THE DREAM CHILD (19 page)
Authors: Emma Daniels
“Of course I believe you. And I’m going to stay by your side until he’s delivered, and not leave your side until he’s ready to move out of home.”
The serious expression on his face stunned her. He meant every word.
“Oh Vic, it’s so unreal, so totally improbable, and yet you believe it just as much as I do.”
“Only because it happened to me too. I think we really were together those nights you conceived the baby, maybe not physically in the sense that we know it. It felt too real for it not to have happened, if you know what I mean.”
Sophie nodded. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean.”
“I want so much to be a part of you and the baby’s life. Let me be there for the birth?” The way he gazed up at her with those beseeching blue eyes of his choked her up with emotion.
“And every day thereafter,” she promised.
He took her into his arms and touched his cheek to hers. “I love you Sophie, have loved you since the night you walked into my dreams and stole my heart.”
His tender words took her breath away, and his gentle embrace made her tremble. “I’ve missed you so much, Vic,” she admitted, just as another cramp seized her.
“What is it?” he asked in concern. “Another contraction?”
Sophie nodded with a grimace of pain. “I think it’s time to head for the hospital. Same place you were a couple of months ago, but luckily a different ward. Can you take my bag please?” She motioned to the overnight case.
“Are you going to be all right getting down the stairs?” he asked with a frown.
Sophie nodded as she walked towards the front door. “If there’s another one along the way I’m just going to have to stop… It’s going to happen today. Today we’re going to be parents, Vic. How does that make you feel?”
Victor shook his head, a look of utter amazement on his face, and then picked up her bag. “Ask me again when all this is over. I’m still numb from the other wonderful shocks you’ve just given me.” He smiled and she could see that he was definitely pleased by the prospect.
Sophie locked the front door behind her. Next time she walked through it, she wouldn’t be doing it alone. Providing everything went well today, she’d have her baby with her.
The fact that she had Victor with her now was miracle enough. She leant against his tall supportive frame as she made her way awkwardly down the stairs. By the time she reached the bottom, another cramp pressed all the way around her abdomen, and she had to stop to try and breathe through the pain.
“I’ve got the feeling I’m going to have to do some pretty serious stunt driving,” Victor remarked as he helped her into the car.
“I’m sure I won’t deliver in your car,” she replied.
“God, I hope not. Because I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do.”
She tried to make a joke out if it as he got into the driver’s seat. “Just be there to catch him when he slides out.”
Victor started the engine, and like the first time she’d been in this car, loud rock music almost perforated her eardrums.
“Sorry,” he apologised, turning it down. “Wasn’t expecting an emergency dash to the hospital.”
Then they were off. Luckily it wasn’t peak hour, but there was still too much traffic on the road for Victor’s liking. Several times he ran amber lights that turned red just as he reached the other side of the crossing. The final time he did it, the light was already red, and a siren burst into life behind them.
Sophie didn’t appear to be getting much of a reprieve between her contractions, and Victor wondered if he shouldn’t just ignore the police car directly behind them. Having to stop and explain would only cut into precious time he didn’t think she had.
The decision was made for him when the police car overtook them, and slowed, forcing Victor to pull over.
“Oh no,” Sophie moaned, as another wave of pain engulfed her. “I was looking forward to a nice peaceful labour with an epidural, damn it.”
“I’m sorry. Blame the cop,” Victor growled, particularly when the policeman took his time about walking over to their vehicle. Victor wound down his window.
“You ran a red light back there,” the surly-faced officer announced.
“I know.” Just them Sophie moaned again. “Look at her! She’s about to have a baby, and I was just trying to get her to hospital as fast as I could.”
“Can I see your licence?” the cop asked.
Victor groaned in frustration, but reached round for his wallet in his back pocket. He flipped it open and handed it to the officer.
“This
friggin
hurts. I want some
drugs
and want them
now
,” Sophie cried. “Will you two stop stuffing around!”
“Look officer, I really don’t know how to deliver a baby. Can’t we just
go
?” Victor almost pleaded, his heart aching in empathy with her pain. If there was some way of taking it from her he would, but they weren’t sharing dreams now, more like cold hard reality, where she had to give birth, and he was meant to be taking her to the hospital.
“All right. Everything seems in order, Mr Rose. What hospital are you heading for?”
“Hornsby,” Victor answered shortly.
“All right. Follow me. I’ll clear the way for you.”
“What?” Victor and Sophie asked at once.
“This is a pretty powerful vehicle. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep up.” To Victor’s surprise the policeman actually grinned.
“I don’t think there’s any more gaps between these contractions,” Sophie groaned. “So don’t blame me if my waters break all over your nice upholstery.”
“I couldn’t care less about the upholstery. I just want to get you there safe and sound,” Victor said.
Suddenly a siren began to wail, and the police car was off. Victor swung out into the lane behind him. Staying behind the police car meant it took less than ten minutes to reach the emergency entrance of the hospital. Victor saw the cop’s assistant dive out of the vehicle and through the sliding doors into the building. He too got out and hurried around to Sophie’s side.
She sat hunched over in another abject grip of agony. Why does it have to hurt her so much? Victor asked himself as he touched her arm. She looked up at him with pain-filled eyes.
Suddenly the other officer, a woman, appeared beside them with a wheelchair.
“Thank you,” Victor said. “Help me get her out. I don’t think she’s going to be able to stand up on her own.”
Between the two of them they lifted Sophie out of the vehicle, and at that moment a huge gush of liquid flooded their shoes.
“I think that was her waters,” Victor remarked, shaking a sodden sneaker.
“I’ll take her inside,” the cop said. “You go and park your car. You can’t leave it here in case an ambulance arrives.”
“But –“ Victor protested as she began to wheel Sophie away.
“I’ll take good care of your wife for you,” she called over her shoulder.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sophie’s world had become clouded with pain. She could barely see through the almost constant waves of agony rolling through her, only vaguely aware of being wheeled along brightly lit corridors.
She’d completely forgotten that the pain meant she would soon have a baby in her arms. All she wanted was for it to end, and moaned in abject misery from it.
“I’m sure it will be over soon,” an unfamiliar female voice tried to soothe her. Sophie didn’t want to be soothed. She just wanted the pain to go away.
“Oh make it stop. Someone please make it stop,” she begged.
“We’re at the maternity ward now. The nurses will take care of you,” that same voice soothed.
“Where’s Vic? He was here. Where’d he go?” Sophie demanded, suddenly angry beyond reason that he’d abandoned her at this most critical time. “He
promised
he’d be here with me.”
“It’s all right. He’ll be back soon.”
“I want him
now
, because I want to kill him for making me go through all this
pain
,” she yelled hysterically.
“Let’s get her onto the bed,” another female voice said. Sophie looked up to see unfamiliar faces swimming in front of her eyes. Then she felt herself being lifted up onto the bed.
“Her waters broke outside,” the police woman who’d brought her in told the nurses.
“I’m just going to check on the baby now,” one of the unfamiliar female faces said.
“Can’t you just get it out of there? It damn well
hurts
.”
“I know. I know,” the nurse soothed. “I’ve been there too.” That didn’t help one little bit. “Well, you’re fully dilated. Do you feel the urge to push yet?”
“No. What’s that supposed to feel like?” Sophie ground out.
“Like wanting to go the toilet, only stronger. Who’s your doctor? I’ll see if he’s available, but I suspect you’re going to deliver this baby without him.”
“Where’s my epidural? I want my epidural,” Sophie cried.
“It’s too late for that now. What’s your doctor’s name?”
“Martin, Dr Martin,” she managed to grit out. “And where the heck is Vic?”
“Who Vic? Your husband?”
“No, the baby’s father.”
“Is this him?” the other nurse asked as a tall blonde man was shown into the room.
Sophie nodded. “Where the Hell have you been? I’m dying of pain here.”
Victor came to her side, his face grave with concern. “I couldn’t leave the car where it was… Oh never mind.”
Sophie grabbed hold of his arm and he felt her fingernails dig sharply into his skin.
“This is all your fault, you know,” she accused.
“Huh? How do you figure that?” he asked in confusion.
“She’s in a lot of pain,” the other nurse told him. “Take anything she dishes out with a grain of salt.”
The first nurse returned to the delivery room. “You’re in luck. Dr Martin’s on his way. We’ll just get you ready. “Let’s just get you into a hospital gown.”
“I think I might have a pair of his boots somewhere,” Victor tried to make a joke.
One of the nurses laughed. Sophie just told him to shut up.
A flurry of activity ensued. Since Victor had never been in a maternity ward before, the entire scene awed him, and all the while Sophie clung to his arm as though her life depended on it. He supposed it did, but it sure was giving him a bruise and the scratches from her nails had drawn blood. But it was nothing compared to the pain she must by going through.
The doctor arrived a few minutes later. He was a tall, rangy man of about fifty with salt and pepper hair.
“Hello Sophie,” he greeted her kindly. “I’ve come to help you deliver your baby today.”
“About bloody time,” she muttered. “Please just get it
out.
”
“All right. But you need to calm down, because you’re going to have to concentrate real hard.” He turned to talk to the nurses and positioned himself at the bottom of the bed.
Then he glanced up at Victor. “You must be her husband. I’m Dr Martin.”
“Hello, I’m Vic Rose.” He decided not to bother contradicting him about his assumed marital status at this point in time. They had an important job to do.
But Sophie had no such qualms. “He’s not my husband. That jerk left me almost two years ago. This is just the rotten sod who got me into this mess.”
“All right, Sophie,” Dr Martin appeased. “I think it’s time for you to try and push, because the baby is crowning.”
“What does that mean?” Victor asked.
“It means that the crown of the baby’s head is showing. Would you like to have a look,” the doctor offered.
“No thanks,” Victor said, looking squeamish.
“No,” Sophie objected at the exact same time. “Owww. I think I do want to push.”
And she did. It was harder than lifting weights at the gym, harder than running till you were so out of breath you could run no more.
But when she was totally exhausted from that, she had to push again… And again… And again.
“I can’t,” she gasped.
“It’s almost over,” Dr Martin said. “The baby’s head is out. Just one more push and it will all be over.”
“That’s what you said last time,” she moaned miserably.