Paradise Valley (Virgin River #7)(99)

“Then let’s change quickly, shall we?” Mel said, throwing her purse and bag in a corner out of the way and heading out of the room for a quick change. On her way toward the nurses’ lounge and locker room she said to one of the nurses, “We’re gonna roll in there. Get me the pediatric nurse and I’ll need some help until Dr. Stone arrives.”

“I’ve arrived,” she heard a voice say.

She turned and smiled at John Stone. “Great timing. Our patient is moving up on the docket, water just broke, and I haven’t even checked her yet.”

“But what do you think?”

“Nine or ten,” Mel said with a shrug. “She had a nice little personality shift just as we were arriving.”

“I’ll check her.” Then he smiled at the L&D nurse. “She’s got great instincts. Get your delivery team in there.”

The room became busy even before Cameron had helped Abby all the way into her gown. John Stone was waiting for her to ease back on the bed, snapping on a pair of gloves. People started filling the room—two pediatric nurses, a couple of labor-and-delivery nurses, the pediatrician arrived, and Mel was back by the time Abby’s knees were raised and John Stone was examining her. One of the nurses was monitoring fetal heartbeats. “What are you feeling, Abby?” John asked her.

“Pressure,” she said. “Low pressure. I think maybe I have to use the bathroom.”

John pulled out his hand, stripped off the glove and said, “Not anymore, Abby. Let’s break down this bed,” he said to one of the nurses. “Abby, there’s only a tiny strip of cervix left—you ready to push?”

“I could try,” she said.

“In a second or two, you’re not going to have to try.” No sooner said than she was lifting off the bed on pure instinct, bearing down. “There you go,” he said, grinning. “Mel, take the first one.”

“My pleasure,” she said.

The L&D nurses removed the bottom half of the birthing bed, rolled forward a table on which the delivery instruments and equipment lay under a sterile drape, and Mel and John shared the space at the end of the bed. Mel pulled a stool up to the front-row seat where she was rhythmically and systematically stretching Abby’s vagina around a growing crown of hair. She was telling Abby to push push push push push and, “Go ahead and rest for a minute.”

“I missed the epidural,” Abby said breathlessly.

“I know the feeling,” Mel laughed. “Ready to go again, Abby?”

Abby lifted slightly, Cameron assisting at her shoulders, and before even fifteen minutes had passed, Mel said, “Here we go, just one more,” and a baby came into her hands. While holding the baby in her lap, she deftly clamped and cut. “Ah. Ladies first.” And within moments she had moved out of the way for John Stone to take over, bringing the newborn up onto Abby’s chest. “Nice, very nice. Take a moment to rest and meet your daughter, then we have to do that again. Let’s dry her off, Cam,” she said, rubbing a soft towel over the baby’s tiny body.

“Is she big enough? Is she, Cam?” Abby asked. “She looks so tiny.”

“I’m guessing five pounds,” Cameron said. “What do you think, Mel?”

“I think she liked it in there. Look at those arms flail, listen to that voice. Oh, you two are going to be busy. Abby, have a quick look, sweetheart, then let’s get her warmed up and bring out her brother. Hmm?”

“I don’t want to let go of her,” Abby said.

“You’re going to get her right back. She just needs to be cleaned off, warmed up, diapered and swaddled. By that time, you’ll be counting fingers and toes on her brother.”

“Oh God, look at her, Cameron. How can I be in charge of something this tiny?”

He laughed. “You should get help from a pediatrician. How about that?”

“Why didn’t I just marry you when I had the chance?”

He leaned down and put a kiss on her lips and on the baby’s head. “I’m not going anywhere, honey.”

Abby and Cameron had less than two minutes to examine and fawn over their daughter, when a low groan came from Abby. That sound alone brought the pediatric nurse to the bedside, scooping up the baby to get her cleaned, weighed, measured and checked over by the doctor. As soon as the baby was cleared from her, John Stone said, “Go ahead and push when you’re ready, Abby. We’re going to bring this fella down and into the world.”

Just a couple of minutes later, Abby had another baby in her arms. Mel and Cameron were drying him off while Abby was cooing over him, touching him, kissing him. She didn’t even notice that the nurse was washing her up, that the field of birth was being cleaned and cleared away, the bed reassembled. It was only another fifteen minutes before Abby held their daughter while Cameron held their son.

“Your daughter is five pounds, two ounces and your son a strapping five-seven. Both of them eighteen inches. Nice work, Abby. You grew them into going-home-from-the-hospital weight. They’re beautiful,” Mel said.

Abby, holding her daughter close, looked up into Cameron’s eyes. She smiled. “We’re a family now.”

“Yeah, honey.” He leaned down to give her a kiss. “Thank you.”

Fifteen