by K E Osborn
“He may have some difficulty breathing. The main problem is that he’ll be a premature baby, but I’m almost sure that he’ll be fine with a few weeks of love and care. Unfortunately, Kat will have a nasty scar but I am sure she’ll recover. I suspect she’ll need lots of tender loving care after the ordeal she has been through.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost either of them,” I say honestly.
Kat starts to moan which immediately grabs my attention.
~ KAT ~
I can hear people talking and I can feel someone holding my hand as my eyes flicker open and closed. My body is numb. I try to lift my head, but it doesn’t move. Suddenly a stabbing pain engulfs my abdomen. I moan as the pain pounds through me again and again.
Oh crap, that hurts so bloody bad. Shit, my whole body feels like it’s on fire.
“Ahhh,” I call out as the hand tightens on mine.
“It’s okay baby, I’m right here.”
I hear Will’s voice. It calms me instantly.
Am I dreaming? Is he really here? What the hell happened to me?
“Kat, I’m going to give you some pain medication,” a female voice informs me, but I still can’t seem to keep my eyes open. I feel a mask on my face and I panic trying to pull it off, I don’t want to be anesthetized again. I moan as I move my hands to pull at the mask.
“No, not again. Leave me alone. Please just let me go home,” I call out as I feel the mask being placed back on my face.
“Kat, it’s just an oxygen mask. My name is Maggie and I’m an EMT. Are you in pain?” she asks.
“Ummm… yeah a lot. Ahhh, crap,” I mumble. “Will?”
“I’m here baby, I’m here,” he says calming me.
“Cohen?” I ask while I try to bend and look down at my swollen stomach holding back a sob.
“He’s doing okay. We’re going to meet him when we get you stabilized at the hospital baby.”
“No, it’s too soon. He won’t be ready. Ahhh,” I choke up at the words.
“Baby keep still,” he says as he brushes some hair from my face. “I love you.” He leans down and kisses my forehead, and immediately I start to sob.
“We’re here.”
“Where?” I ask.
“At Cedars-Sinai Hospital. It’s the closest and they have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”
Oh God, the pain is unbearable.
The EMT opens the back door and then pulls the gurney out of the ambulance. The movement of the gurney is pure agony. It feels like my insides are ripping apart.
“Oooowww,” I cry out.
“Be careful with her,” I hear Will say as I wave in and out of consciousness.
I look up; I’m moving fast down a corridor inside the hospital as the lights on the ceiling flash past me. I’m wheeled into the emergency operating theatre. Will’s by my side, continually telling me he loves me and to hold on. I fade out.
~ WILL ~
I watch her face as she falls unconscious yet again. I run along with the gurney as they wheel her into the emergency operating room. A nurse who’s dressed in scrubs comes over to me.
“Sir, you have to put these on if you wish to stay in here.”
She places some scrubs and a hair net in front of me. I let go of Kat’s hand briefly while I put on the scrubs and hair net in super quick time.
“Will… Will,” she calls out over and over with her eyes closed.
Everyone is talking so loudly, yelling at each other with all sorts of medical orders. I see them inserting all sorts of things into Kat’s still body.
Fuck, as if she hasn’t been through enough already, they’re hurting her even more. This is totally fucking killing me. Shit!
“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere,” I reassure her.
They bring a chair over for me to sit down next to her head and then they pull a sheet up in front of her stomach as surgeons and nurses go work on her. An incubator is brought into the room and is set up for Cohen’s arrival. I hold Kat’s hand and with my other I stroke her face. I watch as a tear falls down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb. My emotions are wreaking havoc. Kat winces as the surgeon does something and I can see that she’s uncomfortable.
“Baby, I’m right here. Just listen to my voice. I love you… I love you so much,” I whisper in her ear. She turns her head to face me.
“I love you too,” she whispers and then falls unconscious again.
I exhale as I rest my forehead against hers and tears run down my face.
“Forceps,” the surgeon calls pulling my focus away from Kat’s gorgeous face.
I continue to hold onto Kat’s hand tightly. Then I hear a popping sound, my heart skips a beat and then I hear it… crying. I hear crying… my boy is crying. I exhale and kiss Kat on her cheek as I watch them clean Cohen and place him into the incubator. Tears fall without pause as I watch our son being wheeled out of the operating theatre.
“He’s here, Kat,” I sniff, “Our little baby Cohen, is here.”
She opens her eyes slightly. “He’s here?” she asks softly.
“Yes, you did it, Kat,” I tell her as her eyes start to roll backwards.
“I love… ”
The heart monitor flat lines.
“Kat… Kat, wake up,” I scream, as I grip her hand so tightly it would have to be hurting, but she doesn’t even flinch.
“I’m sorry sir, you’ll have to wait outside,” a nurse says. She pulls me from the chair and starts to push me away from Kat.
“What? No! I’m not going anywhere.”
“Sir, please.”
“No! Kat, Kat, baby. C’mon, please wake up,” I yell at her.
“Get him out of here,” the surgeon states while the nurse tries to move me out the door.
“Let go of me! Kat… ”
“Security, can someone call security, please?”
Two burly men burst through the doors and take an arm each.
“No! I can’t leave her. I promised I’d never leave her. Please you have to save her. Please, please, please… ” I beg as they drag me out of the room and to the waiting area.
I burst into tears, full sobbing tears and fall to the floor. A young nurse comes over, helps me up and onto a chair.
“C’mon, Will. Let’s get a coffee and let them do their job?”
I realize that Mark is actually still with me. I honestly didn’t even know he was still here. He’s not left my side the entire time this has all been going down.
“Trust me they’re very good at their jobs. They’ll do the best they can with Kat. Is there anyone we should be calling Will?” Mark asks.
I shake my head. I can’t talk to anyone right now.
“Could you call my mom and let her know what’s going on? Let’s not concern Kat’s parents until we know what’s actually happening.”
Shit, fuck, crap… how the hell am I going to explain this to Johno? I promised him I’d take care of her. Oh, and what a fantastic job I’ve done of that…
“I should be there holding her hand and telling her she’ll be alright,” I say quietly.
“Will, you need to let them do their job. You… well you need to go and see your son,” Mark says. “I’ll walk with you to the NICU and then I’ll go outside and make the call to your mom.”
I nod and wipe my nose on my sleeve again.
“No, Mark, I really want to see Cohen for the first time with Kat. She deserves that much from me. We can see our son together when she wakes up.”
I sit in the waiting room and just wait for what seems like an eternity. I pace, I sit, I sob and then I do it all over again.
Eventually, Mom shows up and, of course, I fall to pieces when I see her. She cradles me in her arms.
Fuck, I didn’t know how much I needed my mom until she walked in.
Dan and Brooke also show up. I’m guessing Mark must have called them as well.
“How is she?” they ask in unison.
“I don’t kno
w. She’s been in surgery for hours and they won’t tell me anything,” I say as Brooke leans in for a hug.
I look over my shoulder and see a young girl taking a photo with her cell.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me; even now we have no privacy.
“Mark, can you please talk to the hospital and see if there’s anything they can do to help us keep the fans and paparazzi away. I can’t fucking cope with crazed fans right now.”
A gut wrenching depression washes over me. I feel numb. Even though I have my mom, Dan and Brooke here with me, I feel so utterly alone, and bitterly cold.
Then I look up and notice a nurse coming out of the double-doors.
“Mr. Sanders?” she calls.
I stand up abruptly and jog over to her even though I feel a little woozy.
“Is she alright? Please tell me she’s fine.”
The anticipation of what she says next is causing me to feel faint. I hear ringing in my ears, I go hot and I swallow a lump in my throat.
Please God, let her be okay.
The nurse nods her head and in that moment I feel elated, as happy, if not happier, than the day Kat said I do. I hug the nurse and she laughs as I lift her into the air and swirl her around.
“Mr. Sanders,” she says as I put her down.
“Right, sorry,” I say and smile brightly. “Can I go and see her?” I ask as I feel impatience wash over me. I have to see her.
“Mr. Sanders, your wife has lost a lot of blood. The doctor has given her some blood units and she’s stable at the moment. She’s been through a great ordeal, but luckily the incision that was made was clean and should heal nicely. The wound was deep; it cut through the layers of muscle and grazed the uterus wall, but did not penetrate it or the amniotic sac. If there is a plus side to this, it’s the fact that the assailant knew what she was doing. You were lucky you got to her when you did. Otherwise, she may have succeeded in getting your baby out,” she says.
I shudder at the thought of Kira holding Cohen or even being anywhere near him. I can’t believe I thought she was a normal person. A quiet fan who was happy with our little jokes and autographs. I don’t understand how someone can get so bitterly twisted and think that I’d be in love with them even though I’ve never physically touched her. I will never, ever forgive her for this. I hope she rots in jail for a lifetime.
“If you would like to see Kat, I’d be happy to show you the way?” she asks.
“Oh God, yes. Please take me to her.”
I look across at my mom, Mark, Brooke and Dan.
“Go… go… Will. We’ll be here waiting for you,” Mom says.
“Of course, we will,” Brooke adds as Dan wraps his arm around her shoulder.
I smile and walk briskly with the nurse to see my wife. We walk through the big swinging doors and down a hallway into a hospital room, where Kat will be recovering. I see her hooked up to machines, IV drips and she has an oxygen mask on her face. My relief shifts to despair.
“I thought you said she was okay?” I ask the nurse as she fiddles with Kat’s IV.
“She’s stable, for now, but she’ll probably be sleeping for a while. Feel free to sit with her. You can talk to her, I’m sure she can hear you,” she says and then she leaves the room.
“Thank you,” I call out.
I take Kat’s hand in mine and hold it gently as I watch the fluid run through the IV and into her arm. I feel a tear run down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away with my sleeve.
“Kat, baby,” sniff, “I love you so much,” sniff, “and so does our son,” sniff, “and he wants to meet you so badly,” sniff, “so you have to get better really soon.”
I kiss her hand gently. That feeling of overwhelming, gut wrenching desperation hits me. I rest my head on the edge of her bed and silently cry.
“Will,” I hear Mom’s voice. I look up and see her standing in the doorway with Brooke and Dan.
I nod at them to come in. “I thought you weren’t allowed in here?” I ask
“We aren’t, but there’s paparazzi everywhere out there and they were trying to ask us questions. The hospital Director requested that we stay in here with you while they deal with it. Mark is coordinating with the hospital staff.”
“Shit, I didn’t even think of that. I should call Patty.”
“I’ll do it,” Brooke says.
“Thank you,” I sniff my words out.
“She’ll be okay dude! You know how feisty she is, and she’s a fighter Will,” Dan says while he’s patting me on the shoulder.
A nurse comes into the room to update me on Cohen’s progress.
“Cohen weighs four pounds three ounces and has black hair like his daddy. He’s having a little trouble breathing so they’re helping him with that. Other than that, he seems perfectly normal and is a very healthy baby boy,” she says.
“Oh great,” I say with a semi smile.
“Do you want to see him?”
“Ooh… I do, I do,” Mom says impatiently and raising her hand.
“No. I want Kat to see him first before anyone else,” I say.
Mom nods in understanding. I feel Kat’s hand move in mine and my head flies back to her face to see if she’s okay. Her eyes flutter open as she squints and blinks a few times.
“Baby, you’re okay. Do you know where you are?” I ask her.
She nods and then winces with pain.
“Cohen?” she whispers.
“He’s fine. He’s waiting to meet you,” I say.
“Who does he look like?”
“I don’t know I haven’t left your side. I thought we should see him together at the same time,” I say to her making her smile.
“Can we see him now?”
“I think you need to rest a bit more before you see Cohen, but I’ll ask if you really want to.”
“I’ll go and check with the nurse, if you like?” Dan asks.
“Thanks, dude, I appreciate it.”
Dan leaves the room with Brooke.
“You had me worried there for a while,” I say and she smiles.
“You think I’d leave you here with Cohen all by yourself?” she questions and lets out a small giggle and then winces.
A nurse comes in and takes Kat’s blood pressure. It’s still quite low but it’s way better than it was in the ambulance.
“Kira?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
“They have her. Don’t worry about it, she’ll not be bothering us again,” I declare.
“When can I see Cohen?”
“Dan’s gone to ask, but I don’t think it’ll be for a little while. You need to be more stable than you are. I’d say at least a couple of hours.”
“But I don’t want him all alone, thinking we don’t want him. He’s so little. We should be there with him,” she says and a lone tear rolls down her cheek. I wipe it away and kiss her forehead.
“Baby, he’ll never think we’ve abandoned him. He’s so small, he probably doesn’t think about much at all, ‘cept for maybe his next meal. Please try not to worry, just try and get some rest and we’ll see him when you wake up. You’ve been through a lot and I need you to get better, for Cohen and for me… we both need you,” I say as I stroke her cheek.
~ KAT ~
My eyes flutter slowly open as I wonder if it was all a dream. I see Will sitting next to me with his head on my bed while he holds my hand. Liz, Dan and Brooke are sitting on a sofa in my room and chatting amongst themselves. I tighten my hand around Wills and he looks up at me.
“Hey, welcome back, sleepy head,” he says and then he pulls my hand up to kiss it.
“How long was I asleep for?”
“A little over five hours.”
“Does that mean we can go and see Cohen now?”
Will sighs and presses the nurse call button.
“Guess we can find out,” he says.
A nurse walks in. “Good morning, Katerina. How are you feeling?” she asks, while she busies herself checking my v
itals.
“I’m okay. Can we go and see our baby, now?”
The nurse purses her lips. “Your blood pressure is still a little low, I’d advise against it.”
“What if I insist on going?”
“We can take you in a wheelchair, if you insist, but let me warn you, it’ll be painful for you to move from the bed into the chair,” she says trying subtly to convince me that it's not in my best interests.
“I need to see him, Will… we need to see him.”
The nurse nods. “I’ll go and get a wheelchair.”
Will looks at me and shakes his head. “If you’re not one hundred percent, then maybe we should wait a little longer, at least until you feel a little better and your blood pressure comes up a bit more,” he says as a look of desperation crosses his face.
“I need to see him, Will, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course, I’ve been dying to see him. I just want you to be okay first, that’s all.”
I entwine my fingers with his.
“It’s time. He’s been in the world for over… what? Nine hours and no one has visited him. He needs us Will, as much as we need him.”
Will exhales deeply. “Okay.”
The nurse comes back in with a wheelchair.
“Right, now Kat, I’m going to come over to the bed and you’re going to swing your legs around to the side, and yes, it is going to hurt, so slow, steady movements,” she says as she lifts the back of the bed up so I’m in a sitting position. The movement of the bed stabs at my abdomen and a small moan escapes my throat as Will looks at me with his eyebrows furrowed.
“Baby, really? We don’t have to do this now.”
I glare at him and he backs down, instead he takes my hand while I sit up. My legs move to the edge of the bed all the while my stomach feels like it is tearing itself back open. I try my hardest not to make any sounds or facial expressions showing the pain I’m in because I know it’ll make Will want to stop me.
My legs slowly ease off the edge of the bed and the nurse grabs one hand while Will holds the other. Liz, Dan and Brooke watch on cautiously. I dangle my legs off the side of the bed and rest my feet on the cold floor. I exhale. The pain biting into my abdomen is causing me to feel slightly nauseous, but I wave it off as the urge to see our son is far more important than my well being.