Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) (14 page)

Charity stared up at the off-white ceiling, attempting to make shapes out of the cracks in it. One kind of reminded her of a bunny. She tried to remember a childhood book she had read about a crack in the ceiling having the habit of sometimes looking like a rabbit.

She lay on a maternity bed now, bigger and actually more comfortable than a regular hospital bed. Hooked up to an IV and monitors for herself, more monitors for the baby covered her belly. It was hard to find a comfortable way to lie down. She tried shifting her weight so she was half on her side, but the monitors dug into her skin so she ended up back on her back. A few minutes later she twisted again to the other side and her left leg began tingling. She couldn’t win.

Elijah had left to go and talk to Charity’s father and also to Julie and Simon. The ER had slowed down so they had all stopped by to find out what was going on. Elijah had offered to go and talk to them in his office and give Charity some time to rest.

She had just received her first of two corticosteroid injections. It was betamethasone. Dr. Govender explained what the steroid drug was and how it would help the baby. She needed two doses. He was hoping to do it twenty-four hours apart, but depending on how the baby was doing in her belly, he would inject it again in twelve hours. The way he explained everything, it sounded like she would be receiving the other injection in twelve hours.  He had also given her tocolytic medications to slow, if not stop, her labor and antibiotics had been added to her IV.

She rubbed the spot on her thigh where the steroid needle had gone in. It didn’t hurt, she just rubbed in unconsciously. Thank goodness she had Elijah. She knew she would have fallen apart if he hadn’t been there holding her hand. She kept thinking of everything Dr. Govender said in terms of disaster. Elijah thought of them in clinical terms and then explained how the risks were less likely because her pregnancy had been fantastically healthy. The baby wasn’t in distress. Not yet. So until there was a real reason to worry, the best thing for her to do was to rest and let the corticosteroid do its job.

Easier said than done. Fetal or neonatal death, respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis, cerebroventricular hemorrhage, systemic infection, childhood developmental delay… all these issues ran through her head over and over again. There were so many possible complications, the chances of one of them actually happening to the baby seemed realistically possible.

Elijah had assured her that little Jamie could easily, and very comfortably, stay in her belly for a few days. Twenty-four hours after administration of the first dose reduced most of the list of complications. And every hour after was better and better.

Charity shut her eyes tight and tried to force sleep to come. Dr. Govender’s last words echoed inside her head,
“Staying pregnant these first two days after the corticosteroid shot is the first significant milestone for you and your baby. You and your baby are going to be fine, Charity. Focus on resting and relaxing. It’s the most important thing you can do for your baby right now.”

“Madeline!”

“Pardon?” Elijah sat on the chair across from Charity’s bed, his feet resting on the end of her mattress.

“Madeline.” Charity tried shifting her weight so her butt didn’t feel so numb.

Elijah jumped up to help her. “Do you need somebody?”

She smiled. He looked a bit like a lost puppy. “Maybe some water?” She scratched around the tape of her intervenes.

“Who is Madeline, by the way?” he asked when he handed her a plastic cup of water.

“A book I read as a kid.” She pointed up at the ceiling. “The crack on the ceiling had the habit, of sometimes looking like a rabbit.”

“Okay?” He raised his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

She moved to the right side of the bed and glanced at the monitors. Everything looked even and steady for her and the baby. “Come lie here beside me.”

Elijah set the water back on the stand beside the bed and cautiously laid down. He rested his hand lightly on Charity’s belly.

She pointed to the ceiling. “I was staring up at the ceiling earlier and the set of cracks kind of looks like a bunny.” She traced the outline. “As a kid I read this book about an old house in Paris. The little girl’s name was Madeline. She’s at an orphanage or something and ends up in the hospital to have her appendix removed. It’s a rhyming story.” She waved her hand. “Never mind.”

Elijah pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” she asked, happy to have him beside her.

“Sending myself an email with the title of that book. I’m going to get it for Jamie and when she’s older, I’ll explain how Mum went coo-coo in the hospital waiting for her to come out.”

Charity elbowed Elijah, nearly knocking him off the bed. She giggled and then snorted when Elijah tried to catch himself and instead tumbled off the small bed. He popped his head up, just high enough to show the side. Charity covered her mouth. It felt good to laugh.

He raised his eyebrows and cautiously lay down beside her.

She giggled again. “Sorry about that.”

“I’m still buying the book,” he whispered.

“I hope you do.” She rested her hand on her belly. “I haven’t had any more contractions in the past while.” She checked her watch. She had managed to get just over an hour of sleep. She stretched and used the remote to set them into a half seating position. She went slowly and carefully, making sure to not mess any of the monitors covering her belly.

A nurse appeared. “Everything okay?” She checked the constant print out coming from one of the baby monitors. “Would you like something to eat? I have a feeling you probably haven’t eaten much today.”

Elijah got off the bed. “Why don’t I go and get us a sub? I’m actually kind of hungry and if I’m hungry…” He glanced at Charity and gave her a coy look and then shot a look to her stomach, purposely not finishing the sentence. “Is she on full food? She can eat anything? That’s healthy, of course.”

The nurse smiled and batted her eyelashes.

Everyone loved Dr. Bennet and his handsome self. It made Charity giggle. How did she get so lucky? She understood the nurse’s reaction, and shamelessly kind of enjoyed it.

“I’ll double-check with Dr. Govender, but I don’t see why she can’t have food outside of the hospital.” She flashed him a smile. “It’s probably better for her. She’ll eat it then.”

Elijah put his coat on and checked his back pocket for his wallet. “What do you feel like?”

Charity didn’t waste a breath. “Chicken Club. Just a six inch. No pickles or anything hot.”

“I can manage that.” He French-kissed her right in front of the nurse. “Do you need anything else?”

Charity pretended it was no big deal, but the monitor showed her heart rate increase. She ignored the burning on her cheeks knowing he was trying to make her laugh or distract her. It worked. “Maybe later you can swing by our place and grab some of my PJs? And your robe?” She didn’t own a robe and if she was going to be here for the next while, she might as well be comfortable. “Can you grab some of my resident binders too? I can do some studying and try to keep up with what’s going on.”

Elijah chuckled. “You are not working while you’re here.”

“It’s just something to read.”

“I’ll buy you some magazines then.”

“I’m not reading celebrity crap! I hate that stuff.”

“I was thinking some of the other kinds.”

“Dirty ones?” She shook her head when she saw him fight back a grin.
You bugger.
“So help me, if you bring me your mother’s collection that she left here…”

Elijah’s mouth dropped into a perfect shaped ‘O’.

The nurse shuffled quickly to the door. “I’ll let you guys sort this out. If you need me, just push the button.”

Charity could hear her laughter as she walked away.

Elijah returned with food about an hour and a half later. “I’m home, sweetie.” He handed Charity the subs and went straight to the monitors. “How are you feeling?”

“Everything is stable at the moment. Dr. Govender came in and seemed…” She paused as she tried to find the right word. Happy wasn’t it. “Content that things have been semi-steady. He’s worried but is hoping we can get to forty-eight hours after the injection’s now in.” She didn’t want to alarm Elijah but knew he would be checking her file next. “Contractions have started up again. They are about fifteen minutes apart.”

Elijah sat down on the bed and hugged her. “You okay?”

In his arms, she felt safe… protected. She marveled how he could be so steady and strong. He called the baby by her name when she couldn’t bring herself to do it. What if something terrible happened? She had kept herself slightly removed at times throughout the pregnancy and now she wondered if this was the reason why. She wouldn’t let herself complete the thought. “I’m scared.”

“Me, too.” He squeezed her tighter around her shoulders. “But we are going to get through this together.”

Her watch beeped and a second later her stomach tightened as a contraction started. She shifted and Elijah slipped off the bed. She rested part of her weight on her elbow and concentrated on breathing.

He rubbed her back. “Is there anything I can do?”

Charity shook her head as she counted. The last one had lasted about twenty-five seconds. It helped if she focused on the numbers. “Twenty-three… twenty-four…” Her abdominal wall began to relax.

“Should I get Doctor Govender?” He looked lost. Elijah was a doctor, and to not be in control of the situation must be driving him mad.

Charity shook her head as she inhaled and then exhaled a long slow breath. “He’s going to be back later to administer the second shot of steroids. Let’s just get to there, shall we? Just focus on getting to twelve hours and then twenty-four hours. Then forty-eight hours. We’ll just keep taking one step at a time.”

Elijah paced back and forth down the length of the hospital bed. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?” She leaned over and took a long sip of water.

“Stay so calm?” He shook his hands and arms as if trying to get the nervousness out of them.

Charity scoffed. “Me, calm? You’re mister-sexy-smooth in everything you do. You’re pacing now, but you still don’t seem agitated. I’m not calm, but I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to keep our baby safe. I’m terrified she’s going to come out and have to be rushed to NICU.” She swallowed and could only whisper her next words, “What
if
I don’t get to hold her? What if…”

Elijah dropped down beside the bed and held both her hands. “That’s not going to happen. You are in the best hospital, with the best doctors.” His kissed her hands. “You will hold your baby. I promise you that is going to happen.”

A knock at the door distracted them from the conversation they did not want to have.

Charity’s father walked in, his face unreadable. She needed to learn how to make the doctor face. There had to be a course to teach her. “How are things going?” He held Charity’s gaze a moment before quickly looking away. He walked over to the monitors and flipped through Charity’s chart. “You look like your mother.” He turned his attention to Elijah as if unable to look at her. “I spoke to your mom. She’s booking a flight to get here as soon as she can.”

She understood his uncomfortable silence and avoidance to her. For the first time, that she could recall, she identified with her father’s emotion and sympathized with him. Playing doctor was easier for him to do than trying to be a man without his wife to help their daughter who was at risk to lose his only grandchild. She wished so badly her mom was here. The longing hurt so bad, it almost felt physical.

Then she realized it was another contraction. It had begun before her watch timer went off. She double-checked and as she concentrated on counting, she changed her watch to a thirteen-minute countdown. Hopefully, it was a one off and things were not progressing too fast.

The two men didn’t even notice. Charity shuffled her legs off the side of the bed after it had passed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” her father asked sternly.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” She smiled at how serious he looked. “Do you want to come with me?”

He held his hands up and took a step back. “I can call the nurse.” He reached for the remote on her bed.

“I’m okay, Dad. It’s just a pee.” She unclipped the monitors on her belly and grabbed the traveling IV.

“You shouldn’t take the baby monitors off.”

“Dad, I have to pee.” She held her hand up. “I don’t need a catheter yet, so don’t even suggest it.”

A nurse came into the room. “Everything alright?” She noticed Charity standing.

“Bathroom break.”

She nodded and cleared the way to the bathroom and held the door open for her. “Next time, just click the intercom to let us know and when you get back we can come and hook you all up again.”

“Will do.” She rolled her eyes at the two men standing behind her.

The nurse smiled and leaned in close to her. “Do you want me to get rid of them for a little bit?”