November Foxtrot (Rhythm of the Heart Book 2)

by Jade, Scarlett

  “Did Layla keep gas in the Jeep? I feel a little safer in that.”

  “Nah, and the tires on that are balder than a baby,” Pops shook his head. “Just take the rental car and go easy.”

  Grams pulled Zoe into a hug. “Honey, you need to calm down. That baby isn't ready yet.” She led her to the door and opened it wide. “Be careful out here, it's slick.”

  Calvin took both of her hands and helped her down the stairs and onto the icy, crisp grass. “Come on, baby, get in the car and let's get going.”

  “Could we go see Dr. Crist?” Zoe panted, shifting into the seat.

  “He'd probably say go to the hospital. I don't want to waste time. The sun is coming out and it will help the roads. We don't really have a choice, do we?” Calvin crawled behind the wheel and started the car, putting defrost up on the window before grabbing an ice scraper from the back of Grams' truck and clearing the windshield.

  Zoe closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat. The darkness of her lids made the panic worse. All she could see was her father's head lolling on the pillow and realizing that he was dead. Her stomach cramped again and she sucked in a breath, grimacing at the dull ache. She placed her hand against her stomach and began to pray.

  God? Someone? Allah? Santa? Someone, please...I can't lose my baby. Please. I can't lose anyone else. I just can't. I won't make it. Please. I'm begging. For a Christmas miracle. Please. Please.

  Her pleas were echoed in her brain over and over as Calvin began backing out of the driveway and slowly driving down the road. They skidded and slid twice before making it to the interstate, which was marginally better due to the sun hitting more of the road.

  Calvin white knuckled the steering wheel and drove barely thirty miles an hour. As they crossed a bridge, he slowed to a mere fifteen, whispering under his breath as they fishtailed on the ice. Zoe closed her eyes again, reaching across the car to squeeze his thigh.

  We just have to make it to the hospital...We just have to make it to the hospital.

  As they neared Mobile, the roads seemed to slowly get better and Calvin increased the speed.

  “Are you okay, Zoe?” he whispered, his voice cracking with concern.

  “I'm okay, just cramping.”

  “Any worse than before?”

  “No, about the same. I just want to get checked and be better safe than sorry.” She gripped the door as they slid on a patch of ice. “Calvin!”

  He turned the wheel and righted them. “Relax.”

  “I'm scared.”

  “I won't let anything happen to you and her. I promise. We're only a few minutes away. Just hold on and breathe.”

  She closed her eyes as another cramp hit her stomach. It radiated through her and she caught her breath. “Calvin, it hurts.”

  “Okay, baby, I'm getting us there. Just a few more minutes.” He navigated the streets carefully and pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. “Sit tight, let me get a wheelchair.”

  Zoe breathed against the pain and tears filled her eyes. Don't give up on me, baby.

  Calvin raced into the hospital and was back out in seconds with a chair, running at full speed through the parking lot, his shoes skidding on a patch of ice. “Whoa!” he yelled, barely managing to keep his footing.

  “Be careful!”

  “I'm fine, just relax,” he smiled as he came to the door of the car. “Come on and let's get you inside. I've got the nurse filling out paperwork with my insurance card. They're getting a room for you in the emergency room now.”

  Zoe nodded as she shifted out of the seat and into the chair.

  “It's going to be okay. Don't worry.”

  “That's like telling the sun not to shine, or the waves not to crash on the sand. I can't help but worry, Calvin. What if...” Her voice trailed off.

  He wheeled them into the hospital. “No more what ifs.”

  A nurse who wore bright pink scrubs took the chair from him and began wheeling her into the back. “Hi there, Mrs. Hall. I hear you're having some cramping?”

  “Yeah, it started this morning... It's too early for her to come,” Zoe whispered. “Where's my husband?” “He'll be back here in a few minutes, honey. He has to finish up some paperwork. Let's check your blood pressure.” She slid the cuff around her upper arm. “Hmm,” she said a few moments later. “It's a bit high. Okay, well I'm going to check your vitals and get a monitor on the baby. We’ll get the doctor in here as soon as we can to see what's going on. They may be talking to you about a shot for the baby's lungs, but we'll get to that bridge if we need to, okay? My name is Lily, by the way,” she smiled reassuringly. “Here let me get you a gown and I need you to change out of your clothes and get situated up on the bed, okay? I'll be back in just a minute, honey.”

  Zoe nodded and locked the wheels of the chair. She stood carefully and pulled off her clothes, wincing as another cramp pulsed through her. The gown went around her and she eased up on the bed.

  The nurse came back moments later with a soft knock on the door. “You ready, honey?”

  “Yeah, I'm ready.”

  “Let's get this monitor on the baby, and we'll see how many contractions you're having. Check your blood pressure, all that fun stuff.” Lily bustled through the room, grabbing a monitor and strap, hooking it to the machine and helping her up to wrap it around her and find the baby. As she found the baby, she smiled. “There we go.”

  A knock at the door made them both turn and a young man poked his head in. “Hello there, Dr. Laurel here. I am hearing that we're having a little cramping?”

  “Yeah. It's not the first time. I had issues around twelve weeks too.” Zoe grimaced.

  “Are you having another contraction?”

  “I think so. Ow,” she panted.

  “I need a shot to stop these contractions and a steroid for the baby's lungs. Zoe, I am going to do a quick ultrasound and see just how far you are while we wait for these shots, okay?”

  Zoe swallowed and nodded.

  He pulled a blanket up over her legs and eased her gown up, placing the lubricated wand on her stomach and turning it until the baby came into focus. “Let me make some quick measurements...”

  She blew out a breath and gripped the blankets in panic. “Is everything okay?”

  “Well, your cervix isn't shortening, at least not too much yet. The baby is measuring right around twenty-two to twenty-three weeks. We need to do everything we can to get you past that twenty-four week mark. I'm going to give you these shots, then we'll be transferring you up to maternity where you'll stay until we're sure these contractions have stopped.” He patted her knee and smiled.

  “All right.”

  “Have you been under any stress, recently, Zoe?”

  “My father...” she choked and coughed. “Died...this morning.” Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

  “Oh dear, I am so very sorry, Zoe. My condolences for your loss. We're going to do everything we can to keep that baby baking in here as long as possible.” A knock sounded at the door. “Come in!”

  Calvin eased the door open. “Hey.”

  Zoe blew out a breath. “I'm so glad you're here.” She reached out and Calvin stepped forward, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.

  “It's going to be okay, right doctor?”

  Dr. Laurel smiled tightly. “We're certainly going to do everything we can. The nurse is getting a couple of shots for me, one is to stop the contractions, and the other is to develop the baby's lungs.”

  Calvin paled. “Is she in labor?”

  “Yes, she's in preterm labor and we have to get it stopped. Twenty-four weeks is what we really need to get over. I'm hoping that these shots will help, and Zoe doesn't need to stay. We will cross our fingers and see what happens.” Another knock sounded at the door. “Come in!”

  Lily came back in the room with two shots on a tray. “We should really get an IV in.”

  “Let's do that now, then we'll inject the one shot
in there.”

  Lily pulled a kit from the drawer for an IV, and Zoe stared at the wall as Dr. Laurel carefully placed the IV in the top of her hand. He attached it to a bag of saline and flushed the line. “There we go. Good to go. Let's get this shot in there. Okay, now I need to put this steroid in your thigh, it's going to be pretty uncomfortable, but it has to be done. Ready?”

  Zoe nodded and hissed as the needle jabbed into her skin. “What is in that stuff? It hurts!”

  “Yeah, they do hurt, but it will dissipate after a day or two. Okay, good, let's get you up to maternity and we'll go from there.”

  They unlocked the wheels of the bed and rolled her out into the pale ivory hallway. She counted the ceiling tiles as they hurried down the hall and into the elevator. Calvin squeezed her hand and smiled as they rode it up to the fifth floor. As the doors slid open, they pulled her to the desk and paused for a moment, getting a number for her room.

  “Well,” Dr. Laurel said as they rolled her into the room. “Here is where you'll be staying for a while.”

  Zoe tried to smile. “Thank you.”

  “Merry Christmas, by the way.”

  Zoe's lips turned down and she sighed. “I ruined Christmas.”

  Calvin shook his head. “No. Things happen, Zoe. We're going to get through this and be strong, you hear me? Grams says she has a big old plate of cookies and when the roads are better, she's going to bring them to you. Tim sends his love and says he's not ready to spank you yet, so keep the baby in...Whatever that means?”

  Zoe chuckled softly. “Tim and I go way back on spankings.”

  Calvin's eyebrow quirked. “Should I be concerned?”

  She grinned for a second and shrugged her shoulders. “I think I can handle it.”

  He leaned forward and stroked her cheek with his thumb before kissing her gently. “It's going to be okay.”

  Her eyes slid closed.

  “I promise.”

  “I know you do, Calvin.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “Uncomfortable, crampy.” She shifted slightly in the bed. “And my butt is going numb.”

  “Shift a little if you can.” He took her hand and she moved carefully on the bed.

  Moments later a nurse came to the door. “Hi there! We lost the baby on the monitor. Can we get you to shift back?” She picked up the paper that was spilling from the machine and her brow furrowed. “Are you cramping pretty good still?”

  Zoe nodded. “Yeah, I honestly think they may be a bit stronger.”

  “Let me get the OB in here.” She hurried from the room and Zoe's eyes went wide.

  “Something is wrong. Why aren't the contractions stopping? It's too early!” Her breath caught at the end on a sob.

  “It's going to be okay. Lay back on the pillows and rest, please? Stress is bad for you and for her. The doctors will take care of you, Zoe. I promise.” Calvin squeezed her hand gently and she closed her eyes again.

  The nurse and doctor came back into the room and he picked up the roll of paper spilling from the contraction monitor. “Hmm, Zoe. We are really having some contractions. I'm going to set you up an IV of something that should help with those contractions. I think we're going to do a vaginal ultrasound and check the length of your cervix. I have a theory and I certainly hope I'm not right. But we're going to see.”

  “A theory?” she croaked.

  “Yeah, I am wondering if you have an incompetent cervix. Do you know what that is?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Well,” he continued. “Basically your cervix closes tight for a normal pregnancy, but for some women, the cervix begins to open and soften with the weight of the baby at around twenty to twenty-four weeks. If we have caught your cervix early enough, we can do a surgery to stitch it closed and you'll just be on bed rest. But, if you've already started dilating, or opening up, we may not be able to.”

  “So what if you can't?” Calvin asked.

  The doctor turned to him with solemn eyes. “Let's get to that bridge when we cross it. Let me get this IV going and see what we can do here.” The nurse attached the bag to the tubing and set it dripping quickly.

  “There we go,” she smiled.

  “This should help. We'll do a couple bags if we need to and another shot. We'll also be giving you the shot of steroids tomorrow as well. We definitely have to get those in.” He unwound the wand from the ultrasound machine. “Zoe, if you'll scoot down the bed here and put your feet in these stirrups?”

  Calvin took her hand and she shifted down the bed, sticking her pink-socked feet into the stirrups the nurse set up. “Is this okay?”

  “Perfect,” the doctor assured her. “I'm just going to touch you here and place the wand... Okay perfect. Let's see what's going on with your baby. Why are you so ready to leave your warm little apartment, baby?” He smiled and glanced at her. “Do you have a name picked for her?”

  “Maybe Dahlia.”

  “Oh, now that's pretty. I have a little girl named Iris.” He smiled again and turned his attention back to the screen. “I believe the doctor in the ER did a stomach ultrasound, yes?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “Told you about how far you are, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, baby maybe Dahlia, sweetheart, we need to keep you baking for a bit longer!” he chuckled. “Zoe your cervix is fairly short, I'm going to perform a manual exam and we're going to see if you're dilating or anything, okay?”

  “I'm going to need surgery?”

  “Ummmmm...” He felt around for a moment longer. “Yes.”

  “I'm not dilating?” A whoosh of relieved air left her lungs.

  “Not just yet. We're going to keep on with these meds and I'd like to get you prepped for surgery as soon as possible. What we're going to do is stitch up your cervix, it will help hold maybe Dahlia in as long as possible. Twenty-four weeks is good, but twenty-eight is even better. I'm going to let this IV run; let me turn it up a bit and see how your contractions are in about half an hour. I'm going to get everything set up for surgery.”

  Calvin spoke. “Are there risks for this surgery?”

  “Yes, there are. There is a very, very small chance as we're stitching up the cervix we could hit the bag of waters, which would not be good at all, but that chance is very, very small, like I said. May I be honest with you?” He perched on the edge of the bed.

  “Sure,” Zoe croaked.

  “Well, in my opinion, you're at a crossroads. Do nothing and we may be able to hold this baby in another week. The risk of having a baby at 24 weeks is huge. She would be in the NICU for a very, very, long time. I believe with the stitch, we'd get you easily to twenty-eight or thirty weeks on a modified bed rest schedule. Which you can do at home, checking in with a doctor weekly.”

  “I want to do anything I can to keep her in as long as possible.” Zoe glanced up at Calvin. “What do you think?”

  He nodded. “The risk is there, but the risk is there regardless. If we can keep her in as long as possible, I'd like to do that. I'm going to step out and let my rear detachment sergeant know what's going on.”

  “All right,” Zoe smiled at him and turned back to the doctor. “Let's do the surgery.”

  “Okay, you lay back here and relax. Turn the TV on or something and watch bad reality TV, you hear me? Maybe a nice Christmas movie is on. Just find something that will keep you relaxed, and I'll get everything prepped.”

  “Thanks, doctor.” She took the remote from him and clicked the TV on as he left the room and scrolled through the basic cable available. She settled on an episode of some reality trash TV on E! Network, letting the mind numbing drivel keep her occupied.

  Calvin came back in the room and smiled. “How you feeling?”

  “I think the cramping is easing off. What did your sergeant say?”

  Calvin shook his head. “It doesn't matter right now.”

  “What did he say?”

  “You don't need
to be stressing out, Zoe.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Well, you're stressing me by not telling me. So just tell me, Calvin!”

  “He says that unless the doctor says that you need me here, I have to go back on New Year's Day. There, are you happy, Miss Have-To-Know-EVERYTHING?” he winked and sat down in the chair beside the bed.

  “Well, we knew you'd have to go back, and as much as I'd love to have you here, we have to do what we have to do. Only a few more months, right?” She smiled tightly, her stomach tense with worry.

  “Stop worrying, Zoe. I should be back in late February. But then I have to report back to Colorado.”

  “But you'd be stateside.”

  “And you'll be here.”

  “I have Grams and Pops.”

  “And Derek and his family,” Calvin smiled. “Them too.”

  “We aren't discussing him.”

  “Fine, we're not, but you have them if you need them. I'm saddled to the US government right now and until my term is up, well, that's about it.” He shrugged. “I go where I'm told.”

  “I know. Wait, what do you mean when your term is up? I assumed you'd keep staying in?”

  “My term is up in April. I haven't re-upped. I have a little bit more time, but I wanted to talk to you about it.” He leaned forward in the chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “Do you want to keep dealing with me being gone all the time?”

  “I – I don't. I would rather have you with me always...but what would you do for a job?”

  “We'll cross that bridge when we get a little closer. I have some connections and I can make something happen. I'll take care of us.” He glanced over and smiled. “Don't worry.”

  “I'm not,” she replied calmly. “I have faith in you.”

  “Good. I'm glad to know that.”

  “What are we going to do about Daddy?” she frowned and Calvin sighed.

  “No stress. I'll take care of it, you hear me?”

  “It's too much.”

  “Nope. It's fine. It's your dad. He deserves to be buried next to his wife.” He reached onto the bed and squeezed her hand. “Now that's enough, watch this crap on TV and relax, or I'm calling the doctor.”