Remember, It’s You I Love: Operation Pink Knight

by Mairsile Leabhair

  Aidan thought to herself, Damn, where the hell can I find a light bulb, out here in the middle of a desert? Aidan decided to take care of one problem at a time. She gently laid Samantha’s head down, then rushed over to the vehicle. Emptying the chest of the water bottles, she pulled her knife from her hip, and cut a square in the lid. Then she searched around her backpack, for the duct tape she knew she had packed. Finally, she looked around for a light bulb. Digging through their gear again, she found a flash light.

  “Will a flashlight work?”

  “No, it doesn’t generate enough heat, but I can use it over here.”

  Aidan took the flashlight over to Vicky, and returned to her search. She took her knife out again, and popped the plastic covering off of the brake lights. But it was a twenty-six point eight watt bulb. Then Aidan tore apart the stop light on the roll bar, and was relieved to see it was only seventeen and a half watts.

  “Okay, got it, now what?”

  “You need to poke a hole in the side of the ice chest, large enough to fit the light bulb through it. Make sure it’s high enough, so it won’t touch the baby.”

  Aidan connected the rest of the dots, “Okay, I think I get it. It will be like a little dollhouse, with a giant baby inside. Damn! You’re a genius, Vicky.” But Aidan ran into a problem. The wiring wasn’t long enough, to reach down to the back seat. Then she remember about hot wiring cars, when she was a teenager. She pulled the wiring from the glove compartment, and cut off the rubber tips. Then she spliced them together. But it wasn’t long enough, so she pull the wiring from the floor board too. Finally, Aidan had enough wire to splice together, and she taped it into place, covering the hole with tape as well. Once she saw it was going to work, Aidan placed the homemade incubator in the middle of the back seat.

  Aidan asked, “What’s next, Vicky?” but before Vicky could answer, Samantha had another contraction.

  Vicky commanded, “Time?”

  Aidan looked at her watch, “Eleven minutes.”

  “Okay, reset for the next one, Aid.” She turned to her patient and said, “Samantha, you’re doing well, just try relax, okay.”

  Just then, Jerry shouted, “Lights!”

  Aidan instantly reached in, and turned off the headlights, and shouted for Vicky to turn off the flash light. “Everybody be still and quiet,” she demanded. The group sat there, for what seemed like an eternity. It was deathly quiet, and eerily dark. All eyes were on Jerry, waiting on the all clear signal.

  “What have you got, Jerry?” Aidan whispered, pulling the pistol from her jeans.

  “One set of lights, about three klicks behind us, heading horizontally. They’re driving a straight line, so I don’t think they saw us.” Jerry watched intently, as the lights faded off to the right. He waited a few more minutes, to be sure they didn’t double back, then signaled an all clear. Still, Aidan wanted to be cautious, so she only turned on the fog lights.

  Vicky wasted no time, “Aidan, we need a bowl, or something flat and small, that holds water, and will fit in the box with the baby.”

  “I don’t know, Vick, this box isn’t very large.”

  “Neither is this baby. Oh, and put a couple of rocks in the bowl, before you fill it up.”

  “Will do.” Aidan went back to the truck, and rummaged around, until she found an empty, plastic sandwich container. “Perfect.” Then she looked around on the ground, and picked up a couple of flat, smooth rocks. Opening one of the water bottles, she cleaned the rocks off, before laying them in the bowl. She poured the rest of the water into the bowl, and placed it in the incubator, under the light.

  She called to Vicky, “What’s next?”

  “Make the baby a bed, inside the incubator,” came the reply.

  Aidan pulled out her soft flannel night shirt from her backpack, used her knife, and cut away the back. Folding the cloth in half, she laid it in the box. “Done,” she called, just as Samantha had another contraction.

  “Time?” Vicky called to her.

  “Eight minutes.”

  “Reset please.”

  “Roger that.” Aidan reset her stop watch, then asked, “What’s next?”

  “Next, find some plastic to cover the hole, on top of the lid.”

  Aidan looked at Jerry, completely stumped, but he was stumped too. She was pretty sure Vicky meant the plastic used to cover food, and she was also pretty certain, they didn’t bring any. She rummaged around again, and pulled out a plastic grocery bag they had used to carry supplies in. She sliced it up with her knife, so it would fit snuggly over the hole. It wasn’t completely see through, but would hold in the humidity. She taped it across the lid, and cut out a corner, so the baby wouldn’t suffocate.

  Vicky turned back to Samantha, and wiped her brow with the bandana. “How are you doing, Samantha?”

  “I’m tired. Really tired.”

  “I can imagine. Try to hang in there, this will be over in a little while.”

  Samantha was feeling more like her old self again, when she asked, “Who the hell are you, anyway?”

  “Oh, that’s right. We haven’t been formally introduced, have we. My name is Victoria Montgomery, and you’re Samantha Vincent. Nice to meet you.”

  “Where are you from, you have the same accent, as Aidan.”

  “I’m from the south too. I’ve known Aidan, since she was a kid. We’re engaged—”

  Samantha screamed, as another contraction hit her.

  “Breathe, like this.” Vicky panted quick breaths, and Samantha tried to follow her example, “Time?”

  Aidan looked at her stop watch, “Five minutes.”

  “Aidan, I need you over here, please,” Aidan immediately rushed to Vicky’s side, “I need you to hold her head up, and when she has a contraction, I need you to pant with her, like this,” Vicky panted, to show her how.

  “Wait, where are you going?” Aidan’s face had that, ‘deer caught in the headlights’, kind of look.

  Vicky grinned at her, “Don’t worry, it’ll be good training for you.”

  She walked back to the vehicle as Aidan looked down at Samantha, “So, how are we doing?”

  “We are doing just fine, but we can’t speak for the rest of us.”

  “Huh?” Aidan was totally out of her element, and it showed. She looked to see if Vicky was on her way back yet.

  Vicky checked on Jerry, who said he was fine, though the pain in his eyes betrayed him. “Are you sure you don’t want something for the pain?” Vicky knew the answer before she asked it.

  He shook his head, “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

  “Well, hang in there, we’re almost home.” She turned her attention to the incubator. Very nice work, Aidan. She slipped her hand inside to test the warmth, and decided that would work. She grabbed her knapsack, and dug out the map from the side pocket. Fishing around in the first aid kit, she removed the rubber dropper, from the bottle of eye drops. Rinsing it off with rubbing alcohol, she then rinsed the alcohol off with water.

  “Jerry, can I borrow your knife?” He handed her his knife, and she set about cleaning it with the alcohol as well. Finally, she carried her supplies over and knelt beside Samantha.

  “I’m going to catch the baby, Samantha. When I say push, you push, and when I say stop, you stop. Understand?” Vicky knew this girl had no prenatal care, no Lamaze, nothing to prepare her, for what’s coming. “This is going to hurt like hell, Samantha. Get ready.”

  Another contraction hit, and Aidan looked at her watch, “Three minutes.”

  Vicky looked at Samantha, “Are you ready to do this?”

  Samantha was so weak, so tired, that she didn’t know if she had any strength left. She had used up the last of her reserves, screaming in pain at the contractions. She just wanted it all to be over with, but that was not to be, yet.

  Another contraction, and Vicky started panting, compelling the other two women to do the same. In spite of the seriousness of it all, Vicky couldn’t help but smile at Aidan, as s
he panted like a dog. She looked back at Samantha, “That’s right, that’s good. Now rest for a minute.”

  Samantha didn’t have long to rest, before the next contraction hit. When Vicky looked, she saw the baby’s head. “Push!” She yelled, and Aidan instinctively braced Samantha up, to help her push. “Okay, stop!” Vicky moved the flashlight in closer, and then suddenly popped her head up, and commanded, “Samantha, listen to me. Do not push, until I say so, understand? Do not push.”

  Aidan could sense the concern in Vicky’s voice, “What’s wrong, Vick?”

  “The cord is wrapped around the baby’s throat. If she pushes, it could strangle it. I need to work it lose, Samantha, so don’t move,” Vicky looked toward the vehicle and yelled, “Jerry, turn on the lights. I can’t see what I’m doing!” Jerry did as he was told, and the truck lights flooded the area where Samantha lay on the ground.

  Samantha reached her hand up to Aidan, and together they clasped hands. But the pain was growing, and she shouted, “Hurry, I need to push!”

  In order to loosen the cord, Vicky had to turn the baby, and after a few attempts, and just before another contraction hit, she had the baby free of its choke hold.

  “Okay Samantha, push, push now!”

  Samantha pushed as hard as she could, letting out a painful scream, until the baby slid out into the waiting hands of Vicky.

  “Oh, welcome, sweet baby,” Vicky exclaimed. She prepared to cut the cord, tears running down her face at the beautiful, dark cherub baby, in her arms.

  “You did it, baby, you did it!”

  Vicky was about to reply when she looked up, and realized Aidan was speaking to Samantha. Momentarily stunned at those simple words, that cut deep into her heart, the baby in her arms reminded her that she couldn’t worry about her hurt feelings now. Tying off the cord about two inches from the umbilicus, Vicky held up the knife to Aidan,

  “Aidan, do you want to do the honors?”

  One look at the cord, and Aidan suddenly turned very pale. Vicky thought she might faint.

  “No, uh, I’ll pass on that, thanks.”

  Vicky smiled at her, and cut the cord, then proceeded to clean out the baby’s airways. When the baby still didn’t breathe, she began CPR. She covered the baby’s mouth and nose with her mouth, and gently blew a couple of quick puffs into its lungs. Just as she had hoped, the tiny baby began to cry.

  “Oh, thank you, God!” She wrapped the baby up in the map, and laid it under Samantha’s shirt, next to her breast. She hoped that, as weak as Samantha was, she could still produce milk. The sound of the baby suckling, so relieved Vicky, that tears welled up inside, and spilled over . She flashed back to her own baby, and the fact that she would never hold him in her arms, or feel him suckling at her breast. Breasts that still produced milk, and suddenly ached to be drained.

  “Are you okay, kid?”

  She rubbed the soreness in her chest, and shrugged off her melancholy. Nodding at Aidan, she said to Samantha, “Congratulations, it’s a boy.”

  But Samantha wasn’t producing enough milk to satisfy the baby, and it cried for more. “Oh, no.”

  “What’s wrong, why is it crying like that?”

  “I don’t think Samantha has enough milk to sustain him.” Vicky explained, as she stripped off her blouse and removed her bra. “She’s just too weak and malnourished herself.” There was no time to consider that this was Aidan’s first fiancée’s child, or the maternal emotional toll it might put on her. She picked up the crying preemie, and offered him her breast. He sucked in the warm nourishing milk, and curled his tiny fingers in the fold of her skin. Relaxing at the sound of his satisfied gurgling, Vicky glanced at Aidan, who sat staring at her, mouth ajar, eyes large with amazement. “Shut your mouth, honey, before you catch a bug.”

  “Can you, uh, do that? I mean, it won’t hurt you, will it?”

  “No, it won’t hurt me. I think, perhaps, it’s the best thing for both of us right now.”

  When the tiny baby had its fill, Vicky rushed him over to the incubator, and placed him on the makeshift bed, wrapping him tight with the flannel shirt. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. Gently stroking the baby’s tender skin, its tiny hand latched on to her finger, securing his place in her heart forever. “Mary, Mother of God, please watch over and protect this baby.” With more tears in her eyes, Vicky replaced the lid, and taped it down securely. Then she went back over to Samantha, who was too exhausted to even speak. But Vicky knew she needed to push, one more time, to get the placenta out.

  “Samantha, you’re almost finished. It’s almost over with, but I need you to push one more time. You hear me, push!”

  Samantha pushed, as hard as her frail body would allow, and after a lot of grunting and a few screams, she was able to excrete the placenta. But the stress was too much for her and she fainted, which sent Aidan into a panic. Vicky took out her stethoscope, and listened to Samantha’s heart, took her pulse, and finally said to Aidan, “We have to get her home, as soon as possible. She’s very weak, Aidan.”

  Vicky picked up everything, and put it back in the truck. Samantha quickly revived, and Aidan and Vicky helped her climb into the backseat of the truck, beside the baby.

  “My poor baby,” Samantha cried as she caressed the incubator.

  As Jerry watched her, he realized the box looked a lot like a coffin, and wondered if Samantha thought her baby was dead. So he showed her the hole where she could peek in and see the baby move.

  “Thank you,” she said to Jerry, who nodded. “I’m…, I’m so sorry I stabbed you. I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s okay, you weren’t yourself.”

  Lowering her head, Samantha’s eyelashes glistened with tears. Her life was suddenly turned upside down again, and she wasn’t sure she could hang on this time. She felt death would be more of a comfort to her right now, because she was just too tired to make sense of it all.

  “Okay, is everyone ready? Let’s get the hell out of here!” Aidan jumped in the driver’s seat next to Vicky and smiled, relieved that it was almost over, and they’d be home soon. She drove as fast as she dared, conscious of jostling the injured, and the infant. After they were a few miles down the road, and she had allowed herself to relax a bit, Aidan asked, “Vicky, where did you learn how to make an incubator like that?”

  “In high school. You know where we grew up, it was all farm country, so farming was a big part of our education. In science class in the eleventh grade, our project one semester, was to build an incubator, and hatch a chick from its egg. I really enjoyed that class. Anyway, I just hope it’s enough to keep the baby alive.”

  “Wow, you are an amazing woman, kid.”

  They made it to the border, just as the sun was coming up. But Aidan noticed something odd up ahead, and slowed down. She turned off the headlights and pulled off the road, stopping just short of a half a mile from the border.

  Jerry asked apprehensively, “What’s wrong?” He had moved to the front seat at their last stop, so Vicky could check on her patients.

  “It doesn’t feel right. Something’s going on up there.” She reached for the binoculars. Studying the area intently, she mumbled shit several times under her breath, then handed the glasses to Jerry.

  “Oh, shit.” He stared into the faces of ten Syrian soldiers, waiting at the border line, with sub machine guns.

  “What? What’s going on?” Vicky leaned between the front seats, with one hand still on the incubator.

  “I think they’re waiting for us at the border.”

  “How can you be sure it’s us they’re waiting on?”

  Jerry handed Vicky the binoculars. There, plastered to the guard house, was a large photo of Vicky with the two security guards, that was taken at the beginning of their trip. The security guards had X’s over their faces.

  “Oh, shit!”

  Chapter 18

  A large hospital is a self-contained, small city, enclosed within its four walls of brick and mortar. It
usually has an overpriced gift shop, a cappuccino bar, and a cafeteria that serves a tolerable variety of foods. And inside that cafeteria there might be a fast food restaurant, that offers a better variety of meals than the cafeteria does. Hospitals are a hubbub of activity, at any given time of the day or night, with security guards policing the grounds, and nurses scurrying to and fro. It has its own unique, antiseptic smells, with gleaming white walls, and sterile rooms. As in a city, a person is never alone in a hospital, whether it be as a patient, or a visitor, and people can be found in all stages of emotions.

  ***

  Alice and Ruth had moved into the CVICU waiting room, over an hour ago. Alice wanted to be as close as she could get, while she waited on news of her husband’s surgery. Yvonne kept busy seeing to everyone’s needs, and Ruth paced.

  “I need more coffee.” Yvonne got up, and looked at Alice, “Can I get you anything while I’m up, Alice?”

  But Alice didn’t hear her, though Yvonne’s question prompted one of her own. “I know they said it would take time, but I can’t stand this waiting anymore. Why won’t they tell us anything?”

  Ruth slouched down in the chair beside her sister. “We’ve been over this, Alice. It will take some time. You’ve just got to be patient, a little while longer.”

  “You’re one to talk, Ruth. You’ve never been patient a day in your life. That’s why you had so many ice cream headaches when you were a kid, because you swallowed whole spoonful’s at a time. You know Vicky does the same thing, because she wanted to be just like you.” Alice lost her train of thought, and got up to pace.

  Ruth teased, “Do you even know what the hell you’re talking about, Alice?”

  “No, damn it. I don’t. I can’t think straight, and you’re not helping.”

  “I know, sis,” Ruth got up, and shoulder bumped her sister, “I’m worried too. And if you want to blame me for having some influence on your daughter’s ice cream eating habits, than I thank you for the compliment.”