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Captive(71)

By:Brenda Rothert


“At home with Mimi. They’re coming later.”

Harmony passed me some ice chips and I put a few in my mouth.

“Relax your body during the down times,” she said. “Close your eyes and be still.”

I scrunched my face up and murmured when the dull ache of another contraction started to sharpen.

“Hmm,” Harmony said. “Lynn, tell the nurse she needs to come do a check.” She took my hand and Ryke moved in close again. The pain was intense this time, and it lasted longer.

“It fucking hurts,” I said, burying my face in Ryke’s chest. I gripped his bicep and whined against him until the pain finally started dulling. June was moving my knees apart and reaching beneath my hospital gown.

“Let’s see how you’re doing,” she said. “Eight! Almost there!”

“I’d like to talk to the doctor,” Harmony said.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I just need to speak with him about your wishes for the delivery.”

“I already did, when I first got here.”

“I just want to make sure he’s got it all down,” she said, heading for the door. “Relax and rest. You won’t have much time before the next contraction starts.”

Mom followed Harmony out of the room, leaving Ryke and I alone. He stroked a lock of my hair and studied my face.

“You look beautiful,” he said softly. “I’ll never forget the way you look right now.”

The tenderness in his voice made my heart swell with love, and I reached out to caress his cheek. I cringed when another contraction started building. He leaned in close so I could squeeze him and lean on him.

Mom, Harmony and the doctor all came in together, and Dr. Polanski went straight for the machine that was monitoring the baby’s heart rate. He studied it and nodded.

I cried out from the pain and looked around frantically for Harmony. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

She took my hand and met my eyes. “Breathe. Come on. The baby needs that oxygen, Kate. Breathe. There you go.”

I sank against Ryke as the wave of agony went down. Dr. Polanski offered him a quick nod and then looked at me.

“Kate, you’re getting close to time to push,” he said, putting on a rubber glove on. “I’m going to check your cervix again. What we’re seeing is that the baby’s heart rate has gone down just a little.”

“What?” I cried, my chest constricting.

“Everything’s okay,” he said. “I’ve been watching the monitors at the desk. This happens sometimes. I don’t think we need an emergency c-section at this point. But when it’s time to push, I need you to give it everything you’ve got. We want to get this baby out as quickly as possible.”

I was dizzy and my heart was pounding anxiously. “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with the baby’s heart?”

“No. The baby is perfectly healthy.”

“Don’t dick around with me,” I cautioned, fighting to keep my voice steady. “Be straight.”

The wrinkles on Dr. Polanski’s face deepened as he offered me a kind smile. “The baby is perfectly healthy, Kate. The decrease in heart rate can indicate fetal distress, but it’s not something I’m overly concerned about or I’d take you to the operating room right now. Trust me.”

“What kind of distress?” I asked, leaning into Ryke.

“It’s often caused by the umbilical cord being wrapped around the neck.”

“Just do a c-section right now!” I cried. “Please! I don’t want to take any chances!”

“If I need to, I will.” The doctor went down to my legs and I was seized by another contraction. Ryke held me and I panted through it with Harmony’s coaching.

Dr. Polanski smiled and got up.

“You’re just about there. You’ll see the nurses hustling around here preparing for delivery, but everything’s good, Kate. This is what I do. Trust me and listen to me and everything will be okay.”

I nodded and clutched Ryke. Everything started moving faster then. Bright lights were shined between my legs and more nurses came in. I was surrounded by people coaching me about when to push. They all counted and told me how well I did every time. I held tight to Ryke’s arm and obeyed every instruction, praying it would be okay this time. I was desperate to meet the baby I’d been impassive about. Now I knew it was never because I didn’t care, but because I cared so much.

“Need a break, Kate?” June asked. I shook my head frantically and prepared to push again.

“That’s my girl,” Ryke said. “Come on baby. You can do this. You’re the strongest person I know. Fight.”