Curious, I continue to watch him. “Can you read charts?”
“He used to be a doctor,” Kate adds.
“Intern,” he corrects her.
“What does it say? Is something wrong with my baby?”
He continues to read, then puts it down. “Well, your water broke, but you knew that. The baby’s heart rate is high, and it appears to be distressed. Basically, if it continues, they will need to do a C-section.”
“But… but I can’t be cut open.” I panic. Not once have I thought this was a possibility. “I don’t handle blood very well or knives and scalpels. And what about if they can’t close me up? What happens if my organs fail?”
Lex moves over to Kate’s side, and with a calm demeanor, tries to ease my worries. “You’ll have well-trained surgeons taking care of you. Women bounce back without too much trouble. Aside from no driving for a while, you’ll just need to take it slow. No heavy lifting or strenuous exercise. But let’s see what your doctor says first. In the meantime, is there anything I can get you from the nurses’ station?”
I shake my head and thank him.
“I’ll be right outside if you want me, just need to make a few work calls.”
He goes off into the hallway, and I rest my head back and close my eyes. The second he is out of sight Vicky is quick to comment. “Shit, Kate, why didn’t you tell me he was gorgeous?”
“Because he’s married and totally off the market.”
“Does he have any brothers? Or even cousins? Hell, what about his dad? I’m quite open.” Vicky winks.
Even in my despair, I laugh out loud at her comment. “You’re very open.”
“Like a twenty-four-hour convenience store,” Kate roars.
“Hey!” Vicky hollers. “That’s not nice… but so true.”
Kate grabs the chair behind her and pulls it in, still holding onto my hand. “I hope you don’t mind that Lex is here. It was hard enough getting a taxi at this hour without having to drop him off first, plus he was worried about you. He called Charlie straight away, and she sends her best wishes and a message for you… ask for the drugs.”
I manage to laugh out loud again, not plagued with another contraction yet. They appear to be inconsistent, which is probably a good thing. The doctor still hasn’t turned up, but according to the last nurse who came in, he will be here shortly. It’s a waiting game, and uncertainty is something that makes me extremely anxious. I haven’t even taken the time to research Caesareans, believing I would have a normal vaginal birth. My body temperature begins to rise again, so I shove some ice cubes in my mouth, biting hard to stop panic-ridden Presley from blacking out.
Vicky checks her phone again before placing it back in her purse, turning her attention back to me. “I get why you’re pissed off at him after what Eloise told you. But what did he say or do the night before for you to get so worked up, Pres?”
“Nothing,” I mumble. “It’s not even worth talking about. Just distract me. Tell me what happened with Patrick.”
Once Vicky gets started on Patrick, it’s like listening to a soap opera. Apparently, he separated from his wife because she busted him cheating with some secretary at his firm. Although they aren’t divorced yet, he’s eager to move on with his single life, and Vicky’s name is at the top of his list.
“You’ll be proud of me… I didn’t touch him whatsoever.”
“Good, because I’d hate for you to be here one day, pushing out a baby that belongs to a jerk!” I scream suddenly, riding out another contraction that catches me by surprise.
I squeeze both Kate’s and Vicky’s hands, and I only let go when the pain subsides. They let go as soon as I relax again and shake their hands to stop the numbing. I hadn’t realized how tight I was squeezing until I saw their pale white hands.
Exhausted from the tides of pain, I manage to close my eyes for what feels like only a brief moment. Time is lost on me, and when Lex walks back into the room with the doctor, I pray for pain relievers and a positive solution.
“Miss Malone, you’ve gone into early labor, and the baby is distressed. We need to operate shortly,” the doctor informs me.
“Wait, operate? You can’t cut me open! That’s why I have a vagina,” I yell, out of breath as I choke, panicking.
The midwife strolls in and takes Vicky’s spot, patting my forehead with a cloth. She talks to me, but all I hear is blah, blah, blah. I’m certain I’m going to pass out from the sheer terror. I begin to cry, wanting my mom or sister, someone familiar to comfort me and not this stranger. With Vicky and Kate sent to the waiting area, the pain mixed with my desperate pleas drown out an army of nurses who come into the room and unlock the wheels to my bed.
“We’re going to wheel you to the operating room now.”
The doors open, and my girls are at my side with Lex behind them. The sobbing starts again, and I desperately hold onto their arms, not wanting to let go.
“It’s gonna be okay, Pres,” Vicky whispers. “The Jerk hasn’t picked up his phone, but I’ll keep trying.”