Chapter 28: Back to Work

Author: zeusfluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Blue Blood's characters. They belong to CBS. But I do own all originals. Date Started 9/4/23. Date Finished: 9/17/23. Enjoy!

"Welcome back Doctor Reagan. How's Cora and Eddie?"

Jamie smiled at Mara as he grabbed for a chart in the rack in front of him.

"Cora's doing great. Eddie's head over heels for Cora. She's struggling a bit though. She's starting to show signs of post-partum depression."

Mara nodded her head and frowned.

"Has she spoken to Doctor Carollson?"

Jamie looked up from the chart in his hand and nodded.

"She has an appointment tomorrow. I'm doing my best to help her out. But there are some thing's I can't help her with."

Mara nodded and looked over at the chart in Jamie's hands.

"Rene Carnon. You sure she'll be able to go through labor and delivery?"

Jamie nodded his head and looked through Rene's chart.

"We'll keep her pressure up with Dopamine."

Mara nodded and followed him towards Rene's room. Rene was just catching her breath as they entered the room.

"Good. Doctor Reagan. You're here. Can I get an epidural?"

Jamie gave Rene a look of sympathy.

"Let's check your progress and the presentation of the baby. Sorry. Make sure the baby is faced the right direction. Ok? Then we'll talk to the Anesthesiologist about that epidural."

Rene nodded her head and looked at her husband Tyler.

"Just breathe baby. I'm right here. Let's put your feet up. Try and relax honey."

Rene nodded and stared up at the ceiling. She averted her eyes when she saw Jamie look over the top of the sheet.

"Ok Rene. Looks like there isn't going to be time for that epidural. Your baby is coming right now. I want you to take a deep breath in a let it out slowly. There you go. Now I want you to give me a push. Come on. I know you can do it. Push! Push! Push! That's it."

Rene let out a scream and gave another push. She didn't think this would be so difficult.

"What's happening Doctor Reagan? Is my baby almost here?"

Jamie kept calm and looked up at Rene for a brief minute.

"Almost there Rene. Just take a deep breath and bare down. Give me another push. Good. Keep going. Your almost there."

Rene shook her head no and her husband Tyler kissed her forehead.

"You've got this honey. Just a couple more pushes and our baby girl will be here with us. I promise."

Rene shook her head no.

"I can't. I just can't. Take her out for me?"

Jamie shook his head and remained in his place.

"You're doing just fine Rene. One more big push and your little girl will be here ok? One more big push for me."

Rene bit her lip and nodded. Scrunching up her face, she gave one last push and let out a scream. Jamie could feel his eyes crinkling on the sides of his head as he smiled, holding the screaming baby over the top of the sheet.

"Congratulations mama! Here's your baby girl!"

Rene smiled through her tears as her husband Tyler cut the umbilical cord. Mara wrapped the crying little girl in a receiving blanket and placed her on Rene's chest.

"Hello baby girl. Hello. You're beautiful."

Jamie smiled and looked up at Rene.

"You did great Rene. Look, I know your tired, but I need you to give me two more big pushes so you can deliver the after birth."

Rene nodded and scrunched up her face, doing exactly what Jamie asked.

"There you go Rene. All done. You did great. Sabrina will be your postpartum nurse and you'll be taken down to a different

room to recover. Sabrina will get you set up and have Briana warmed up and given a bath."

Rene smiled at Jamie and nodded.

"Thank-you so much Doctor Reagan. You never let anything happen to either of us. I have a healthy baby girl because of you. Thank-you."

Jamie kept smiling as he discarded his mask and gloves in the biohazard waste bin by the door and washed his hands.

"It was my pleasure Rene. You have a beautiful family."

Mara and Sandy followed Jamie out of one delivery room and back to the chart rack to pick up another chart.

"Cassie Marlinson."

Jamie tried to wrack his brain to remember who she was other than his patient. Mara brought him out of his thoughts.

"Doctor Reagan, we need to be extra careful with her."

Nodding, Jamie looked through to the second page on Cassie's chart.

"Allergy to latex, poly nitrile, and vinyl. Nitrile is ok. I remember. Those first four months of her pregnancy were pretty rocky."

Walking away from the chart rack, Jamie continued going through Cassie's chart. Sandy added a thought before they entered Cassie's room.

"How do you want to handle this Doctor?"

Jamie chewed on Sandy's question for a moment and then formed a reply.

"I want you and Mara to set up three trays. We'll need a bulb syringe, some o'silk thread, a hook needle, a scalpel…"

Jamie had trailed off. But Mara and Sandy knew what he needed on each tray. They'd learned over the last few years.

"Already on it."

A smile on his face as he entered the room, he saw Cassie up and out of bed, walking around the room.

"How are you doing in here Cassie?"

Cassie nodded and stopped walking, Bracing herself with the side railing of the bed.

"I just want to get this show on the road. Oh god! Here comes another one!"

Jamie stepped closer to Cassie and reached a hand out.

"Breathe through the contraction Cassie. Breathe. Try to think of some place you'd like to be right now. Somewhere relaxing. Let the pain of contraction roll away from you. Keep breathing. That's it."

A light bulb clicked in his head. This was the same woman Eddie was constantly talking about. Officer Marlinson. Cassie straightened up with the help of the side railing and looked into Jamie's eyes.

"I talked to Eddie a little while ago. You should call her. She sounded very stressed out."

Jamie nodded but kept his focus on Cassie.

"I'll talk to her soon. Right now, my focus is on you and your baby. Have you felt the baby shift at all?"

Cassie looked at Jamie and became confused.

"What do you mean?"

Jamie explained himself.

"Have you felt the baby turn?"

Cassie looked down at her belly and shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been able to really tell with all the pain from the contractions."

Taking another deep cleansing breath, Cassie took a step towards Jamie. She knew she couldn't do this alone. Jamie, Mara and Sandy helped Cassie back into bed.

"I hope its a boy. But if its a girl, I'll be ok with that too. As long as their healthy. I guess I didn't know what to expect when I went into labor. This is all so new."

Jamie gave Cassie a sympathetic look and helped fix the covers over her.

"You're doing great Cassie. No new mother knows what to expect with a first time pregnancy. I'm here for you every step of the way. Mara and Sandy are here to make you more comfortable. You're not alone in this."

Cassie nodded and shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

"How far am I?"

Jamie gave Cassie a confident nod and pulled on a pair of gloves.

"That's what I'm about to find out. Mara and Sandy are going to help you put your feet up. There we go. Take a deep breath in."

Cassie looked at Mara and swallowed. Mara squeezed Cassie's hand and gave her comforting words.

"You're doing great Cassie. Just keep breathing. Almost there."

Cassie blew out a breath and watched as Jamie fixed the sheet over her legs and helped turn her onto her left side.

"Ok Cassie. You're at 6 centimeters. I'll put a call to get the Anesthesiologist in here ok?"

Cassie nodded and shifted in the bed again, closing her eyes.

"Ok. I think I'll have a small nap. I'm so thirsty."

Jamie nodded and gave her another sympathetic look.

"I know. I'll have Mara get you some ice chips."

Cassie locked eyes with Jamie and swallowed.

"Am I your last patient for the day?"

Jamie looked up from looking through Cassie's chart and gave her a smile.

"Yes and I've got nowhere to be. I'm still on shift until you deliver. My focus is on you and your baby. I won't leave you until I know that you and your baby are safe."

Cassie nodded and closed her eyes. Setting her chart on the end of the bed, Jamie fixed the fetal heart monitor around Cassie's belly. She opened her eyes a worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Jamie gave her a look of reassurance.

"Everything's ok Cassie. The fetal heart monitor around your belly measuring your baby's hear rate just slipped a little. See? Heart rate is 160."

Cassie blew out a breath and closed her eyes, placing both of her hands on her belly.

"Good. As long as my baby's healthy."

Jamie nodded and checked on Cassie's iv line.

"The two of you are doing great. You rest."

Just as the words came out of Jamie's mouth, the Anesthesiologist came into the room, making Cassie open her eyes.

"Hi Cassie. I'm Doctor Calton. I'm going to be giving you the epidural today. I'll have Mara and Sandy help sit you up and help you keep your back nice and round ok?"

Cassie nodded her head and gave Jamie a look of concern. He gave her hand a squeeze and nodded his head as he looked over her shoulder, watching Doctor Calton give her the local. Jamie looked back at Cassie and into her eyes.

"Keep your back nice and round ok Cassie?"

Cassie blew out a strained breath and a contraction tore through her as the machine next to the bed went off. Doctor Calton froze just before she went to grab for the epidural. She looked at Jamie and let out a scream.

"I can't do this Doctor Reagan! It hurts too much! I don't know if I can raise him or her alone!"

Jamie gave her a confident look as the contraction started to come down.

"You are going to be a wonderful mother Cassie. Do you remember when you told me you wanted a baby no matter what? You were so determined to do this, you are a strong and confident woman. You'll be a wonderful mother."

Cassie nodded and kept looking into Jamie's eyes as Doctor Calton placed the epidural into her lower back.

"I just want to have this baby come into the world healthy and safe."

Jamie gave her hand another squeeze and nodded.

"You have my word that I'm going bring your son or daughter into the world safely."

Cassie was still afraid. There were so many unknowns. Mara and Sandy helped her lie back on her left side and she closed her eyes.

"Doesn't hurt so much anymore. I'm going to have a nap."

Jamie nodded and sat back on the stool, looking back over Cassie's chart. He wasn't going to let anything happen to them.

"Come on Cassie! One more push for me. One more! You've got this! One more push for me! That's it! I've got him! It's a boy! Congratulations mama! You have a healthy and beautiful little boy!"

Cassie let out a sob and tried to see over the sheet where Jamie was cutting the umbilical and handing the baby boy off to Mara, who smiled down at the squalling pink bundle. Mara gently placed the little boy on Cassie's chest, and he seemed to calm somewhat. Cassie looked at Jamie with tears still in her eyes.

"He's handsome Doctor Reagan. I owe you everything!"

Jamie gave Cassie a smile and watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"Just take good care of him. That's all the thanks I need. Great job mom."

Heading out of the room, Jamie headed towards the admit desk and saw a very disheveled looking Eddie with a screaming Cora in her arms.

"Jamie… I really need your help. The laundry's piling up, I smell, I need a shower. I can't do this by myself!"

Jamie led her towards an empty room where they could talk.

"Eddie, I'm right here. You need rest. I'll go with you to see Doctor Carollson tomorrow ok? I'm your support beams remember? We're there for each other. Ok?"

Eddie nodded, but she wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Things felt like they were spinning out of control. She didn't like it one bit.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Got kind of side tracked the last couple of weeks. Will try and update more often. What'd you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!