Page 82 of Blue Norther
“No, don’t say that.”
“Baby, he can try. There’s no way in hell I’m letting anyone take me away from you two.”
I squeezed his hand, my eyes drifting back to the monitor. For the hundredth time since we’d arrived, my stomach started to feel tight.
“I think I’m having another contraction,” I groaned as the pain wrapped around my back, sending throbbing jolts of electric fire down my hips and into my legs. This one was a thousand times worse than the ones I’d had earlier.
It was so bad, I barely registered the sound of an alarm going off.
Colt
“Things are going to start moving very quickly,” Dr. Witten announced. He’d come into the room about a minute ago, taken one look at the baby’s stats, and started ordering nurses around. I’d been so focused on Vi and the pain she was in, I couldn’t comprehend the words he was saying.
“Dad, you need to take a seat?” The question from the nurse in soft pink scrubs snapped me out of my stupor. I know she told us her name, I remember her saying it, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember it now. Because everything in my body felt like it was turning off. A sick numbness slithered from my toes to the top of my head, and as soon as I looked back at Violet, I couldn’t breathe.
“No,” I cleared my throat as I grabbed Violet’s hand, “tell us what’s going on.”
Dr. Witten gave me a sympathetic smile. “Violet is experiencing more frequent contractions now. Babies' heart rates can speed up and slow down during these contractions—again, completely normal—but it’s important to note the length and magnitudes of these changes. Now, this is where we’re getting stuck. Your little one doesn’t seem to be very happy when the contractions happen, and he’s starting to take longer andlonger to return to his baseline. He's not coping well, so I’ve put in the order for an epidural and instructed the team to prepare you for a cesarean. It's time to celebrate your baby's birthday.”
Violet’s eyes widened to an alarming size, bouncing between my face and the nurse as she squeezed my hand tightly.
“So somethingiswrong. Take him now. Please! I want to be awake when he’s born, but it’s more important that he’s okay when he comes out.” The first tear slipped down her cheek, and I reached up to brush it away. I wanted to hop in that bed with her and hold her against me as I fell apart, too. But that wasn’t my job. And from the way the nurse was aggressively eyeing me, it was clear that I had to step in and calm her down. “Why aren’t people rushing in here? Colt? Shouldn’t there be people rushing?”
“I don’t know, Violet.” I wanted to kick my own ass for how worry and dread laced every letter of her name as it came out of my mouth.
The nurse gently held Violet’s arm. “I know it sounds scary, but I promise you, if there was something to be worried about, I would tell you. We’ve had time to get the medicine in to reverse your blood thinner, which means you can have local anesthesia instead of general. We're already cooking with gas. And I’m staying with you through the whole thing, okay? Besides, Dr. Witten is exactly who I would want handling this. In fact…” She moved around the room, pressing a button on the machine that was monitoring Violet’s blood pressure. “My second baby—a stubborn boy who came out with a knack for making everything dramatic—was a c-section by Dr. Witten in a very similar situation to this. There’s no one better.”
Violet nodded. “My husband. He can be with us when the baby’s born, can’t he?”
Herhusband.My fucking heart was in my throat.
“Of course he can. Dad, if you want to say bye to Mom right now, I’m going to take her down to the OR to get prepped. I promise a nurse will come get you when it’s time to join the birthday party.”
“I love you,” I whispered as I dropped my head down to hers. “You’re going to be fine. The baby is going to be fine.”
“I won’t let them start without you.”
“I’m running to that operating room, Vi. The minute they tell me I can go. I’m sprinting to get back to you.”
“I love you, Colt. I love you, and I’m so grateful you’re here.”
The side rails to Vi’s bed clicked into place, and the nurse released the brakes on the wheels. She started rolling away, my hand slipping out of hers as she went.
“Oh! Your family, Colt. They should be here!”
I ran my hand over my face, falling back on to the chair. Shit. I’d been so focused on Vi…
Vi and I are at St. Clare’s. The baby’s coming. Heading for a c-section. She asked for you all to be here. Jessie, can you grab our bags from the closet in our room and some slippers for Vi? I have to go, but I’ll text as soon as I know they’re both okay.
My phone buzzed as I set it on the table next to the chair, but I didn’t pick it back up. Because at the same time, a nurse came in and handed me a pile of clothes.
“Put these on over what you’re wearing. As soon as you’re ready, I’ll take you to the OR.”
I’d never gotten dressed faster in my life.
I swear time slowed down the second I stepped into the operating room. I’m glad Vi had reminded me to take the time to tell everyone we were at the hospital. I wanted my family there. Not just for me, but because I knew they would help ground her. If something happened to the baby…if something happened to VI…I’d fucking need them, too.
The fluorescent lights were bright, burning my eyes. I recognized the soft music she’d picked out playing over the speakers, which was a nice touch, but my heart tripped over itself in my chest when my eyes landed on her.
