A Time for Hope (Lexi, #3)(84)
“FUCK!” My body shook as another contraction rocked me. “FUCKING, FUCKETY, FUCK, FUCK!” The air pushed out of my lungs as my hands balled at the sheets by my side. Worst pain imaginable, I repeated in my head. Worst. Pain. Imaginable.
“Lexi, your blood pressure is raising honey. I’m going to need you to try and calm down.” The midwife, June, looked over my monitor printout. Funnily enough, June had been the same midwife that assisted in birthing Noah when Hannah delivered, although the previously built rapport did not make the process easier.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to be calming down?” I puffed as I felt the sweat trickle down my back. “I know other women go through this all the time but I am in f*cking agony here. So if you want me to calm down you are going to need to pump up the volume on the pain meds, June.” While I had persevered through the first few hours with only the aid of mild analgesics, I was ready for the big guns. Fill my IV full of something that was going to take the edge off or knock me out ‘til it was time to push, cause I was beyond the limits of exhaustion.
“Lexi!” Alex burst the doorway of the delivery suite, barely breaking his stride on his way to the bedside. “Baby, I got here as soon as I could.” He pulled off his leather jacket and tossed it on the unoccupied chair beside the bed. “Lexi, I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
“DRUGS!” I screamed. “Alex I love you and I forgive you so please stop telling me you are sorry and get me some f*cking drugs!” I gripped his hand in a bone-crushing hold and prayed medical science had evolved enough that it could take this pain away. Although I seriously doubted there was anything that was going to dull it.
“Lexi, calm down.” June unhelpfully instructed. “Your blood pressure is climbing too high, if it keeps going you are going to need a c-section. I’m paging the anesthesiologist and your obstetrician, sweetie. You just need to hold on a little longer.” June grabbed my chart and made for the door.
“Lex, unless you need me here, I’m going to leave you with Rock Star.” Taylah handed Alex the styrofoam cup she had been feeding me ice chips from and squeezed my hand. “You’ve got this. Now focus on your breathing like we practiced in class. Do not hold onto your breath or you are going to burst the capillaries in your cheeks and that will require one hell of a touch up on the post-birthing photos.”
“Thanks Tay,” I whimpered as Alex rubbed my back, “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Yes Taylah, thank you. I owe you.” Alex gently applied a little extra pressure to my lower spine. God that felt good. How did he know to do that?
“Yeah, wait until you see the bill on the redo of the penthouse. You won’t be so charitable.” Taylah winked as she angled toward the door. “Take care of our girl.”
“I’m all over it!” Alex waved before returning his attention back to my lumbar region. His strong, agile fingers worked in small circular movements across my back.
“Oh that feeeeeeeels good.” I leaned forward, my swollen pregnant belly cushioned by the pillows in front on me. “Not that I’m complaining but how do you know how to do this?”
“YouTube.” Alex’s gifted fingers moved outward in different directions, concentrating his attention on each of my hips. “I had to do something to prepare for the birth. There was no way I was coming in here without something to offer.”
I was so touched that Alex, despite being absent during the past couple of weeks, had tried to do everything he could to be ready for this. I realised that the distance had been harder on him than it had been on me. I shuddered as another contraction started to reverberate through my body. It was like a freight train that wouldn’t stop. “Agggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” I wailed, no longer having the energy to swear. You know I had to be at the end of my rope when I could no longer swear.
“Baby,” Alex shifted from behind me and moved in front of me so that I was now cradled in his arms. “I wish there was something more I could do.”
“Hello Lexi,” the ever-cheerful Dr. Dana Brookes entered the room and strolled over to my bedside. “And this must be your charming husband. Hi I’m Dana.” She held out her small delicate hand in greeting.
“Alex Stone, husband.” Alex returned her cordial handshake before returning his attention back to me. “She’s in a lot of pain.”
“I know. Lexi, I need you to listen to me.” I tried to focus on Dr. Dana as my head lay on Alex’s shoulder. I felt so utterly spent. “Brian is on his way to administer the epidural. I think given the elevation of your blood pressure we have to be ready for other options. Now I’m going to allow you to keep going a little while longer but if we don’t get your pressure down, we’re going to have to get the baby out. Do you understand Lexi?”
“Baby,” Alex whispered in my ear as another contraction gripped me.
“Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” I moaned. God, make it stop. Please just make it stop. I breathed through it as best I could, feeling dizzy from the exaggerated inward and outward expulsions. My whole body clenched and contorted in pain.
“So who here needs some pain relief?” A tall, annoyingly jovial man who I assumed was Brian, waltzed through the door carrying a metal tray.
“Me,” I moaned hoping the * was going to knock off the chatter and get to blissing me out with whatever he had in his bag of tricks.