Chapter 21

Labor of Love 1

Dr. Meg Salter was a few steps away from the hospital exit when the lights flickered ominously.

"No, no, no!" she exclaimed. For once in her life she was being spontaneous, joining her husband on his same flight to surprise him in Paris for their 22nd wedding anniversary. The weather had to cooperate with her!

"Please God," she breathed, but the lights flashed again before dying completely.

As a medical professional, she had a duty to take care of the newborn babies in her hospital, often sacrificing her personal life for the cause. Well she'd have to take another hit for the team.

She raced back into the neonatal ward, sending an apologetic thought to her husband Prof. Brian Salter, "Sorry dear, you're going to be spending our anniversary alone."

True to their function, the emergency generators kicked on after main power loss. With the dim lighting, Dr. Salter rushed to stabilize babies until power was restored. If it could be restored, she thought. The sudden storm seemed to be getting worse.

She glanced at the red-haired doctor who was soothing a wailing babe. Monica was new, but they had become friends in a short time. It was the Irish woman who had convinced Meg to live for herself for once, instead of for the hospital. Strangely though, Monica didn't seem to want her to leave tonight. It looked like she got her wish.

It was a few hours before full power was restored to the children's wing, but Meg had truly missed her flight to Paris. Sure she could go and catch another one, but her resolve was weakening from her earlier impulse and the severe storm. She decided to stay and work her normal shift at the hospital.

A sudden flurry of movement distracted her and a crash team burst through the emergency doors. "We have a woman who went into early labor during a flight."

Meg glanced at the woman's protruding belly, "What was she doing taking such a risk by flying when she's so far along?!"

She did a brief, clinical assessment on the patient. "Vitals are critical, she's had two seizures, an edema. Set her up on a hypertension drip."

"Ma'am, what's your name?" Meg questioned her. The woman's answer would also gauge how coherent she was.

"Olivia…" The woman's voice was feeble.

"Olivia, my name is Dr. Meg Salter. You're going to be just fine."

To her surprise Olivia began breathing harshly, "Salter… Dr. Salter?"

Meg nodded. Did the pregnant woman know her? She wasn't one of her usual patients. "Yes, that's me. Come on, we're going to take you into surgery and deliver your baby."

"Yes, please. Save my baby," the woman murmured weakly.

Within no time Meg was scrubbed up reassuring Olivia through her contractions. With one final push Meg was holding a baby girl in her arms.

"She's not breathing," the doctor cursed. "Quickly, oxygen and something to clear her airway." With professional ease, the nursing staff quickly handed the requested items over and soon a healthy cry was sounding throughout the room.

"Congratulations, Olivia, it's a girl and she's perfect."

The new mother gave a faint smile, but her head was aching too much to speak.

"Get the trauma team in here now!" Meg ordered. She personally took the woman's baby into pediatrics to perform the standard tests.

"You are a miracle baby, little one," the red haired Doctor whispered. Every time she held a newborn babe, she thought that it could have been hers and her husband's, but such was the price of being a prominent obstetrician and history professor.

She placed the girl into her carrier making sure the baby was resting comfortably.

Dr. Salter turned only to see the most unexpected sight.

"Brian! What a lovely surprise!" Had he skipped his flight to spend their anniversary with her?

Her husband was soaking wet from the storm's rains and looking as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

Meg stopped short in front of him.

"Is that Olivia's baby?" He questioned his eyes roaming to the clear baby bassinet.

"Yes, how did you know it was hers?" She turned a critical eye to his concerned face. "How do you know Olivia?"

Her husband guiltily glanced to the floor. "This is Olivia Marland's baby… and mine."

Dr. Salter froze in place. It had just hit her. Olivia Marland was a graduate student at NYU, specifically in her husband's class, one who he had mentioned often on her looks and gentleness. She had just delivered her husband's mistress' baby!

Their baby, not hers.

Brian Salter reached out in supplication, "Please understand, Meg."

She drew back repulsed at the sight of him. How utterly humiliating it was that she was the last to know of his affair, and it wasn't even a simple tryst, they had had a baby together!

"Meg, you were spending hours at the hospital. I was with Olivia working on my research and one thing led to another." He pleaded with her, "She makes me feel alive again, and now with our baby, I finally have the family I always wanted."

"We," his jilted wife broke out suddenly, "We've always wanted a family. When it didn't happen, I thought you were fine with that, but you obviously weren't!"

He shook his head, "You assumed. I wasn't happy, Meg, but I was with her. I was going to do the right thing and say goodbye to her in Paris, but after seeing our baby, I can't. We have so much history together. Is she going to be alright?"

Meg bit her lip at the complete destruction of her marriage before her eyes. "Dr. Parr, the operating surgeon, is a good man and I believed the plane managed to turn back in time." Her eyes were swimming with tears, but her husband (soon to be ex) ignored her plight. Luckily an angel in the form of Monica came in.

"Monica, run the usual tests on Baby Marland. I'm going to check on the other babies." With that said Meg escaped from the room as quickly as she could.

Meg Salter lost herself in the soft coos of sleeping babies. Official word had come through that Olivia Marland was expected to pull through thanks to the skills of Dr. Parr. The female doctor didn't know whether to be grateful or upset.

Love was a two way street. She had done her best to make do with the dry lectures and unromantic anniversary gifts (a piece of the Berlin Wall, seriously?), but it was obviously a futile effort. Her husband had chosen and she had been left behind, broken and unwanted.

I seem to be writing for a lot of episodes in Season 3. I was impressed with Priscilla Presley's acting and surprised at how jaded Celeste all of sudden became. That's pretty depressing for an angel to know how bad the human world is after only a month. It's nice to see Hudson Leick outside of Xena. I find it hard to believe she wasn't in other shows or movies. I thought the doctor was crazy for wanting to fly out in such a crazy thunderstorm so I made this one shot. Two more to follow.