Deanna’s face was bright red, and sweat was pouring down her face. I set another ice chip in her mouth and she took it gratefully. I sighed, the bags under my eyes must be apparent by now. I’d gotten little sleep in the last 36 hours. Neither of us had. Turning to Beverly, I shook my head, this had gone on long enough.
“Beverly can’t you make her take something for the pain and reverse the process?”
Beverly’s eyes flickered up towards my own.
“Will I’m surprised at you, you know very well that once a woman is past 5-6 centimeters Physicians are not allowed to administer any labor reducing counteragents as it will result in the distress of the fetus. I can give her something for the pain, but she has to want it. I can’t force her.”
Sighing once again, I placed a kiss against Deanna’s forehead. A long and hard contraction began to bite its way through her. Her body shook as it fought against the contraction. Deanna looked at me and spoke through gritted teeth.
“I will resist with every last breath I have in me. Gracie is not coming out of me. Not in this place. She’s not coming out and that’s final.”
I could do nothing but abide by her wishes. My guard went up as someone came into the room. We’d dimmed the lights to get some rest, and we hadn’t bothered to turn them on. Deanna had been sensitive to light lately. Whomever entered the room turned the lights up just enough so that our eyes could adjust. It was Beverly who took the first step towards her ‘double’.
“You must be my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother. Are you here to help us?”
The red-headed woman nodded her head at Beverly and took another step towards us.
“I was just transferred here from Bethesda. I can see why that witch Sartos confused you for me. We look like twins. Despite being three centuries apart. Bridget Howard. That would make you my great-great-great-great-great granddaughter.”
Beverly smiled and nodded at her grandmother.
“Beverly Crusher. Still a Howard through and through though.”
I smiled at the two of them, they really did look like twin sisters. There were of course, minor differences. Bridget got down to business and looked Deanna over.
“How long has your wife been like this Mr. Riker?”
I stifled a yawn and looked Bridget in the eye.
“A little over 36 hours. She’s dilated 7 centimeters which is too far to intervene and reverse labor. She’s also refused an Epidural. Beverly and I keep telling her, there is only so much pain her body can handle. We’ve stocked up on enough ice chips for the next 48 hours, but honestly, she’s already to the point where the pain is making her delirious. She keeps calling out for her father, and he’s been gone for over 30 years. Could you try and convince her?”
Bridget nodded her head and gave a smile to bleary eyed Deanna on the bed.
“Deanna I think it’s best if we give you an Epidural for the pain. You’ll feel a lot better trust me.”
Deanna’s eyes grew wide, they were wild and seemed untamed.
“Beverly?”
Bridget shook her head and took Deanna’s hand and squeezed it for a moment.
“No I’m her grandmother.”
A confused expression crossed Deanna’s face.
“Felisa?”
Bridget shook her head no once more. But it was Beverly that spoke.
“She’s back on Caldos remember? This is my great-great-great-great-great grandmother Bridget Howard. The only Howard in the family who was in the military and achieved the rank of General all while still maintaining her job as a doctor and an OBGYN.”
Deanna was still confused. I wiped the sweat from her forehead and reached into the plastic cup for another ice chip. She shook her head and pushed my hands away.
“No more ice… I want water…”
Her hand was resting over her belly and I placed a hand over own.
“You know that you can’t have water sweetheart. You’ll have an accident.”
She was really being stubborn about this. Bridget came into her line of vision.
“You need to conserve your strength for your daughter Gracie. Now I really think that you would benefit from having an Epidural onboard. It will make you feel better, and help build up your strength.”
The waterworks began again, I did my best to hold my own back. There was only so much pain that she could withstand.
“No, you don’t understand, they’ll take her away from me, just like they did with Laura. We’re not science experiments! I’m ignoring my natural instincts and going against everything my body is telling me. Gracie isn’t coming out. I almost bled out the last time right after Laura was born. Laura is Gracie’s twin.”
Bridget furrowed her eyebrows together, confused at Deanna’s wording.
“Twins? You’ve recently given birth then?”
Deanna shook her head no as another hard contraction took its grip on her.
“No, Laura was born three months ago. She barely fit in my husband’s hand. She was that tiny. There were times we didn’t think she’d make it. She was born in our bathtub. I had a scare…”
Bridget waited until Deanna could catch her breath and then listened as she continued.
“I had a scare, Tarnson he pulled a gun on me and my husband, Will knocked the gun out of his hands but not before a bullet went past my head and into the wall behind me. I went into premature labor and after 6 excruciating hours of pain, Laura came out of me and into the water. I didn’t find out about Gracie until about an hour later. She’d hidden from every scan, and every check-up I had for 8 months. She was by all accounts a surprise. I will not let them take her away from me. Not like they did Laura.”
Bridget gave Deanna a sympathetic smile. But it didn’t reach her eyes, there suddenly seemed to be a sad quality to them.
“Believe me, I’ll do everything in my power to help you keep Gracie. I won’t let them take her from you. My own son Jacob was taken from me the moment he came out of me. He was quiet. He didn’t cry. I never even got to hold him.”
Beverly’s eyes became wide, but they weren’t in sadness they were almost in anger.
“You should’ve sued the hospital. The doctor and nurse somehow switched your son with someone else’s who didn’t live. Your son is alive. I can’t tell you the rest. It would change what happens in this timeline.”
Bridget was all business again and pulled at her white coat.
“If you’re sure Deanna, but it would be beneficial for the both of you. Gracie’s heart rate is holding steady at 139 but, that could very well change, you’ll be black and blue for a few weeks from the Caesarean but, Gracie will be safe in your arms. What do you say?”
Deanna shook her head once more. She wasn’t budging on the subject.
“NO. Gracie stays in me. I don’t want Doctor Sartos or any other doctor touching me. The only three people I’d let touch me are you, Will and Beverly. I’d let either one of you three deliver my daughter. But none of the others. Especially not Sartos. She intentionally tried to poison me twice already with Magnesium.”
Bridget looked at Beverly and then back to Deanna.
“Doctor Sartos gave Deanna Magnesium the first time because supposedly her levels were very low, which wasn’t true, her levels were where they were supposed to be. She had an Anaphylaxis reaction to it and I had to give her a large dose of Epinephrine. This time we gave her Saline and flushed her system on time.”
Bridget shook her head and placed a hand on Deanna’s belly.
“I understand your fears as a new mother. But believe me, when push comes to shove, when you get to 10 centimeters you’re not going to be able to ignore your natural maternal instincts to push.”
Deanna turned her gaze towards me, very determined to show me what she was talking about.
“Would you like to have a look at what my body is going through?”
Swallowing, I tried to brush off her stinging question.
“Well, from Beverly and Bridget’s professional standpoint of view, I have seen what you are going through. I know that it’s no picnic. I wouldn’t wish it on any man in any culture.”
Deanna huffed, slightly satisfied. Then her attitude changed and she looked at Bridget.
“I’ll take the epidural, but only on the condition that you deliver Gracie and not Sartos.”
Bridget gave Deanna a warm smile and pulled a drawer open, taking out two syringes. One filled with local anesthetic and the other an epidural. I felt Deanna steel herself in my arms on my right while Beverly held her upright on the left.
“This’ll sting a little, make your back nice and round for me.”
Deanna nodded and shut her eyes, her left hand digging into my back. She’d buried her head in my neck just as she had during Laura’s birth. Beverly was doing her best to give her words of encouragement.
“I know it hurts. You’ll be feeling much better soon. Let your muscles relax. That’s it.”
After Bridget finished inserting the needle into Deanna’s lower back, she paused for a second.
“What in the world? Where did all these track marks in your back come from?”
Deanna desperately tried looking behind her. All I could think of was that Doctor Sartos must have gotten to her, taken whatever blood samples she wanted from her.
“My guess is that Doctor Sartos tried to take blood samples from her.”
I tried to get her to take another ice chip, but yet again she pushed my hands away. Giving a tired sigh, I tried once again. She again pushed my hands away.
“She’s dehydrated, but she won’t take any more ice chips.”
It was hard enough knowing that we were once again stuck here. But I knew that Bridget would help us.
To Be Continued…
[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]