Page 9 of Stone Vows

“Dr. Stone!” a nurse shouts from the main triage area we call ‘ground zero.’

“Sorry, duty calls,” I say to Skylar on my way out. “I’ll be back to check on Jorge. Until then, Dr. Clemens will get started fixing him up. He’s in good hands.”

“Dr. Stone, hurry,” Joan, the admitting nurse says. “We have a woman in labor who is insisting on pushing.”

The double doors open and a young woman gets wheeled quickly through.

“Room five,” Joan says, directing us to a private room away from ground zero.

“Get Dr. Neill,” I tell Joan.

Dr. Neill is my supervising resident.

“He was called away,” Joan says.

“He was just in curtain two thirty seconds ago,” I say. Joan shrugs at me. “Shit. Then find Manning. And page OB.”

“Doing that now,” she says.

Debbie takes over for Joan, helping me put the girl on the bed.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Susan. Susan Markenson,” she belts out during a contraction.

“How far along are you, Susan?” I ask.

“I’m due in ten days. This is my second child. My first came very quickly.”

Great. The nurse hands me some gloves. “I need to check you, okay, Susan?” I ask.

She nods.

I lift her dress and Debbie helps me remove her underpants. And, Holy God, she’s crowning.

“This baby is coming right now,” I say. “Debbie, prep for delivery. Susan, try not to push for a minute. Let us get set up. Is there anyone we can call?”

“My husband is coming, but in this traffic . . . oh, my God, he’s going to miss it,” she cries.

Another intern comes in to see if he can help.

“Susan, this is Dr. Felder, but he prefers to be called ‘Joe.’ He’s an intern. If you want to give him your phone, he can video the birth for your husband.”

“Really?” she says, looking pleased.

“Really?” Joe asks, giving me a crazy look.

“You heard her, she doesn’t want her husband to miss it. Now get her phone. This is happening—now.” I turn to Debbie when she returns with the equipment. “Any word from Neill or Manning?”

“Dr. Neill will be here in ten. Dr. Manning got called into another trauma. He said you can handle it.”

“Handle it? Fuck,” I murmur under my breath.

“Have you delivered a baby before, Dr. Stone?” she asks quietly so we don’t alarm Susan.

“Not by myself,” I admit.

“Well, it looks like you will today,” she says. “Come on, wash up.”

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