by Lane Hart
The doctor finally left with the younger nurse, and I was anxiously waiting for the middle-aged nurse to leave so Ben could shift back. She was collecting the last of the medical equipment when she noticed the curtain move and started toward it to investigate. I tried to stop her but it was too late. She reached for the curtain and then jerked it back, screaming when she saw Ben the cat. She started backpedaling toward the door as I tried to calm her down.
“Ma’am, please don’t say anything.” I tried to think of something to say to explain the cat. Only one thought came to me. “I’m sorry, our cat was sick and we had to bring it with us.” She was never going to buy that.
The baby, who had gotten quiet, started screaming again in my arms, as if he could sense my anxiety.
The nurse stood still for a moment, looking between me and the cat in the windowsill. She wiped her eyes with her hands, making sure she was really seeing it.
“Ma’am, please,” I tried again. My voice was starting to crack with emotion. “Please. Please,” I asked. “Don’t say anything about this. If you’ll just give us a moment the cat will be gone before you walk back into this room.”
“You’re husband never left the room,” she whispered as her hands fell to her sides, and she stared at the cat. He was standing completely still and silent, not wanting to upset the situation any further.
This was our worst nightmare come to life. I looked down at our son. I’d only held him for a few minutes, and I had no idea how this was going to end for all of us. The nurse finally turned around and ran out of the room without closing the door. This was the only chance we were going to get.
“Ben! You’ve got to do it now!” I screamed in a hushed voice at him.
He was already in the floor and the air prickled as he shifted. He began filling out to his normal shape, coming around the bed and grabbing his pants and putting them on, then slipping his shirt over his head. He slid his feet into his shoes, looking almost normal and together like nothing had ever happened, and not a second too soon.
I could see the overwhelming fear and concern in his eyes as he grabbed me in an all-encompassing embrace, and had his first brief moment to really see his son.
Chapter
Five
The middle-aged nurse immediately ran back into our room, pulling the hesitant younger nurse behind her. She stopped abruptly and gasped at the sight of Ben bent down at my side. He had heard them come in and turned around to look at them.
“He wasn’t in here when I left! He couldn’t have come through that door, we were standing outside it! This is impossible!” the older nurse screamed as she rushed over to the curtain at the window and jerked it open again.
People in the hallway were starting to stop and look in to see what the commotion in our room was about. Thankfully, the younger nurse seemed confused and apologetic. She had probably never seen the older and more experienced nurse lose her cool and act like this.
“Mary, what is your problem?” she hissed under her breath, jerking on Mary’s arm trying to pull her back out into the hallway.
“I swear on my life Jessie, there was a cat in this room when I ran to get you! Right there on the windowsill! Now it’s gone and her husband came out of nowhere! He, he was a big grey cat!” She screamed each sentence louder than the previous, until the whole hospital could probably hear.
“Okay. Let’s go sit down in the break room so you can relax. You’re really starting to worry me, Mary. When did you get here today? Is your shift almost over?” Nurse Jessie asked, trying not to completely embarrass her coworker.
“I’m not crazy! I just got here four hours ago!” Mary screamed at her. “Why don’t you believe me? Why would I make something this foolish up?” she asked.
I looked down at our baby who had been crying on and off during the whole ordeal. All I wanted was for this woman to leave. This was supposed to be one of the most joyous occasions of our lives and she was about to ruin everything. My tears started flowing even harder. It didn’t help that I’d been through an entire day of labor, and my hormones were all out of whack.
“Look Mary, you are upsetting this nice couple when their new baby just came into the world,” Jessie scolded her as she forcefully started removing Mary from our room.
Another nurse in the hallway came in and grabbed Mary on the other side to help Jessie get her out. Over her shoulder Jessie apologized for the outburst and then shut the door to our room.
I let out a sigh of relief, and prayed to God that everyone would think Mary was nuts and talking complete nonsense. Ben finally let out his breath that he’d been holding the whole time and turned back toward me. He couldn't hold it together any longer and sunk down to his knees beside the bed, leaning his forehead on the rail.
“Oh God Emily!” he whispered to the floor. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop it! I tried but it was too late! What are we going to do?”
I rubbed the top of his head with my one free hand, trying to calm him. “It’s alright. No one is ever going to believe her,” I told him. “We’ve just got to act normal and calm and everything will be fine.”
“I shouldn't have let that happen,” Ben said as he finally raised his head and looked up at me. “I’ve got more control than that!”
“I know you do, but this was probably one of the most stressful things you’ve ever been through, and no amount of control would have stopped it,” I consoled him.
“My dad didn’t shift when I was born,” was his response.
“Look, you’ve got to pull it together. Now, will you please go get our parents from the waiting room, and let’s just worry about our new son. Do you want to hold him?”
Ben nodded as he stood up and then reached out to take the baby from my arms. Instantly, I missed the weight of him, but the image of Ben holding our son was mind-blowingly perfect.
He looked a tad uncomfortable, like he wasn't sure if he was holding him right, but then he started to relax as he gazed over every inch of him.
"He's beautiful," he said as he looked back up at me. "And I already know that I love him so much I’d do anything for him."
"I know."
"Lucas?" he asked.
"Lucas," I tried out the name. "Yeah, I think Lucas Robert Hunter, sounds right for him."
"Hi, Lucas," Ben said to him as he gently rocked him back and forth. I don't think he even realized what he was doing because it was just such a natural a thing to do with a baby in your arms.
"Okay," I said, with another sobbing hiccup. "Give him back to me and go get our family!"
Ben reluctantly laid Lucas gently back into my arms, then had to make a real effort to gather up his normal calm and collected demeanor before he walked out the door.
Chapter
Six
My parents, along with Ben's, burst into the room just a few minutes later. My mom was of course the line leader. She looked all out of sorts from being forced to stay in the waiting room for so long. They all looked exhausted, but excited to finally meet their grandson.
"Look. At. Him!" My mother screamed as she started crying and reached for him. I carefully handed him over to her. "He looks like you, he's so perfect."
I'm not sure who she was referring to, because he was a tiny and adorable baby that looked nothing like me or Ben that I could see.
Ben's parents and my dad crowded around my mom to get a closer look, taking pictures as they ogled him.
"Meet your new grandson, Lucas Robert Hunter," Ben told them with a smile as he came over to the side of the bed to take my hand.
They all squealed and cheered as they tried out the name. I caught my father rub his eyes quickly, and then he cleared his throat as my mom held Lucas out to him.
A few minutes later Ben whispered softly to his parents that he needed to talk to them. They could tell something was really wrong, and I watched as concern clouded both of their faces. I was sure that Ben didn’t want to share the recent ordeal with my parents because he knew how b
ad it would scare them, but I thought it would be best for everyone to know what was going on.
So, after each of them has had a chance to hold Lucas, I told Ben we needed to go ahead and tell them all. He sighed but nodded in agreement, then shut the room door all the way.
As he walked back over to where everyone was congregating around Lucas's bassinet, he quietly told them, "Something happened during the delivery that you all need to be aware of."
Each of them went stock still and waited for him to continue.
"I, um, shifted right before he was born. I hid behind the curtain but then the last nurse to leave noticed and caused a commotion," he told them.
Ben's mom gasped, "Is that what all the yelling we heard was about?" she asked.
Ben rubbed his hand through his hair, and nodded.
"Oh, honey I'm so sorry," she said as she hugged him.
"Tell us what happened son." I knew Ben's dad was really asking “How bad is the exposure?”
"She left to get a witness, I shifted back, and then she went crazy when she and the other nurse came back in the room." He took a deep breath. "The younger nurse thinks the older one is just nuts for now, but we don't know what the older nurse, Mary, will do or say to someone else."
Everyone went silent.
"I can't believe I lost control! Now I've put us all at risk," Ben said as he sunk down in one of the chairs and covered his face with his hands.
I'd never seen him look so volatile, and I could tell it was taking a great deal of restraint for him not to hit something, break something, or shift again.
We all looked at each other sadly, and I wanted to say everything would be fine, but I wasn’t so sure. I reached out and asked my mom to give Lucas back to me. I felt a little better about everything when I was holding him.
Suddenly, Ben jumped up, and not so quietly said, "We've got to leave!"
Our parents gasped, and my mom looked appalled. I myself couldn't believe he thought that was the best option.
"What? No!" I told him, as I wrapped the blanket more securely around Lucas. He'd fallen asleep but had startled at our outbursts. I remembered to lower my voice for his sake, as well as for privacy's sake.
"Ben, calm down," I whispered. "I know you're upset, but let's take things slow and think it over before we make any rash decisions."
"Please," my mom said, as she started crying.
"Mom, even if we do decide to leave, you can all come with us," I tried to calm her.
"Oh thank God!" she said as she hugged my dad. I knew they wouldn't want us to up and disappear without them, and I would never do that to them.
"Of course," Ben agreed. "I meant all of us. It would be safer that way."
I thought he was being a bit too paranoid, but this was the first time he'd ever put his secret in jeopardy. He was terrified. I was too, but I wanted to try and stay optimistic.
Ben came over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Emily, I'm sorry but we can't risk it."
His body was so tense and his face was blood red. I had never seen him so upset, and I knew the stress of everything was really getting to him.
I rubbed the side of his face, feeling the scruff of his golden five o'clock shadow. "Calm down and let's take this a step at a time. Only one person saw you, so we'll deny it and everyone will think she's crazy. Let's not overreact so soon."
Ben's dad finally spoke up. "She's right Ben. This is not the first time a person has seen one of us, and it won't be the last. But for now, it seems like if there was only one witness then you're going to be fine."
Ben started pacing so I knew he wasn't ready to let it go. It was well after midnight, and I for one was exhausted. I nicely asked if everyone would leave us to get some rest and think over our plan, and they all agreed. I knew they were ready to go home and get to bed too after today's and part of the night's, excitement.
I clutched Lucas to me for a few hours after they left and, and finally giving up on trying to get him to breastfeed, put him back into his bassinet to try and get some sleep.
Ben stretched out in the reclining chair beside the bed, and after a few minutes I could hear his breathing turn rhythmic as he dozed off to sleep.
I tossed and turned but every time I closed my eyes I just couldn’t get them to stay shut. There were too many thoughts racing through my head, and even though my mind and body were both exhausted, I couldn’t force myself to relax.
Two hour later, Lucas started crying and was ready to eat. I smiled as I watched Ben change his diaper for the first time, and then felt better after Lucas finally nursed for about twenty minutes. After we laid him back in his bassinet my mind was ready to let me drift off to sleep.
Chapter
Seven
In what seemed like only a few minutes later, I jerked awake. I frantically started feeling for the nightlight on the rail of the hospital bed, finally finding it and pushing it on. “Ben!” I yelled. “Where’s Lucas?” I jumped out of the bed and was almost to the door when Ben finally woke up and answered me.
“Emily, wait. They had to take him to the nursery this morning for the pediatrician to see him.”
I turned around as Ben rose up from his cramped position on the recliner and stretched his arms over his head. His clothes were wrinkled, his eyes were red, and his hair was flat on one side from a few hours of sleep. I started to calm down as he came over and put his arms around me.
“Are you sure he’s okay?” I asked into his chest as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Yes,” he said as he put his chin on the top of my head. “I went and checked on him right after the nurse left with him, and then again about thirty minutes ago.”
My shoulders slumped in relief. “Oh, okay. How long have I been asleep?” I asked.
“About four hours?”
I pulled away from so I could see him better. “I had a nightmare,” I told him as I blinked several times, trying not to let myself cry.
“I know. I did too.”
“Will you go with me to check on him again?”
“Sure, but let’s get your robe on first,” he said as he let me go.
Oh, yeah. I looked down and was only wearing my opened-back hospital gown. “Some slippers would be nice too,” I told him as he dug through my overnight bag.
I slid on my fluffy green robe and slippers, and we slowly made our way down the hall. I was getting around easier than I thought I would be so soon after delivery. Other than a little soreness, I felt pretty good.
As we made it to the glass window I started looking over each of the babies, and it only took me a second to find ours.
I let out my breath. “There he is.” Lucas was asleep, as were three of the other five babies around him.
“I want to hold him,” I told Ben.
“Come on, let’s go get him.” He took my hand and led me to a door where he pushed a doorbell-looking button. Within a moment a smiling nurse was opening the door and letting us into the nursery. She checked our identification bracelets they had put on our wrists when we checked in, and then she left to get Lucas for us.
“He’s ready to go,” she said as she rolled his bassinet over to us. “His pediatrician just left. He gave him his first hepatitis shot and drew some blood to check his bilirubin, but said his skin coloring looked just fine.”
Oh God! They have his blood! I grabbed onto Ben before I collapsed. He looked unusually pale as he held me up.
When the nurse looked over to us in concern, Ben just told her I was exhausted and needed to rest, which she accepted as the truth.
A minute later we were pushing Lucas’s bassinet back into our room, and I was trying not to show how freaked out I was. I knew Ben had enough to worry about without me becoming a basket case.
As he closed the room door behind us, I started looking Lucas over to make sure he was okay. I pulled back the light cotton receiving blanket that was wrapped tightly around him, and was amazed by how small he was, wearing just a long-sl
eeve onesie and newborn diaper. I knew he was one of the bigger babies in the nursery, but he still looked so tiny and delicate. There was a bandage wrapped around the bottom of his little heel where they had drawn blood. He began to stir as the cool air hit him, and finally, really opened up his beautiful blue eyes.
"He's amazing, isn't he?" Ben asked beside me, making me jump. I'd been so enthralled I hadn't even noticed he was standing there.
"Yeah, he's like a tiny little magnet that draws me in. The pull gets stronger every time I see him."
Ben smiled. "I know exactly what you mean, and I feel like there's a new crushing weight of worry and fear on my shoulders."
I understood that feeling all too well, and although I had worried about Lucas when I was pregnant with him, it was even worse now that he was out in the dangerous world.
I let out a sigh as I carefully changed his diaper, trying not to jiggle him too much, and then wrapped him back up tight and warm again in his blanket.
Chapter
Eight
The next day and a half was a blur of feeding Lucas every two hours and hosting a steady stream of visitors. The lack of sleep, along with the lack of privacy, and lingering worry, was starting to make me cranky.
We were more than ready to go home when we were finally released from the hospital. The first few nights at home I even gave in and let Ben use formula to bottle-feed Lucas at night so that I could get longer stretches of rest.
I loved to see Ben sitting in the white rocking chair in the nursery, feeding or just holding Lucas. It was funny to watch such a big man try so hard to be careful, as if Lucas was made of glass, and he was already so protective of him.
As soon as we had come home from the hospital, Ben had called and had a security company put in the newest and most effective system on the planet. I knew he was still worried about what had happened at the hospital, but the rest of our time there had been uneventful. If anything, it seemed liked the nurses were trying not to bother us unless they had to, probably out of embarrassment for their coworker's behavior.