Betsy wasn’t giving up after all she and Marla had been through. Before she thought about it, she chomped down as hard as she could on the fingers that tried to stop the elevator doors from closing. She heard a loud shriek of pain and watched the now bloody fingers slip out of the small crevice. With the taste of blood in her mouth she spit into a tissue she had pulled from her scrubs pocket. Relief poured through her when she felt the elevator begin to move downward. With a sigh of relief she pulled out her phone and dialed Pete’s cell phone. He answered on the first ring.
“Betsy. What’s going on?”
“Oh, Pete. Thank God you answered. Marla is fine…now anyway. I’m taking her down in the elevator right now and back to the emergency room.”
“What’s wrong Betsy?” Breathlessly she relayed the story to Pete with Marla throwing in details every now and then. By the time she had finished the story both she and Marla were in tears.
“I’m taking Marla back to emergency because I don’t want her to go without medical supervision. Don’t you worry, I’ll stick to her like glue. Tell the officers where I am and I’ll give them a description of the man I saw with the gun. At least he wasn’t in a police uniform but I don’t know what happened to the guard that was supposed to be outside Marla’s door.
“Betsy, I can’t thank you enough for saving Marla and the baby. We owe you everything. I’m coming right now so sit tight, helps on the way.”
Marla didn’t have the heart to tell Betsy that her contractions had started again. Maybe it was just because she had been under extreme stress, although they did seem more regular than earlier in the day. Of course she hadn’t been in mortal danger earlier in the day either. Marla decided to let the nurse know as soon as she was settled into the emergency room.
No sooner had she come up with that plan when it she was foiled again. Her water suddenly broke, gushing out the sides of the wheelchair and leaving a watery trail to her treatment room.
“Betsy, my water just broke. Go tell the nurse immediately, our baby insists on coming out now.”
Betsy parked Marla in the doorway of an empty treatment room so she could keep visual contact while talking to the nurse. Luckily for Marla the same nurse that had attended her when she was first brought in was still on duty. The nurse immediately picked-up the phone and called Marla’s doctor.
“Betsy, is Pete coming to the emergency room or setting up a command center somewhere else in the hospital?”
“He didn’t say. I better call him and let him know the latest developments.”
“No, not yet. Let him do his job. I read that with the first baby my labor will take quite a few hours, so there’s plenty of time. I don’t want him distracted right now and I’m not in any danger.”
Although Betsy didn’t like the idea she understood why Marla felt the way she did. The last thing Pete needed was a distraction while dealing with some nut with a gun. She decided she would play it by ear and if she thought the birth was getting close she would call Pete then. In the meantime she fed Marla ice chips and talked her through the contractions, coaching her breathing and letting Marla squeeze the crap out of her fingers. When the nurse announced that Marla was dilated to eight Betsy decided she needed to call Pete. After dialing his number Betsy heard the ringing in stereo, suddenly realizing that Pete was coming through the door while his phone was ringing.
“You were calling me?” Pete’s smile faded when he saw the wet tendrils of Marla’s hair sticking to her perspiration soaked face.
“What’s going on? Marla, are you all right?” Pete looked around the room and realized that the doctor was in the room and putting on a gown and mask.
“Just in time. Get a mask and gown and suit up Mr. Jensen, it’s time for your daughter to make her appearance.” Dr. Michael’s instructed.
“I didn’t even know you were in labor again. Why didn’t you call me?”
“It’s my fault. I didn’t want you distracted and I thought I’d be in labor a lot longer than it turned out to be. I’m sorry, Pete. Please don’t be mad. Betsy wanted to call you sooner but I wouldn’t let her.” She grimaced in pain with the next contraction, suddenly feeling the overwhelming need to push.
“I feel like I have to push now.”
Unsure what to do or where to go, he stood in the middle of the room until Dr. Michaels spoke up.
“Mr. Jensen you may want to come down here with me. The baby is crowning and we’ll need you to cut the umbilical cord.”
Panic registered on Pete’s face. “Me? You want me to cut the cord?”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t have it any other way. All of my father’s participate in the birth process.”
Two pushes later Pete and Marla were suddenly the proud parents of a five pound baby girl. Marla and Pete held each other, sobbing with joy at the birth of their perfect little girl. When the nurse put the tiny baby in Marla’s arms they counted her fingers and toes, nuzzling and kissing her constantly. She had come out with a mass of unruly and wild dark hair and the most brilliant blue eyes they had ever seen. The baby didn’t even cry or whimper, looking up at her parents as they returned the loving stares. Instantly she had two very loving parents wrapped around her tiny baby finger.
Betsy, who had discretely slipped out of the room right before the birth, was called back into Marla’s room to see the baby.
“Oh, she’s so beautiful. You two certainly know how to make a beautiful baby.”
“Would you like to hold her?” Marla offered.
“Could I?”
“Absolutely. Without you we wouldn’t be having this happy moment. You saved my life and the baby’s life. Go to Aunt Betsy now, baby girl.” Marla gently placed the contented baby into Betsy’s arms.
“What are you going to name her?”
“We’re naming her after her favorite Aunt. Elizabeth Rose Jensen.”
Now Betsy had tears streaming down her face, humbled by the honor Pete and Marla had bestowed upon her.
Baby Elizabeth now had one more adult admirer wrapped around her tiny little baby finger. Quite an accomplishment for only being out in the world for five minutes, but then first born tended to be over achievers. ************