Page 39 of Doctor’s Surprise Twins

“Oh, gosh, did you call Curt or your dad?”

“No, Gyps. They don’t know yet. It’s either you or Doctor Sexy Pants, and I am in no shape to be interacting with a man who has expressed attraction to me.” Honestly, I was in no shape to even have attraction to him, either, but the lack of emotional intimacy I’d experienced lately, coupled with the amount of stress I was under, made me vulnerable.

“No problem, Mags. It will take a while, but I’ll come. You try to rest. Get some water or soup and just lie in bed.” I heard some trash being crumpled in the background, maybe the wrapper from whatever she was eating. Leave it to Gypsy to be snacking. There was probably a pile of crumbs on whatever surface was near her.

“Key is under the flowerpot by the mailbox, okay?”

Before I’d even said a proper goodbye, I dozed off. When I woke up, Gypsy’s hand was pressed to my forehead. My eyes fluttered open to the sound of her clicking her tongue.

“Maggie, you should have been at the hospital. I’m afraid to take your temperature.” She folded back the covers and pointed at a pile of clothing. “Get dressed. I’ll prep a go bag.”

I struggled to sit up, the pain in my back now wrapping around my front. My stomach was hard as a rock now too, which concerned me a little, so I dressed as quickly as I could with Gypsy’s help. I already had a bag for the hospital prepared, which I directed Gypsy to collect out of my walk-in closet, and with house slippers as shoes, we headed for the car.

The chill of the December air made my shivers more like convulsions, but at least Gypsy’s car was still warm from the drive here. She needed my direction to get to the hospital. It only took a few minutes to get across town. As she drove, I punched in the number for my doctor’s office. It went straight to his pager, so I left a message. It was still early in the pregnancy, in my opinion, so I felt confident that things were going to be fine if they got my fever under control. I just didn’t understand why my back hurt so badly.

And the contractions that started as we drove across town were horrible. I just wanted pain medication and sleep.

Gypsy pulled up to the curb at the emergency room and put the car in park, then raced around the front of the car and directly into the hospital. I watched her disappear and felt relief begin to wash over me for the moment. I was at least somewhere safer, where there were experts to figure out what was going on with my body. When she returned, I had barely gotten the door open and turned myself so my feet would touch the curb.

I was terrified.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

Derek

I spentthe greater part of the weekend reeling in shock over my father’s sudden change of heart. I sat at a café on Main Street for three hours, watching the holiday shoppers out and about, finishing their Christmas shopping. I sipped a mocha chai latté and remembered how Maggie liked her coffee—sweet and creamy. I missed her. Every thought that wasn’t being constantly focused on plans for the new birthing center was spent on her.

The clouds overhead all day had threatened snow, but when a light drizzle started and the sun dipped below the horizon, I knew it was time to head home. Sunday evenings were supposed to be spent relaxing in front of a television or a crackling fire. Maggie would be nestled beneath a blanket, reading a good book or watching a move.Or thinking of me...

I stood to leave, dropping a tip in the small jar on the counter near the cash register. The barista smiled and nodded at me. It reminded me of the little bistro inside the hospital where Maggie and I used to have lunch together, along with the other members of my Yellow Springs staff. It also reminded me of a few bittersweet memories—like the time I accused Maggie of dating a guy I later found out had been invited to that particular lunch by Gypsy.

I never forgave myself for that day.

I turned my collar up, heading out into the frigid rain. My car was parked a few blocks away because I had started my afternoon out at the newsstand down the street. So I turned into the stiff wind and used my remote start to get the motor running. The faster the car warmed up, the faster I warmed up.

The minute I sank into the seat, my cell phone rang. I clipped it into the hands-free phone holder I had mounted on my dashboard and swiped right to answer before shutting the door. It was Kara from Hudson Valley, a very slim but pretty blonde who ran emergency obstetrics.

“Yeah, Kara. What’s up?”

“Doc, you need to come in. Dr. Rhee is off this weekend and we have one of his patients in here. She’s presenting with signs of infection, double pregnancy, back labor, and we can’t find a heartbeat. We are prepping for emergency C-section now.” Kara was as calm as could be. I was continuously impressed with her resilience under pressure.

“Dilation?” I put the car in drive and checked traffic before pulling out. It was only a ten-minute drive to the hospital, but with the wind and rain and the temps dropping, I took my time. Icy roads were almost imperceptible in the dark like this.

“Seven centimeters. Contractions less than one minute, but Baby A is occiput posterior.”

I listened carefully and heard the steady rhythm of a heart monitor then screams of a woman in the background. My mind played tricks on me, making me think the screams sounded like Maggie. I pushed her out of my thoughts and tried to focus, my windshield wipers on high to keep the window clear as the rains picked up.

“I’ll be there in less than ten minutes. Have Chelsea on standby to help me scrub in. Is the father there? Have we explained things?” The closer I got to the hospital and the more information I got from Kara, the less thoughts of Maggie invaded my mind. It was both a reward and a curse to me, that I could bury myself so deeply in my work to forget her.

“No father, sir. She’s all alone here. We’ll be ready for you.” Kara hung up just as I pulled into the hospital campus.

The rain began icing on my windows, clinging to tree branches and power lines. I parked the car and got out, cursing the damned weather and vowing to myself to open my next practice expansion someplace warmer. I nearly fell on my ass as I headed across the parking lot—ice already forming in the puddles and low spots. It was a miserable night to bring a baby into the world, but I’d seen it a million times.

When weather patterns changed, it often pushed livestock into labor. I chuckled to myself that it would be worthwhile doing an actual medical study on the effects of weather in human pregnancy.

I made my way up to Labor and Delivery and headed in to scrub up. Chelsea was there waiting with a gown and gloves. She wore a mask and a hair net and handed one to me.

“Thanks. Any updates?” It had only been ten minutes, but in cases like this, every second counted.

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