Better Days
Title: Better Days
Chapter 5- This Woman's Work
A/N: By now, you all know how this works...haha! Feedback gets you more reading material... Like I said, please give me suggestions in your comments as to what to add to the story! Enjoy :D
As another wave of pain hit Stacy, she grabbed her stomach with one hand and her back with the other. "Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, no, god!" The sharpness of the pains was increasing with each one and lasting longer each time. She was having contractions. "No, this is too early. This cannot be happening. Oh my God. Ohhhh, no, no, no." Stacy was sobbing now in pain and fear. As she stood up to find her phone, she felt a gush between her legs and out of nowhere, the most intense, sharp, pain of her life. Her water broke and she was actually in labor. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Nooo, no, noo, noooo!" Stacy was crying, holding her stomach in pain and didn't know what to do. She dragged herself to get her hospital bag, phone, keys and headed to the car. She knew it probably wasn't the best idea to drive herself, but she knew she didn't have any time to waste.
While Stacy was driving to the hospital, she thought about texting Clinton to meet her there. She convinced herself otherwise when she remembered that he was picking Damon up at the airport anyway. The contractions just kept coming and lasting and she didn't know what to do. Thankfully, the hospital was only five minutes from her house, but those five minutes took an eternity in her head.
At the hospital, they admitted her right away. "Ms. London, is anyone else on their way to help you?" Stacy shook her head no through a particularly gruesome contraction. "N-no." "Okay, well, we're going to get you as comfortable as possible while we wait for Dr. Smythe, all right?" Stacy nodded. "Mhm." "Did you request any pain medication?" "No, my hope is to go natural." "Very good. Why don't you just lay there. Would you like some ice chips or anything?" Stacy didn't have much of an appetite. She was in pain, tired, and scared. "No, thank you." The nurse left and as soon as she was out of earshot, Stacy groaned in pain. "Oooohh Goddddd!" It hurt like hell, the contraction was like she was being beaten with a sledge hammer, complete with metal spokes. After all of the preparation and convincing herself she could do this on her own, Stacy had never been so scared in her life. She had made it through Rick's abuse and her entire pregnancy so far, and this is where she became really scared.
When Dr. Smythe entered, she appeared worried. "Dr. Smythe, is everything okay?" Stacy's eyes widened when Dr. Smythe didn't answer right away. "Stacy, I need to check you out, but I also need to warn you that based on the monitors, it looks like at least one of your babies is breech and another is in distress. I am going to be honest with you, it is going to make for a very intense, hard, labor and delivery." "But will they be okay?" "They are healthy enough to be okay, but what's going to be tricky is that you need to remain calm. Regardless of if one baby is in distress or more than one, the more stressed you are, the more distressed they become. Okay?" Stacy nodded as another contraction hit. They were now five minutes apart. "Stacy, it looks like you're 5cm dilated, so you still have a little while to go. Are you still all set?" "Yeah, I'm fine." The doctor left and again, Stacy was alone and terrified.
There was no comfort possible. It hurt to move, so Stacy couldn't even turn on her side to relieve some of her own physical stress. The contractions were brutal and she was scared. She knew that since there was distress involved, there wasn't any time to waste. She decided to swallow her pride. She called Clinton at three o'clock in the morning. "Heeeelllo?" He answered, clearly groggy from sleep "Clinton, it's me." "Stacy? Why are you calling me so late, err, early?" "Clinton, please come to the hospital. I'm in labor and I'm scared. My water broke after you left and there wasn't anything they could do to stop it, so please, please come help me." Clinton shot right up in his bed and started to get ready. "I will be there in a minute, Stace. Just hang tight." "Thank you, Clinton." "Of course, Stacy." When she hung up, she felt a very strong pressure bearing down and she realized she was inadvertently pushing. "NURSE! Doctor! Someone!!" She cried as she pressed the help button on her bed.
Dr. Smythe came running in to Stacy's summons. "Stacy, what seems to be the issue?" "I think I have to push, really hard." "Are you sure? Let me check you. Sometimes we feel like we have to-" "No, Doctor, I need to push. I think I feel a head coming down and I need her out of me." Dr. Smythe examined Stacy to find that she was indeed 10 cm and ready to push. Not only was she ready to push, one of her babies was already trying to push its own way out. "Okay, Stacy, what I'm going to have you do is lift this leg onto this stirrup and the other up here, okay?" "Mhm, oh god, I really need to push, oh god" She was whimpering, and the tears were flowing. She wanted someone to hold her hand, but even Clinton probably wouldn't make it on time for this baby. "Now, Stacy when I tell you to, you have to bear down. It's going to be a lot of pressure, but you have to do it. Okay, ready, push-" Stacy pushed. "Ohhhhhhhh daaaamn it. Oh my goooooood" She screamed and with two pushes and as Clinton rushed in, she heard screams, tiny little screams coming from her newborn daughter.
Clinton ran over to her side and kissed her forehead. The baby was placed on Stacy briefly enough for her to see her daughter for the first time. "She's beautiful-absolutely gorgeous, Stace." She smiled through her tears. "You made it," "Of course I did. You think I would miss this for anything?" She smiled. The NICU nurse took the baby to check her out, clean her up and bundle her up. As she did, another contraction hit and Stacy threw her head back in pain. I don't think I can do this, holy christ!" "Stacy," Clinton squeezed her hand gently "You can do this, and you will do this." "Easy for you to say!" A few minutes later, Stacy felt the urge to push again. "Are you ready again, Stacy?" She nodded, but wouldn't look at anyone. Clinton stood by her side and let her squeeze his hand. "And...push" She pushed as she panted for breath. The nurse placed an oxygen mask on her for a minute in between pushes. "Nothing is working. Why?" She was dejected and scared. Dr. Smythe examined her.
"Stacy, I don't want to alarm you, because this is very common, but this second baby is transversal. Although you felt the pressure to push, she won't come out vaginally." "What does that mean?" Stacy was even more scared now. "It means we're going to have to admit you for an emergency c-section." "No, no, no, nooooo" She was sad and scared now. "Stacy, you have to let the doctors do what they have to in order to bring your babies here healthy. Right?" Stacy nodded through her tears. "So we're going to prep you now, but Mr. Kelly is going to have to meet us in there just before we operate, okay?" She nodded and Clinton followed suit. "Where's my other baby? Oh, owwwwww" Another contraction hit, causing Stacy to want to push. "She is with the NICU nurses, still getting checked out and cleaned up. She appears to be very healthy, though. It's just protocol for preemies."
Clinton walked with them as they wheeled Stacy down to the O.R. "I'm going to be right out here until they tell me to come in, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Stacy nodded. "Okay." In the O.R. they prepped Stacy with an I.V.and regional anesthesia so she would stay awake. She shivered because it felt freezing. She wanted Clinton to hold her hand and tell her it would be all right. She wanted her babies here and safe. About 20 minutes later, Clinton walked in and sat on a stool next to Stacy. "Okay, London, you just stay calm because they're gonna start." She smiled, nervous, but thankful that she wasn't having any pain.
Shortly after, she heard screeches. Her second baby girl was now a part of the world. Dr. Smythe held her up so Stacy could see, but Stacy couldn't see through her tears. The nurse allowed Clinton to hold the baby for Stacy while Dr. Smythe delivered the third baby. "Hi, sweetheart. You're so teeny and stubborn, huh? Yeah, you got Mommy where she's laying right now, didn't you?" Stacy kissed the baby's tiny head and closed her eyes until she heard another set of lungs clearing with screams. "3 down, London. Think you can handle one more?" Stacy nodded. The sounds of her baby's screams filled the operating room and she couldn't help but smile. And within minutes after seeing her third baby for the first time, she heard the cries of her fourth and final baby girl. Now it was Stacy's turn to cry as she was shown her baby. She had done it, her babies were finally here. Clinton was by her side, tearing up himself because he was so proud of Stacy.
When Stacy was wheeled down to a recovery room, she slept for hours and dreamt of her new babies. It was the first night of sleep she had gotten in a long time and although she couldn't wait to hold her babies, her sleep took precedence for this one night. Clinton stayed with her and held her hand. As the pain medication wore off and she slept through it, he watched the winces on her face. He was grateful that she was able to sleep through that detox. Watching her sleep was like watching an angel rest. Beautiful. What he really couldn't get over was how he had been there for her when she brought her most prized possessions into the world; her daughters.