Two New Arrivals
As Tina readied herself to push upstairs, in the basement apartment Kitty was having regular contractions, but they were still far enough apart that she was not overly concerned. They still made her moan when they came though, and she was getting anxious to see the cab arriving, ready to convey her to the hospital, which the much the safest place for her second child to come into the world. As she sat there, she was curious as to what had caused the two loud bangs that had shocked her into labour, and she said as much to her attentive husband.
He immediately went online, and searched. All he was able to find was that there was a massive power outage that was affecting an area that stretched west from the streets just a block or two away. That lead Kitty to conclude that she could justifiably blame Con Edison for her current predicament. She was on the point of calling them up to lodge a formal complaint when she heard a scream from two floors above. She paled, and came to the correct conclusion that she was not the only woman in the vicinity that was in the throes of childbirth, and by the sound of it, hers was far less traumatic…
"Did you hear that?" asked Artie, as he wheeled himself back in from the hallway, where he had been looking out of the open front door to see if the cab was anywhere in sight.
"I did, and I think that the Gods have decided that Tina and I will give birth on the same day, like two characters in a tacky daytime soap opera…" She stopped, as she heard a second scream, then went on, "Having said that, her labour sounds as if it is a lot more advanced, and if I can hang off, resist the urge to push, then she can give birth today, and I can do so tomorrow morning. For once in my life, I have no urge to snatch first place in this race from my neighbour…"
Upstairs, the screaming Tina was being held by her husband, who was sitting behind her, supporting her with his torso and arms, breathing and panting with her, and still finding time to mop her brow. For her part, she was trying to get her second child out into the world as safely and swiftly as possible. Having been so fast, progress had now stalled. As much as Tina wanted the birth to be over, so her newborn had decided that it was still reluctant to enter the world. As for Lawrence, he was making all of the correct noises, but he was secretly grateful that they now seemed to have a little extra time…
He was still going through all that he had been taught about childbirth in his head, all he had seen in the hospital, but there was little or nothing of use for the situation that he was in; no text or reference as to how to deal with a woman in advanced labour sitting on the floor of her kitchen. The truth was that the moment of birth was very close, and he was sure that with one final big push would see the child born. He hoped so anyway, as the longer this current situation went on, the larger another issue reared its head, and that was the issue of foetal distress. If things took much longer now, then there were more likely to be complications, and he was certain that he could not deal with them…
"Okay, Tina, I need one more big push from you now. Put all of the strength that you have inside you into it, and let's get this little one out into the mad, crazy world that we all live in."
Tina nodded, and she bore down, then screamed again, pushing with all her might, using the inner strength she had never known she possessed, her husband holding her close. Lawrence was more than relieved when the top of the baby's head that he was cradling in his hand moved forward rapidly, and he knew that this time, Tina's push was going to complete the job in hand. In seconds, he found that he was holding in his two hands a perfectly formed baby girl, who cried almost at once. Lawrence could now see exactly why the people that some saw as so annoying most of the time was actually the most beautiful in the world…
The sound of the newborn crying was heard downstairs as well, but at that moment the awaited taxi finally arrived, drawing up to the kerb outside. Artie and Kitty looked at each other, happy that their friends upstairs had been blessed with a second child. Then she felt another strong contraction, and her sympathy for what Tina had endured above her was dulled by her own pain.
"Let's get you up those stairs and into that taxi," said Artie, taking charge of the situation. "You worry about yourself, and I will bring your bag and Meghan."
Kitty nodded, and began to walk up the ramp to the street, slowly but still with as much dignity as she could muster. The taxi driver was female, and knowing where she was heading, had jumped out of her vehicle to assist Kitty up to the street. As she did so, she glanced up at the house above, the cries of the new arrival still audible. "I have to admit that when I arrived and heard that, I thought that the traffic holds up that delayed me had made me too late. The traffic signals are out in half the West Village, and it is chaos."
"No, that is my upstairs neighbour and close friend. She was due a week ago. However, I think that the two loud bangs that proceeded the power cut gave her as much of a start as me, and it triggered the start of labour in us both. She has just had a much shorter one by the sounds of it."
By now, the driver had manoeuvred Kitty to the passenger door of the taxi, and glancing back, she smiled as she saw Artie following behind, an overnight bag in his lap and a little girl clutching his hand, and walking tiredly at his side. She helped Kitty in as Artie closed the gate firmly behind him, before wheeling himself slowly, matching the pace of his daughter, towards the taxi. At that moment, he heard his name being called, and glancing along the street, he saw Nick hurrying in his direction. "Kitty has gone into labour," he said to the approaching man. "We need to get to the hospital ASAP."
Nick was there then, and replied, "Okay, I won't hinder you, but let me and Jeff take Meghan. A hospital is no place for a little girl, and she looks exhausted. We have a spare room next to Wes' bedroom, and she can go in there, and get back to sleep. It won't be a problem at all…"
Artie looked to his wife, and she nodded. Nick's suggestion made so much sense. Meghan was duly handed over to the former Warbler, with Artie also handing him his door keys, so that after taking his daughter along the street, Nick could come back and collect a few of her things; things that both Artie and Kitty now realised they had neglected to pack…
Nick headed back along the street as the taxi drew away, Meghan clutching his hand at first, but then he picked her up and carried her, as she was so tired. Jeff was waiting on the doorstep, and he took her from his husband. He took her upstairs to the waiting bed as Nick headed back in the direction he had just come, but for two reasons. He had to collect a few toys, and a change of clothes for the little girl he had just taken into his home, but he also wanted to see what was going on at the house above. He had not missed the fact that all the lights were on, the front door was a little bit ajar, and he had heard the sound of a child crying….
He climbed the steps up to Mike and Tina's front door quietly, and then knocked on the slightly open door. He waited, but nearly staggered back down the stairs when the door was flung open, and Mike was there, yelling, "Where on earth have you been? I told the controller that it was urgent, that my wife was in advanced labour and we needed to be at the hospital yesterday! She has just given birth on the kitchen floor thanks to your incompetence…" Then Mike actually looked at the scene in front of him, and went several shades redder than he already been with his anger…
"I guess that congratulations are still in order?" said Nick quietly.
"I am so sorry, it's all just been a little stressful…"
"It certainly sounds it. So, I take it that you had to…"
"Lord, no! I wouldn't…well, I guess that I could have, but… It's easiest if you just come in and see…" stammered Mike.
Nick followed his friend inside, and entered the kitchen slowly, half expecting to see a blood soaked room, with a drained and exhausted Tina sitting in the middle of chaos. Instead, he found her sitting in a nest of blankets, tired but glowing, with a swaddled baby in her arms. Then Nick noticed the other person in the room; he had almost thought to see an angel, but no, sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen table was an equally tired looking Lawrence, dressed in blood spattered scrubs, and Nick did the math at once.
"I called him when I realised that we had run out of time to get to the hospital," explained Mike.
"And thanks to a certain television show, I had all of the boiling water and clean towels that I could have hoped for," said the trainee doctor with a chuckle.
Just then, there was another knock on the door, and an ambulance was there, called by Mike at Lawrence's instruction. Nick found himself collecting Harry as well, as Mike naturally wanted to go with his wife and daughter, and was proudly carrying her down the steps as the paramedic assisted his wife. Nick let the boy choose his own toy, and the clothes he would wear the next day, before he headed out, switching off lights and locking the front door behind him. To his surprise, Lawrence was standing at the side of the street, having an animated conversation with a taxi driver that had drawn up just as the ambulance left. Nick joined him, and shaking his head, asked Lawrence to take Harry's hand, so he could dig out his wallet and pay the callout charge the driver was still asking for. Then, shaking his head, he had Lawrence take Harry along to his place whilst he popped down into the basement flat to collect what he needed for Meghan…
He came home to find Lawrence in the hallway, Jeff having taken Harry upstairs to their son's room. Wes was still awake, and chatted to Harry as his papa hastily assembled the camp bed they kept for emergencies, and made it up for the younger boy to sleep on. Meanwhile, Nick looked at Lawrence, and asked, "Have you eaten since you finished work?"
"I was about to order a pizza when everything happened," came his reply.
Moments later, the trainee doctor found himself sitting at the kitchen table, whilst Nick heated him up some soup and found all the fixings for a generously filled sandwich. The vegetable soup was eaten quickly, as was the roast turkey sandwich, a look of satisfaction filling the younger man's face as he filled his empty stomach. Jeff returned just as Nick brought out the cake tin, and they all sat down to a slice of the angel cake inside.
Relaxed now, and no longer hungry, Lawrence spoke quietly. "Doing what I did tonight was both the most wonderful and most terrifying experience of my medical career so far. When I was in the situation it all just came naturally to me, all that I have been taught over the years, but now, thinking about it, there was so much that could have gone wrong, and the guilt would have consumed me…"
"The fact is that nothing went wrong," replied Nick. "In Mike and Tina's eyes, you will be a hero forever. Speaking of her, I'm sure that as she headed out to the ambulance, she turned to Mike and said that she thought that Laura was a very nice name for a girl…"
Lawrence was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "I guess that Laura is about as close to Lawrence as you can get with a girl's name, but they really don't have to. I was just helping them out when they had a problem, like any good neighbour should."
"It was much more than that, and you know it," said Nick sagely. "Mike told me that he only called you when he had no more time, which I assume means that birth was imminent?"
Lawrence nodded, then said, "The baby's head was actually crowning; all it would have taken would have been one more push, and she'd have been here. That Tina managed to hold off that moment for so long… Of course, that was both the right and the wrong thing to do. It was right because they had no support, and I think Mike would be the first to admit that they would have struggled majorly. It was wrong because it greatly increased the risk of what they call foetal distress. It isn't good for a baby to be in the birth canal for too long. As it is, their daughter is perfect, at least to the naked eye, and Tina is fine too. However, the hospital will be running a lot of tests just to be on the safe side anyway…" Lawrence stopped then, realising that he had left something undone. "I should really have made a few calls by now; let the maternity staff at the hospital know everything that happened."
"Our telephone is at your disposal. Make your calls, then come back to the table for a little more dessert," replied Nick. "I have a homemade lemon mousse in the fridge; it was not sweet enough for my husband's taste buds, but I recall that you like your puddings a little tart…"
"Well, you remember everything I must say. If there is a dessert going to waste then I guess those calls could be made from here. However, is there a more private line that I could use than the one here in the kitchen? Some of the things I will need to disclose are rather personal about Tina."
Nick smiled, and showed the young medic up to his study, before heading back down to the kitchen to make a jug of real hot chocolate as a treat for Jeff after he had not liked the mousse. He was also pretty sure that Lawrence would not say no to a mug of it either…
Meanwhile, Dex had just arrived home next door, and had done so to find the front door unlatched. He shook his head, then headed in to find his brother. He was a little annoyed therefore to discover that the house was actually empty, the only sign that anyone had even been in the lounge since he left being that the television was on, at full volume, showing a documentary about alien abduction… He headed to the kitchen next, and found a leaflet for the local pizza delivery place on the counter, alongside a half full glass of now lukewarm soda. He headed upstairs again, and this time he noticed that his brother's work bag was sat in it's usual spot on the hall table…
There was no sign of the man himself though, and he pondered for a moment that he might have headed off for a last minute tryst with Adam; a check on the time, and a quick recall of the nights the actor played on Broadway made him realise that the man in question would just be taking his final bows. Thinking back, he had glanced up on his way past, and Adam's apartment had been in darkness. He headed back into the lounge, just in time to hear the words "There was no sign of him. To all intents and purposes, he had vanished without a trace, just as the strange lights appeared in the sky above…" A lesser man than Dex might have suspected that his brother had been abducted…
He ended up heading back outside, locking the door properly, and not looking for lights in the sky at all, cursing that he had not been at home as he normally would have been when his brother arrived. Instead of being there, he had been enjoying the company of a young lady he had met through his recent membership of the Greenwich Village Operatic Society. It was not something that Lawrence or indeed any of his friends yet knew about, as he was worried that they might laugh at the notion of his involvement in amateur dramatics.
The truth was that he missed singing, and he had not wished to join a men's chorus, or even a mixed choir. He definitely wanted to steer clear of religious music, and he was never a fan of the more modern tunes that were now favoured by these groups. He had come across the Operatic Society by chance, and as it transpired, his natural baritone was in short supply. He had found that he enjoyed singing light opera, particularly the comic stuff… That was why he was going to have to come clean and admit the truth very shortly. The Society was performing The Mikado in a few months time, and he had a small, yet significant part in the role of Pooh-Bah. The fact that he had also won the affections of the young lady that was performing Pitti-Sing opposite him was something he also had to tell them about…
He tried his brother's phone for the third time, but it still just went to answerphone. Sighing, he looked around, and saw that Adam's home was still in darkness, but more unusually, so where the basement apartment and upper house along the street. He knew that there were power outages, and he considered if they might be really localised, affecting that end of the street. However, the street lamps were lit in the next block along. After that, there was darkness though…
He turned his attention then to the house next door, that was lit, indicating that Nick and Jeff were at home. He headed along, and climbed the steps, then rang the bell. He waited patiently, and after a minute, the door opened to reveal Jeff. "I am so sorry to bother you at this hour, but I would appear to have lost my brother. His stuff is in the house, and the television was on, but he has vanished without trace, and he isn't picking up his phone. It just isn't like him…"
Jeff smiled, and replied, "Well, there is an explanation for all of that. There was an emergency, and he had to step up as doctors do. He is here with us, in the kitchen, recovering from all the drama."
Dex sighed, smiling happily now, and responded, "Oh, thank goodness for that. For a moment… You will think that I am a complete fool, but there was a programme on the television when I went in about alien abductions, and it all sounded like a plausible explanation for Lawrence not being there…"
Jeff chuckled, then said, "Nothing quite so bizarre! Admittedly there were two loud bangs, two sets of waters breaking, and one damsel and her husband in a heck of a lot of distress. Come in, and join us in the kitchen, and Lawrence can tell you all about it himself…."
After listening to what his brother had to say, Dex had to admit he was pretty impressed by all he had done; he himself would have panicked if he was faced by a woman in labour, and the fact that her child was already well on its way to being born would probably have been enough to have him passing out. As they chatted, Nick received a text message from Mike, telling him that all was well with both mother and baby, and that the on duty staff at the hospital were extremely impressed with all that had been done by the young student doctor. He jokingly added that he needed someone to go out and buy him a new pair of shoelaces, as the ones that Lawrence had used were no longer fit for purpose…
As they all chuckled, another message came, this time a photo of the newborn, with the name label on the crib clearly visible, and they all smiled wider when they saw that she was indeed to be Laura. Then a third message came, in which Mike stated that there was a rather strident and familiar voice coming from the delivery suite next door, which had been telling the nurse what to do, but it had just been silenced by an even firmer one, with an English accent, telling her in no uncertain terms exactly who was in charge, and that she was more than happy to leave her to deliver the baby herself if that was what she preferred…
Lawrence nodded as Nick read out the message, trying not to laugh too much, but Dex just looked confused, until his younger sibling said, "It sounds as if Kitty is in the room next door, and that she had finally met her match in the redoubtable Nurse Crane."
"It does rather," quipped Nick, wondering what the expression on Artie's face was like at this moment if he was in there too. Then, he pondered further. "What do you imagine the odds are of the same nurse being in charge of the delivery of the baby of two women that we know in this city?"
"I would say it was quite small," Lawrence replied, then added, grinning, "What I am certain of is that Nurse Crane will win the battle of wills with Kitty. She is not the kind of woman that will ever accept no as an answer; admittedly, neither is Kitty, but in this fight, she is the one with a major disadvantage."
"I wonder if Mike would be up to providing us with a blow by blow commentary," mused Jeff wickedly. "Or maybe we could ask Artie to film a surreptitious video…"
"Somehow I don't think that Nurse Crane would approve of that at all," responded Lawrence. "In fact, at the mere suggestion of that, he would be wheeled forcefully out of the room…"
It would be just before 1am when Mike, dozing in a chair beside his sleeping wife's bed, was woken by the sound of crying from the room next door, and that sound once again filled him with both joy and relief. He was quite glad that their downstairs neighbours' child would have a different birthday from his own newborn daughter. He knew that both Tina and Kitty had a competitive streak, and the birthday party that they would wish to throw for their child would always have to outdo the one thrown by their neighbour if it was on the same day. The sensible solution to that dilemma would of course be a joint party, and Mike knew that Artie would also see that, but that would never have been acceptable to their respective wives, despite the fact that their children would in most likelihood have exactly the same friends…
Mike stretched and seeing all was peaceful, headed out into the hallway, intending to stretch his legs and maybe find a drinks machine, as he was starting to feel thirsty. As he stepped outside, however, he saw Artie coming out of the room next door, and spotting the dancer, the film director said quietly, "It's a boy. I have a son, someone that can be my ally against the women of the house in later years…"
Mike chuckled, and said, "Well, I have a daughter, and as you might have heard, her coming into the world was not exactly the calmest of affairs. There was even a moment when I thought that I would have to deliver the baby myself, and that prospect had me terrified if I am being honest…"
"We did hear Tina screaming," Artie replied in a concerned tone. "Those explosions were quite the catalyst for our wives. We should look at suing Con Edison for all of the distress and trauma…"
That made Mike laugh, before he turned more serious again, and went on, "If it hadn't been for Lawrence… Having a doctor living on the street is no bad thing. Of course, it also means our daughter has a different name to what was intended; she was to have been Hope, but now she is Laura."
Artie smiled, and replied, "That is a good choice. Kitty is favouring James as a name for our boy, and not just because of Mr Bond… I am actually starting to favour Phillip though. We had the same nurse for the delivery as Jane and Mason, and she really is the most efficient and organised person. She is also forceful, just like her namesake in that show; once she asserted her authority, Kitty meekly did everything that she was told. I will need to try and find out what the trick is from her…"
Artie would not confirm the birth of his son, James Phillip, until the next morning. By then, Kitty and Nurse Crane had bonded, and he now felt totally outnumbered in the room. Meghan remained in the care of Nick and Jeff, but Mike had returned home at Tina's request. She was anxious that they should make the day as normal as possible for Harry, after all of the trauma and screaming of the night before. Mike did not have the heart to tell her that her son had slept soundly through all of it, and that he was probably seeing it all as just a last minute sleepover with the older boy a few doors along.
Nick was only too happy to see Mike despite the early hour and insisted on making breakfast for father and son. As soon as they were settled, he left Mike in the care of Jeff, claiming he needed to head out on an errand, whereas his real destination was the Chang house, where he wanted to make sure that the kitchen, which he had cleaned quickly the night before, was as clean as he wanted it to be; the last thing Mike needed to see was evidence of what had happened the night before as soon as he walked in.
Meanwhile, Lawrence had headed into work, and after his first duties of the day were discharged, he was called in for a chat with his supervisor. They had heard of course about his actions the night before, and wanted to discuss it with him, already most impressed by all that they heard. Then he used his break to head up to see Tina and Laura. He found them both asleep, but he headed in anyway to look down at the little girl he had brought into the world properly, and he had to agree with the consensus that she was perfection…
It was only when he heard the words "Thank you," being said that he realised that Tina had woken up, and no amount of shoulder shrugging or words on his part could convince Tina that he was not a hero. He eventually gave up on even attempting to make her see otherwise…
