“Well that one was at five minutes. This little girl is being pushy.” Grams grumbled.
“How do I spell Abcde?” Layla asked, glancing into the back seat. “Ewww you look miserable.”
“Oh, if I could hit you right now, Layla. I would. I so would.” Zoe whispered.
“What was that?” Layla quipped.
“If you two don't stop it, I swear to all that is holy, I'm going to pull this car over!” Tim teased.
Grams sighed. “Now I know why Pops held down the fort. The two of you are like two wet cats in a bag.”
Zoe grinned and patted Grams' hand. “You love us.”
“I do, but the two of you are enough to put me in the grave.”
“Nah, we keep you young and on your toes,” Layla chuckled. “Oh, and Calvin says you better not name her Abcde.”
Zoe smiled. “I figured that would get him. Tim? How much further?”
“Um, about ten minutes. Eight if I get lucky. You okay?”
Grams stared at Zoe for a moment and shook her head. “Nope, she's broke out in a sweat and is shaking. Do you feel like you need to push?”
“No...” Zoe gritted out from between clenched teeth. “Not yet.”
“Well even if you do, you don't. You got that stitch in there and we don't want your lady bits blowing clear to the Mason Dixon line, you hear me?”
Zoe panted and attempted a weak laugh. “I don't think the Mason Dixon line wants my lady bits anyway.”
Layla stuck her tongue out. “Can we not discuss vaginas, please?”
“Oh, shut up!” Grams laughed and pointed at Tim. “Like he's not playing hide the sausage in your lady bits. I wasn't born yesterday.”
Tim flushed hot and he pulled at the collar of his t-shirt. “Well, I – uh. Oh, God.”
Layla crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “I did not just hear my Grandma say hide the sausage. I didn't. I'm going to pretend that I never, ever heard that.”
Grams chortled. “You keep believing that, baby girl. Once upon a time your Grams was hot real estate and I played hide the sausage all the time.”
“OH MY GOD!” Layla screamed, covering her ears. “La-la-la-la-la-la-la-LA!”
Zoe gripped the edge of the door. “Ow!”
Silence filled the car as Grams checked her watch again. “Boy? You think you'll be there in three minutes?”
“I'm on it, Grams.”
Zoe closed her eyes and breathed slowly. “It hurts.”
“It's going to, baby. But it will be worth it when you have her in your arms.”
“Maybe we should have called the doctor,” Zoe panicked. “I should have called the doctor.”
“Layla, get off that texting thing-a-ma-bob and call Dr. Crist. He can get through to who he needs to. Now!” Grams ordered. “Now you just lay back there and rest,” she pointed to Zoe.
Zoe squeezed her eyes tighter and halfway listened as Layla made the call to Dr. Crist's office. “He's calling the specialists now, they will be there within minutes. He says to take her to the ER and they will know what to do. He's calling them too.”
“Good,” Grams said. “What's the hold up, Tim?” The car slowed.
“Traffic. Rush hour. I'm trying to get through but we're gridlocked. Cars are trying to slide over, but it's a mess.”
Zoe peeked through her lashes and groaned at the cars surrounding them.
“Do I need to get out of the car and start moving cars on my own?” Grams yelled. “I swear!”
Tim tweaked the siren and honked his horn. The 18 wheeler in front of him started to slowly slide toward the shoulder of the road and Tim carefully squeezed around him. A loud crack sounded and Zoe's eyes flew open long enough to see the passenger side mirror being snapped off.
“Oops,” Tim chuckled. “The department isn't going to like that too much.”
“I'll pay for it, Tim, just get me there,” Zoe growled.
“I'm getting ready to do some off roading. Y'all buckled in?” Tim asked.
“Off roading?” Grams croaked and then squealed as Tim went off the shoulder of the road into the grass.
“Hold your ass cheeks, ladies. We're getting to that hospital.”
Tim rolled through the grass and up the side of the exit. Grams squealed and yelled and Zoe closed her eyes tighter. I do not want to see this!
The tires of the car met pavement again with a bump and the tires squealed as they made a u-turn in the road. “Woo!” Tim yelled. “Let's do this!”
Grams touched Zoe's hand and mumbled. “Well, I don't need to pee anymore.”
“Tell Calvin that my Need for Speed training has served me well, Layla. Tell him!” Tim bragged.
“Need for Speed training?” She queried.
“Yeah, just tell him. He'll know what I'm talking about. All right there is the hospital, let's roll up in here like we own the place!” He took the turn into the parking lot wide and fast, the tires squealing again as he braked by the Emergency Room doors.
“Jesus Christ,” Grams whispered. “Am I still alive?”
“Yep!” Tim assured her with a wide, boyish grin. “I got us here.”
“Well, Skippy, how about you stop bragging like a turd and get her a wheelchair!” Grams urged.
“Oh! Yeah!” Tim unbuckled his seat belt and ran for the doors of the ER like Hell's demons were after him.
“Zoe,” Grams said, “let's get you ready to unload.”
“Okay.”
Grams unbuckled her seatbelt and Layla opened the door. “Come on, give me your hand.” Layla braced herself and Zoe took her hand. “On the count of three. One... Two... Three.” The veins in Layla's neck stood out as she pulled Zoe from the low seat. “There!” She gasped.
Tim came running back with a wheelchair and Zoe swiveled to sit in the seat. Then Tim started running. “Stop running, I'm afraid you're going to dump me out!” Zoe yelled.
“Nah, I got this.” Tim promised.
“That's what I'm afraid of!” They careened into the doors and Zoe gripped the arms of the chair.
The nurse stood ready and she smiled as they came down the hallway. “Hi there! I hear we're having contractions? Dr. Crist has already called and I'm to take you directly to the maternity floor. We have a bed ready for you and the doctors are on their way. How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Contractions freaking hurt,” Zoe grumbled.
“They sure do, honey. I've had four, myself. But it's worth it!”
They came to the elevator and the nurse backed them in. Grams and Layla followed with the bag of necessities. “Whew, I'm glad Dr. Crist got everything straight,” Grams smiled at the nurse.
“Yeah, we usually send preterm ladies up to the maternity ward, but it's always good to get the ball rolling!” She agreed.
“Ow!” Zoe roared.
“Five minutes again,” Grams mumbled to the nurse. “I've been keeping time.”
“Getting closer together, Zoe? A little stronger?”
“Yes!” she groaned out.
“All righty, we are almost there.”
The next few minutes were a blur as they came out of the elevator and she was undressed and put into a bed with a gown on. The doctor came into the room just as she was covering herself with the blanket. “Hello there, Zoe!”
“Hi,” she replied simply.
“I'm Dr. Elijah. I hear you have been having contractions and your water might have broken?” He smiled and sat down on the little stool at the end of her bed.
“If her water didn't break, she peed,” Layla offered.
Dr. Elijah smirked. “Well, I guess I should take a little look. Let me get a nurse in here right quick and we'll see where we are at. Zoe, do you want them to stay while I examine you?”
Layla piped up. “Oh God, I am not staying in here.” She hurried from the room.
Grams stared into Zoe's face. “Baby, I'll stay if you want me to.”
“Please?” Zoe held her hand out. “I need you.”
>
“And I'm there, baby.” Grams took her hand and squeezed it gently.
Dr. Elijah stood and peeked his head out the door. “Need a nurse, now!”
Moments later a young, blonde nurse hurried to the door. “Yes, sir?”
“We need to do an exam.” He washed his hands at the small sink and pulled gloves on. “Zoe, let's put your legs in the stirrups and see how we are doing.”
“I have a stitch in my cervix,” Zoe reminded him, groaning as another contraction cramped through her belly.
“Four minutes,” Grams said coolly.
“Contractions getting closer together?” Dr. Elijah asked, concern crossing his face.
“Yep.”
“All right,” he nodded. “Let's shine some light on the subject.” A bright spotlight came on and he positioned the chair at the end of the bed. “Zoe honey, can you shift your bottom closer to the end of the bed for me?
“Okay,” she shifted closer.
“I want your bottom almost hanging off the edge. Just a bit more.”
She shifted again.
“Perfect. All right, I'm going to touch you here... and let's see what we see.”
Zoe grimaced at his touch. “I hate this.”
“Yeah, I can't imagine it's too much fun,” he admitted. “I'm going to have to put the speculum in there and take a peek at your cervix. Did you have a shot when you went into labor before to prepare the baby's lungs for birth?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Good. We are probably going to give you one more just to be on the safe side. I need to make sure your cervix is holding without the contractions straining the stitches. If the stitches seem to be holding okay, I can give you some medicine to stop the contractions and we'll try to hold the baby a little bit longer. But if you are having straining on the stitches, I'll have to undo it and we'll be having a baby pretty quick. Either way if your water has broken, we will be having a baby in a day or so.” Dr. Elijah said calmly as he inserted the speculum and peered in at her cervix.
“Okay. So we can't hold her any longer?” Zoe squirmed.
“Nope. Going to do a quick ultrasound too. Nurse, can you hand me the wand?”
The nurse passed him the little wand with lubricant on it and he placed it on her stomach and peered at the screen of the ultrasound machine. Silence swelled as he looked.
Grams finally coughed nervously. “What do you see, Doc?”
“Well,” he started as he passed the wand back to the nurse. “I am going to cut this string. It's pulled tight and I don't want to cause damage to the cervix.”
“So we're gonna have a baby... soon?” Grams asked.
“Yes. I want to get a monitor on the baby. She is positioned for birth and ready to go. I need to monitor her for fetal distress. If she isn't happy in there I might have to perform a c-section.”
“Why wouldn't she be happy in there?” Zoe demanded.
Dr. Elijah smiled patiently. “She could be stressed out. We've been holding her in there for quite some time now. Your water has broken and she's ready to go. I just want to make sure that her heart rate is okay. Why don't you take your legs out of the stirrups and get comfortable while we get the monitor and the tools ready to clip the stitches?”
Zoe complied, sliding back on the bed and she squeezed her eyes shut as the doctor and nurse left the room. “I got really panicked when Layla and Tim were talking about my book being in the paper. I just freaked out and I guess that's what did it. If there is anything wrong with her, I'm going to hate myself.”
“Ah hell, honey. We've been holding this girl for as long as we can, and I'm frankly surprised she didn't make her debut sooner. I wish those two would learn how to keep their flaps shut, but you've done good holding on this long.” Grams leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Don't stress it, baby.”
Zoe grasped the sheet on the bed and her back arched as another contraction came. “Owwwwww.”
Dr. Elijah and the nurse came back at that moment. “Time?” He pointed to Grams.
“Four minutes.”
“All right, honey, slide on back down here.” Dr. Elijah prompted.
Zoe stuck her feet in the stirrups and slid down the bed again. He pulled on clean gloves and the nurse placed tools on a tray for him. “This good, Doc?” Zoe asked.
“Perfect. I am going to put the speculum back in and open you back up. Then I'll snip these strings and we'll go from there.” Dr. Elijah hummed as he worked and Zoe flinched as she felt the tug of the instrument on string.
“That hurts!”
“Sorry, almost done. One big pull...”
Zoe hissed as he withdrew the instruments. “Is my stuff still attached?”
“Yeah, we're good to go. Let me feel how far you’re dilated.” He paused for a moment as he felt around. “Ah. You're easily five, maybe six centimeters. Let's get this monitor on the baby's head.”
“Five to six centimeters?” Zoe gasped. “That's a lot.”
“Yeah, it is. The stitch held the baby in and as the baby grew, stress was put on the stitches. Now that there are no stitches to cinch it tight, you're opening up. And there we go, now we have your girl on monitor. Let's take a little look see at her heart rate.” Dr. Elijah explained and his brow furrowed as he scrutinized the monitor.
“Hmm, her heart is running a little slower than I'd like. Let's put another monitor around your belly and see if we get anything any different, okay?” He smiled encouragingly.
Zoe swallowed. “Something is wrong, isn't it?”
“Ah, we don't know that yet, let's not stress what we don't know, okay?” He replied as the nurse placed the monitor around her stomach. Another set of numbers popped up on the screen and he hummed to himself.
“How does she look, Doc?” Grams pressed.
“Her heart rate is kind of low... I don't think we have time for another shot for her lungs. I'm going to get the operating room ready. We're having a baby.”
Zoe opened and closed her mouth. “We're having a baby? Now?” She wailed. “My husband isn't here.”
“Ah he won't miss much, I promise. We'll have you and the baby all cleaned up when he gets here.” Dr. Elijah patted her knee. “Things are going to move fast in the next few minutes, Zoe.”
“Can Grams stay with me?” She pleaded.
“Yes, let's get her in some scrubs while we get the room prepped.” He rushed out of the room and the nurse followed behind him.
“Grams, I'm scared.” Zoe mumbled and she clenched Grams' hand tight.
“Nothing to be scared of, sweetheart. Just a little slice and they'll pull her out and she will be perfect,” Grams promised.
The nurse returned. “Put these scrubs on, ma'am. Over your clothes is fine.”
Grams released her hand and hurried to pull the pale green scrubs over her khaki pants and coral top. She tied the cap over her grey curls. “I look like I belong on that show, ER!”
Zoe tried to smile, but her lips trembled and tears filled her eyes. “This is too real.”
“It will be okay. Look here is the doctor, they are getting ready.”
The nurse unlocked the wheels of her bed and smiled down at her. “We're going to take you to the operating room now. Ma'am, follow us.”
Grams nodded at Zoe and moved to follow behind the bed as they hurried down the hall. The nurse pushed through the swinging black doors of the operating room and Zoe glanced around as they walked into the cool, sterile room. Lots of lights were set up and several people were moving around.
“I'm scared!” She squeaked.
Dr. Elijah turned and smiled patiently. “Nothing to be scared of. We are going to put you under. Mike here is going to give you a little anesthesia and you'll be asleep through the whole thing. We don't have time to numb you with an epidural. We'll slide a screen up and your support can sit at your head. We will make a quick cut, pull the baby out, and we will pass her off to the neonatal unit. They will check her over and make sure she
is well. Your family will be able to see her after we get her cleaned up. Then I will stitch you up and bring you out of anesthesia. It will be done before you know it.”
Zoe swallowed nervously and nodded. “All right.”
“It's for the best. We don't want her heart rate to get down too low. We will take care of you and her, I promise. Let’s get you on the operating table and get things moving, okay?”
“Okay.”
Grams squeezed her shoulder. “I'll be right here, honey. Don't you worry about a thing.”
“I'm not,” Zoe lied.
Mike the anesthesiologist came to her head. “Hi there, Zoe. I'm going to put this mask on your face and you'll take some nice, slow breaths for me. When I get you nice and sleepy, I'm going to put a tube down your throat and we will monitor you. When you wake up, you will be in recovery and have a baby.” He fitted the mask over her face and Zoe took a deep breath. The last thing she saw was Grams' soft smile.
Chapter Nineteen
Zoe stood in the little room again and she looked around. “Hello?” Okay, these dreams have GOT to stop!
A door seemed to appear in the wall of the room and in walked her father and mother. “Hello, Zoe,” Lila said softly.
“Momma,” Zoe cried and she rushed across the room to fall into the older woman's arms.
They embraced tightly and Lila stroked Zoe's hair back from her face. “You are so beautiful.”
“I have missed you,” Zoe whispered.
“I have missed you. We don't have long. Just know that everything will be okay, and that I love you.” Lila pressed a warm kiss to her cheek.
“I wish we had more time.” Zoe glanced at her father. “Daddy. I miss you too.”
He held his arms open and Zoe turned to hug him. “I miss you too, Zoe.”
Lila touched her arm. “Go and be the best momma you can be, Zoe. I know you will be.”
Zoe reached out as the room began to shimmer and fade. “I am not ready to go.”
Lila smiled sadly, her soft brown eyes swimming with tears. “It's time for you to rejoin the living. We can't have another girl grow up without her momma. Be well, Zoe.”
Zoe woke up in the recovery room and she gasped for air and began to cry.
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