Post by rsafan on Nov 8, 2006 4:20:13 GMT -5
Chapter 25
Victoria knocked on the door to the bathroom, “Mimi, are you okay in there?”
In the bathroom Mimi was leaning against the sink, “I think…I think maybe I should get to the hospital.”
“What is it? Is it the baby, are you cramping again, spotting?”
With a great amount of effort, Mimi managed to open the door, “Something like that.”
Victoria sprang into action when she saw the blood running down Mimi’s legs, “Oh God…just hold on, I’ll be right back.” She rushed out and grabbed a hold of the nearest sales assistant, “I need a car, I need an ambulance, something quickly.” The sales assistant called the ambulance while Victoria saw to Mimi.
The ambulance was there in record time and soon they’d wheeled Mimi into the back of the van, Victoria got in with her and sat with Mimi, “It’s going to be okay Meems, you’ll see. We’ll get you to the hospital and they’ll fix everything.” she told her as she stroked her friend’s soaked hair from her eyes.
Once they’d arrived, Victoria pulled out her cell, “I’m going to call Shawn; he has to know.”
Mimi grabbed her arm, “NO! Don’t call him, I don’t want him here.”
“Mimi, he’s going to want to be here.”
She shook her head, “No he doesn’t, he made that perfectly clear, he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“That doesn’t extend to the baby.”
But Mimi wasn’t listening, “Promise me; promise me you won’t call him.”
“I promise.”
As soon as they wheeled Mimi away, she went outside and called Hope. “Hope, I need you to get a hold of Shawn, I need you to tell him…”
*****
When the doctor returned, both Hope and Shawn had already arrived. Bonnie was on her way, “Mimi’s lost a great amount of blood but we’ve managed to slow it down.” She turned to Shawn, “We’re trying to determine what is causing the blood loss. I’m almost certain it’s caused by the baby, in which case you’re going to have to make a decision.”“What kind of a decision?”
“There are several treatment options, most of them will work, but if we cannot address the problem, if we cannot fix it, treatment’s going to be useless.”
“So what are you recommending?”
“I’m recommending inducing labour; we need to deliver this baby before she deteriorates any further.”
“Won’t that take a long time? What if it takes too long?”
“Then we’re going to have to perform a c-section, we may have to anyway.”
Shawn nodded, “Induce labour, I want you to do everything you can to save her but I don’t want her losing any more blood than she has to.”
The doctor nodded and was about to elaborate on their plan of action when her pager went off. Glancing at it, she called “I’ll be right back.” over her shoulder as she hurriedly walked away.
Once the doctor had left, Hope asked what Shawn was thinking, “Why wouldn’t they ask Mimi what to do?”
“I don’t think Mimi’s lucid right now. She lost so much blood…”
Bonnie chose that moment to make an appearance, “Where’s my baby? Where’s Mimi, is she alright?”
“We’re waiting for the doctor to come back. To tell us what’s going on.”
The doctor was back thirty minutes later, “I’m sorry, that page was to inform me that Mimi’s water had broken.”
“Which means?”
“Which means that induction won’t be necessary, labour’s progressing pretty quickly. She’s almost fully dilated. She’s going to need someone in there with her, she’s asking for Victoria. If you’d follow the nurse, she’ll show you were to scrub down.”
“Victoria? I’m her husband. If anyone’s going to be with her it’s going to be me. I’m not going to wait out here and not know what’s happening.”
“And that’s exactly why I cannot allow you in delivery with her. She needs to be calm right now and having you there isn’t going to accomplish that. Besides I need you out here in case…”
“In case what? Something goes wrong? No doctor you are going to do everything you can and then some to save my daughter and her baby. You’re going to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“Bonnie…”
“No mom, she’s right. I want you to do everything you can to ensure my wife’s safety, is that clear.”
“Mr. Brady, if this isn’t treated soon, your wife could go into hypovolemic shock; she could very well die. I’m going to do everything I can to ensure your wife and child are both okay. NICU’s preparing for the baby in case he’s in any sort of trouble, blood flow usually stems somewhat after childbirth.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“If it doesn’t, we’re going to have to operate.”
“Dr. Ross, you’re needed in delivery now!” And once again the doctor was gone, leaving Shawn, Hope and Bonnie to wait it out.
They didn’t have long to wait, twenty five minutes later, the doctor emerged through the silver doors of delivery. She approached Shawn, who stood up from the chair he was occupying. He approached her, a worried expression on his face; he just knew it wasn’t going to be good news. She took off her mask and smiled at him, “A boy, a boy with a very healthy set of lungs.”
“And Mimi?”
“She’s in recovery. She’s going to be just fine; they’re both going to be fine.” Shawn leaned against the wall, his knees gave in and he sank to the floor in relief. They were both going to be okay, he blinked back the tears that had come to his eyes and swallowed the fear that had been sitting in his throat since she’d been wheeled into delivery. And for the first time that day, he smiled, looking up at the doctor he asked; “When can I see them?”
*****
“You promised me.” Victoria was in Mimi’s room, it had been twelve hours since Zachary Aaron Brady had been born. They’d decided that instead of naming their son directly after Zack, they’d simply use his nickname it had been a battle between Zachariah and Zachary, Shawn won out in the end. His second name had been mentioned by Mimi just before falling asleep, Shawn figured she had been dreaming but decided it was a great name. Now though, Mimi was wide awake and angry as hell. And all her anger was directed at one person, Victoria.
Defending herself, Victoria pointed out, “And I kept my promise. I didn’t call Shawn. I had someone else do it for me.”
“Even though you knew he wouldn’t want to be here.”
Victoria tried, rather uselessly to soothe her friend, “Mimi, how can you say that? Of course he’d want to be here, you were in trouble; the baby was in trouble.”
“He wasn’t here for me.”
“Yes he was; he was here for you as much as he was here for that baby, his baby.”
“Yeah, too bad it has the wrong mother.”
“Mimi, don’t say that.”
“Why not, it’s true.”
“No it isn’t.” The both gasped when they heard Shawn, neither knew how long he’d been standing in the doorway, but the expression on his face said he’d obviously heard quite a bit of their conversation.
Victoria gave Mimi a peck on her forehead and said. “I’ll leave you two alone. I think I’ll go and see my nephew.” She squeezed Shawn’s arm on her way out, a ‘good luck’ gesture.
Shawn waited till his sister had left before walking over to Mimi’s bed, “How are you feeling?”
She didn’t look at him, simply stared straight ahead, “I’m fine.”
“Have you seen him yet?”
“Yes.”
He tried again, “He’s beautiful isn’t he?”
“Umm-hmm” was her only reply.
“Mimi, I’m trying to be civil here, you’re not making it easy.”
“Should I?”
He sighed, “Look, I have a proposition, a solution of sorts to this whole mess.”
“And what’s that?” finally she dared a glance in his direction.
“A year. We agree to stay together for a year, but not just stay together, work on things. See if there’s something worth saving and then we review things, decide if we still want to be together.”
“And if I don’t?”
He swallowed, “Then you’re free to go. So what do you say?”
Or more likely you’re free to go she thought; free to go back to Belle. “Sure, whatever.” She turned on her side, with her back to him. She wouldn’t let him see her tears.
Not knowing what else he could do, Shawn left the room.
*****
Chelsea was standing with Victoria at the hospital’s nursery. Neither saying anything, Victoria didn’t want to spoil the high she was still on after having actually seen a baby being born, Chelsea simply didn’t have anything to say. When Shawn approached them, they both turned, Victoria to ask how his talk with Mimi had gone, Chelsea simply wanted to congratulate him. He shook his head at Victoria and snubbed Chelsea who stormed off.She watched Chelsea leave, “I just don’t understand it.”
He looked at her questioningly, “What don’t you understand?”
“How it is you can be so protective over me, play this big brother role so easily and yet you want nothing to do with her.”
“Circumstances are different.”
“Maybe, but she’s still your sister, you still share the same blood. She’s so lost right now Shawn and she needs you, she needs you to help her and be there for her and guide her. She needs you a hell of a lot more than I do.”
“Why do you defend her when she absolutely hates your guts? You want me to have a better relationship with her when she wants nothing more than for you to leave Salem.”
“That’s not personal; she’s lashing out at me because I’m with Max. Look, I didn’t know Zach but from what I’ve heard, I’m sure I’d have really loved him. It sounds like he was a really great kid, I’m just wondering if you think you’re honouring his memory by hating Chelsea the way you do because I don’t think that’s the way to go.”
“She killed him, do you expect me to just give her a hug and tell her everything’s okay? Well, it’s not, Zach is gone, he’s never coming back and it’s all her fault.”
“It was an accident Shawn; she didn’t intentionally go out and knock him over. She has to live with that knowledge, that guilt for the rest of her life. She doesn’t need you adding to it. She made a mistake, people make mistakes and sometimes people get hurt, you should know all about that.”
“That’s not the same.”
She turned to look at the babies, at her nephew, “Look at him Shawn, that’s your son in there. Can you honestly say that you don’t love him more than anything else in this world, that you wouldn’t do anything to protect him and keep him safe?” He glanced at his son and knew she spoke the truth, seeing it in his eyes she went on, “That’s how your dad feels, how our dad feels about you and me and Chelsea. She’s his daughter, the same way you’re his son, the same way Zach was. Try and understand that, she’s always going to be in your life, she’s a part of you, of me.”
“Be that as it may, I don’t have to like it and I certainly don’t have to accept her.”
“Then you’re a fool.” She left him standing there. All alone and watching his son, wondering just how his life had gotten this messed up.
