The Stupid Things We Do, chapter 14
You get up and run after her down the hall, followed by Adrienne's screams of "Billie, no!"
You've almost caught up to her; she's an arms length away- Mike and Tré step in to the hallway, directly in front of you.
"Get out of the way!" you yell, trying to push past them.
"Mike, Tré! Stop him!" Adrienne has appeared at her door. They need no further explanation, Mike blocks the hall and Tré starts dragging you back towards Adie. Damn his strong arms! You keep struggling.
"No! Let the fuck go of me, I can still catch her!" But despite your frantic attempts to escape, Tré successfully drags you back to Adie's room.
"Why the fuck did you do that?!" you yell.
"Because I don't need you locked up for killing some bitch while I'm about to give birth!" she yells back, just as loud.
"Better her than you." You mumble, but you know she's right.
"Well now that that's sorted out, what say we play a game?" says Tré, trying to lighten the mood, "charades anyone?"
Fourteen hours, twenty-three minutes later and you are attempting to stay awake. Adie looks at you and smiles. "You can take a nap. I'm sure you'll wake up in time."
You smile gratefully, "Thanks."
5 a.m. Twenty-two hours and three minutes since Adie went into labour. The nurse is checking in for what seems like the zillionth time.
"Well," she says, "you're dilated 10 centimetres, lets get you to the delivery room." You stand up, fully awake now, and look at Adie. She looks extremely nervous.
"Don't worry," you say supporting, "you'll do fine. Just think; we'll be parents in an hour or two."
She rolls her eyes, "Exactly what I wanted to hear."
It's official: you can no longer feel your hand from Adie squeezing it. You had no idea she was so strong, or maybe the strength is coming from the pain. It must be almost out, you think, she's been pushing for 5 minutes... at that moment, you heard the cries of a baby. You look away from Adrienne to see the beautiful little baby in the doctors' arms.
"Congratulations," the doctor says and hands Adie the baby, "It's a boy."
You had never seen her smile as big as she did as she gazed upon your new baby boy.
"Isn't he beautiful?" she says.
"Precious... can I hold him?" But before she could answer, the nurse took him from her arms.
"We're about ready for the next one." Says the doctor. You nod and watch the nurse carry your son out the door to the nursery.
When baby number two came, she didn't cry like her brother. This time you got to hold the baby after Adie. When she looked up at you with her precious hazel eyes, you melted. And just like with her brother, you watched the nurse carry her out of the room. It was as the door closed behind them that you heard the crash.
"I'd better go check what happened." Says the doctor and disappears into the hallway. Fifteen minutes later, he returns looking grave.
"You'd better sit down," he says to you, "There has been an accident. Another patient was being rushed down the hall for surgery, and if they didn't do it fast she would die, you see. The nurse that was taking your baby to the nursery, she didn't see them coming. She was hit and dropped your baby," he pauses. There's a sinking feeling in your stomach, that tells you you have an idea where this is going, "her neck snapped on impact. For a newborn baby, this kind of thing is fatal. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your baby is dead."
You've almost caught up to her; she's an arms length away- Mike and Tré step in to the hallway, directly in front of you.
"Get out of the way!" you yell, trying to push past them.
"Mike, Tré! Stop him!" Adrienne has appeared at her door. They need no further explanation, Mike blocks the hall and Tré starts dragging you back towards Adie. Damn his strong arms! You keep struggling.
"No! Let the fuck go of me, I can still catch her!" But despite your frantic attempts to escape, Tré successfully drags you back to Adie's room.
"Why the fuck did you do that?!" you yell.
"Because I don't need you locked up for killing some bitch while I'm about to give birth!" she yells back, just as loud.
"Better her than you." You mumble, but you know she's right.
"Well now that that's sorted out, what say we play a game?" says Tré, trying to lighten the mood, "charades anyone?"
Fourteen hours, twenty-three minutes later and you are attempting to stay awake. Adie looks at you and smiles. "You can take a nap. I'm sure you'll wake up in time."
You smile gratefully, "Thanks."
5 a.m. Twenty-two hours and three minutes since Adie went into labour. The nurse is checking in for what seems like the zillionth time.
"Well," she says, "you're dilated 10 centimetres, lets get you to the delivery room." You stand up, fully awake now, and look at Adie. She looks extremely nervous.
"Don't worry," you say supporting, "you'll do fine. Just think; we'll be parents in an hour or two."
She rolls her eyes, "Exactly what I wanted to hear."
It's official: you can no longer feel your hand from Adie squeezing it. You had no idea she was so strong, or maybe the strength is coming from the pain. It must be almost out, you think, she's been pushing for 5 minutes... at that moment, you heard the cries of a baby. You look away from Adrienne to see the beautiful little baby in the doctors' arms.
"Congratulations," the doctor says and hands Adie the baby, "It's a boy."
You had never seen her smile as big as she did as she gazed upon your new baby boy.
"Isn't he beautiful?" she says.
"Precious... can I hold him?" But before she could answer, the nurse took him from her arms.
"We're about ready for the next one." Says the doctor. You nod and watch the nurse carry your son out the door to the nursery.
When baby number two came, she didn't cry like her brother. This time you got to hold the baby after Adie. When she looked up at you with her precious hazel eyes, you melted. And just like with her brother, you watched the nurse carry her out of the room. It was as the door closed behind them that you heard the crash.
"I'd better go check what happened." Says the doctor and disappears into the hallway. Fifteen minutes later, he returns looking grave.
"You'd better sit down," he says to you, "There has been an accident. Another patient was being rushed down the hall for surgery, and if they didn't do it fast she would die, you see. The nurse that was taking your baby to the nursery, she didn't see them coming. She was hit and dropped your baby," he pauses. There's a sinking feeling in your stomach, that tells you you have an idea where this is going, "her neck snapped on impact. For a newborn baby, this kind of thing is fatal. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your baby is dead."
