched her go. He then attempted to walk towards the bed, his feet feeling as though they were made of lead. Finally, he'd made it to her bedside, the only sounds in the room from the machines: the quiet beeping of the heart monitor and the slow hum of the oxygen.
Her skin looked ashen, a stark contrast to her normal tawny color and rosy cheeks. A fleeting thought entered his mind, wondering if he'd ever see that woman again, but he quickly extinguished it, deciding he couldn't think that way.
He leaned forward and kissed her temple gently before taking her hand. "Kris?" he whispered. "I...I know it's tough, but you have to fight this. You can't give up. You...we had a son...Baby Miles. He needs you so much. I need you." His voice caught in his throat as tears threatened to escape at the thought of losing her, at the thought of facing the world without her.
He swallowed them back and took a shaky breath. "Please come back to us. You're stronger than this. We need you." He took his other hand and gently stroked her hair, wishing she'd open her eyes and give him that warm smile of hers. And everything would be right with the world again. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
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"Kristin, wake up, honey?"
She awoke with a start, staring up at her friend. "Is something wrong?"
Janet shook her head. "But that was some dream you were having?"
Kristin pushed herself up and ran a hand through her mussed hair, glancing outside. "What time is it?"
"Just a tad after five. Was it a nightmare? Are you worried about Nathan?"
The younger woman's eyebrows knitted together. "I...I don't know exactly. It was...strange. I'd had the baby, but I...I was sick. Nathan was there and so were you and Bill...and then there were some others I didn't quite recognize, but apparently, they were friends. And Nathan... He was at my side begging me to come back to him. And I was trying, but I couldn't..."
Janet put an arm around her shoulders. "It was just a dream, though. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. You've been feeling just fine." She paused. "Haven't you?"
"Yes, of course." She took a deep breath. "It just seemed so real..."
"Dreams always do," the older woman replied, placing a kiss to Kristin's temple. "I'm sorry I had to wake you, but you'd been talking in your sleep for a while. I wanted to be sure you were all right."
Kristin waved a hand. "I'd have done the same if it were you, but..."
"But what, dear?"
"I heard Nathan's voice, plain as day. I feel... Do you ever feel like you're in the wrong place? Like you're supposed to be somewhere else?"
Janet gave her a knowing look and took her hand. "Sometimes. You really think this was more than a dream?"
"I don't know how, but I just know that this..." She motioned between the two of them. "This isn't right. And I don't mean you and me exactly. But the way Nathan was speaking..."
"Then you need to listen to him."
"W-what?"
"You need to listen," Janet said again. "I don't know how, but you need to do everything you can to get back to him. Wherever he is, he needs you."
And somehow, Kristin knew she was right.
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One hour later, Nathan found himself back in the waiting room with the others. He'd wanted to stay with Kristin; the doctors had said that he could. However, he'd needed the comfort from his friends, and in some small way, he guessed he was a comfort to them. Not a word was spoken among the group, however. They were all lost in their own thoughts, their own worry, their own prayers.
Wendy finally turned to them. "Would anyone like anything? I thought I'd go get some coffee from the cafeteria..."
"I'll go with you," Nathan told her, "as long as we won't be long." He hadn't wanted to leave in case something happened, but he needed a small change of scenery.
"Ten minutes, tops," Wendy said.
He turned to Bill. "If anything changes, though, call my mobile, please?"
"Of course," Bill said, "but you're only going to the cafeteria, not across the world. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Nathan tried to put faith in his words as he and Wendy walked to the stairwell.
"I'm actually glad you decided to come with me," she told him.
"You know, you and Lucas don't need to stay here the whole time if you don't want. I should have mentioned that earlier."
She shook her head. "I don't think Lucas wants to be anywhere else, and neither do I. You know how we feel about Kristin."
"I just thought you might want something to take your mind off all this, a change of scenery. I'm sure you didn't intend to spend your shore-leave in the hospital."
She shrugged. "Well, besides visiting my mother, I had no plans. And you know she's as busy as we are."
Nathan nodded. He didn't see Admiral Lexington Smith on a regular basis, but he knew she was just as busy as any UEO officer. "Just as long as you know you can go if you'd like."
"Of course, but you don't need to worry."
A short time later, they arrived in the cafeteria, which wasn't very crowded. The food smelled good, but Nathan couldn't think of eating right now.
Wendy ordered five coffees and turned back to him. "I don't mean to pry, but..."
"My mind is screaming at you?" he guessed.
She smiled softly. "I think everyone's mind is screaming at me, but that's not what I was going to say. I was going to ask you to remember what you've always said."
His brow furrowed. "You'll have to be a bit more specific than that."
"I mean about Kristin. She's a boomerang, remember? Life's throwing her for a loop, but she's strong. I think she's the strongest person I've ever met, and you've met my mother," she said with a light smile that quickly faded. "And I think you were right. I think I was...am feeling Kristin's feelings." She paused, visibly becoming nervous, her hands wringing together. "I...I wasn't sure I should tell you this before, but now, it seems fitting."
Nathan placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Please...I'd like to hear it."
"When we were on the launch, I felt... I felt distress with someone, and I'd initially thought it was you..."
"That's why you sought me out?"
"I had to check. But like I'd said, I pick up stray emotions all the time. It could have been from an underwater colony or...anywhere, really. It wasn't until we arrived that I knew the truth."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You...you're saying Kristin reached out to you with her mind?"
"It's certainly not out of the question. Oh, not that we could ever tell her that. You know her. I'm a woman of science," she said in her best Kristin voice.
"That does sound like her," he said with a soft laugh.
"Yes, well, I think she somehow knows you're here. She's calmed down a lot, but she's not out of the woods yet, obviously."
Nathan pondered on this for several long moments before speaking again, "Is she aware of what's happening?"
"Yes...and no. She's actually had some very interesting dreams..."
"Dreams?"
She nodded as the coffees were ready. "I'll tell you about it on the way back."
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Somehow, I have to get back... The mantra played through her mind over and over, but she felt so tired, so weak...
Yet she felt the warm hand covering her own. "Please come back to us, sweetheart. It's been three days now."
Nathan's voice.
Three days? Nathan, I'm here! she thought. I haven't left you! Don't give up on me!
"Miles can't wait to meet you. Every day, he grows a little bit stronger. He's a lot like you."
Miles? Our son? We...we had a son. Oh, why can't I break through the darkness?
"I know it's rough, but you have to come back. You can do it. You're stronger than you think."
She took a deep breath. I'm stronger than I think. I have to do this. Open your eyes. Come on, open your eyes. She fought through the darkness, past the cobwebs. And suddenly... Her eyes fluttered open.
Oh, the light stings, she thought. But you've come this far. You can't turn back.
She didn't want to turn back either. She opened one eye and then the other, blinking a few times to let her eyes adjust. And then, she saw Nathan's face.
"Kristin?" he said, his eyes glassy with fresh tears.
She opened her mouth to speak. "S-sorry," she choked out, placing a hand to his cheek.
Nathan covered her hand with his. "Oh, there's no need... I'm just glad...we're just glad. We have a son...Miles. He was born a bit early, but he's healthy. Cynthia is with him now. We've been taking turns being with you...and him. We've just been...waiting. Oh, Kris... I'm just so happy you're back." He moved to kiss her forehead.
Kristin took a deep breath. She'd wanted to tell him so many things, but then, it didn't seem to matter much now. All that came to mind was, "I love you so much, Nathan."
"I love you, too, Kristin. And I...I know it's going to take you a little while to heal, but as soon as we get to the island..."
"We'll get married," she whispered. "We shouldn't waste any more time."
He pulled back to look at her. "You...you're sure?"
She nodded. "Life keeps throwing me back to you; it's about time I finally take the hint and make it official. I am sorry I put you through hell this week."
He laughed softly, gently putting his arms around her. "No, you've made me happier than you know. No more apologies about the past. We have the future ahead of us."
Kristin nodded against his shoulder. "And I don't plan on leaving you ever again."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little detour from my main work, and I thank you for reading.
But I do want to make one more little announcement. I know a lot of you probably are not forum-goers. However, I have a new forum, and everyone is welcome, both writers and readers. It would be lovely if you considered stopping by. The link to The Writing Virtues can be found on my profile or right here, but please be sure to omit spaces and add the proper punctuation: HTTPS (colon, double forward slash) www. fanfiction. net (forward slash) forum (forward slash) The-Writing-Virtues (forward slash) 160586 (forward slash). Hope to see you there! Thank you for looking!