Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Beginning and End (04/16/09)
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TITLE: Life Begun | Previous Challenge Entry
By Bethany Harbaugh
04/16/09 -
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Anthony ran beside her wheelchair, holding her hand tightly to somehow ease the pressure on his own. “It’s going to be okay! Breath!” He had to shout for her to hear him over her own labored breathing and grunts.
Rachel turned to him. “Don’t leave me!!”
“I’m not going to leave you!”
“If you aren’t in there when the baby is born, I’m gonna…”
“I’ll be there! I PROMISE!! I’m not going to leave you!”
Rachel’s iron grip returned, the sign of another hard contraction. The contractions were less than ten seconds apart! Anthony followed his wife into the delivery room. They quickly transferred Rachel to the bed and prepared her for the delivery. They got Anthony to leave her for only a minute to dress him in the proper attire, the paper gown and the mask over his mouth. He went straight back to his red-faced wife. He took her hand again, thankful for the short break on his cramping fingers, and he stroked her long, black, curly, soaked hair. “It’s okay, Rach. It’s going to be okay! You can do this! I know you can!”
“I can’t,” she whispered. She sobbed harder, a wave of pain shooting through her whole body. “I can’t do this!”
“You can! You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met! Heck! You married ME, didn’t you?”
Rachel smirked, but a frown replaced the quick smile. “I’m scared!”
“I know you are. But you can DO this! Do it for our daughter!”
“We’re ready!” the doctor announced. He positioned himself at the base of the bed. “When I tell you to, push!”
“I’m not ready!!”
“Whether or not you are, the baby is! We need you to help her out, here! Prepare yourself!”
Anthony spoke into her ear, “You’re the bravest women in the world. Never forget that.” He gave her hand a quick reassuring squeeze.
“PUSH!!”
Rachel groaned hard as she put all her strength into her pushes. Her breathing quickened, much more than it should have. One of the nurses came to her side, inhaling and exhaling with her to try and get her breathing regulated. It helped somewhat, but Rachel’s breaths were short and shallow.
The entire hour was all about the hard labor. Rachel let out a final earsplitting scream, and when her voice died away, a new wail replaced it. The pressure on Anthony’s hand ceased.
Anthony smiled as he laid eyes on the discolored child in the doctor’s arms. “Is it a girl?” he asked.
“Darn right it is,” the doctor said, his obvious smile showed through the thin mask he wore.
Anthony nudged Rachel. “Rachel, it’s our little girl! Our…” He turned to her. He grew pale. Rachel smiled weakly at him, then at the little girl. "Rachel?"
“Dr. Conner! Her blood pressure is dropping steadily!! Her heartbeat is slowing down far too fast! We’re losing her!!”
Two nurses pulled Anthony away from Rachel before he had a chance to react. They dragged him out into the hallway. “Wait! What’s going on!? Rachel!!! RACHEL!!!!”
Anthony had been put into the waiting room, and he sat there nervous to the extreme. It was two hours later that he saw Rachel’s doctor again. He stood. “Dr. Conner! What’s going on? What happened to Rachel?”
Dr. Conner hung his head sadly. He glanced down to the clipboard in his hands. Shaking his head, he replied, “Your wife lost too much blood during the birth. We couldn’t save her in time. She’s gone.”
Anthony couldn’t believe it. Gone? Rachel was gone? His knees wanted to give away, and he felt the sudden urge to cry. However, he gulped down the lump in his throat and asked, “Can I…see her again?”
The doctor lead Anthony into the room, where Rachel lay peacefully as if sleeping. The baby was lying in a crib beside the bed. He sat down in the chair by the bed, eyes never leaving Rachel. He took her hand again, and his eyes filled with tears. They spilled down his cheeks as he finally let his sadness overtake him.
He whispered, “You’re the bravest woman I know.” He glanced over to the child beside him. “…and you, little Rachel…will become just like your mother. I just know it.”
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Well done. Norms