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Shannon
I stepped into the delivery room, where Missy lay on the hospital bed with Charlie standing next to her. The room was filled with a mix of anticipation and nervous energy.
I put on my calm demeanor and approached Missy, who looked both excited and apprehensive. I was still her friend, but now I needed to be her doctor. Charlie seemed to have pulled it together from the phone call and couldn’t stop smiling.
"Missy, we're here for you. Everything is going to be okay," I reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. I checked the monitors, ensuring that both Missy and the baby were doing well.
Missy was in the middle of contractions, and I moved to the foot of the bed to check how far along she was. She had progressed along quickly since she was admitted and only had about three minutes between contractions now.
“How’s it going down there?’ Charlie called.
I smiled and measured how dilated she was. “Well, you’re close to ten centimeters. How are you feeling?” I asked. With Missy progressing along nicely, I wanted to go at the speed that felt right to her. If she was ready to push, so was I.
“Oh god,” Missy moaned. “Here comes another one.” She gripped Charlie’s hand and arched her back as the contraction worked through her. “This is horrible,” she groaned. “This is all your fault, Charlie!”
I had heard it all being in the labor and delivery room.
I never had a baby before, but I knew it hurt like a SOB.
Charlie cringed and bent over in pain from Missy squeezing his hand. “It’s okay, honey,” he wheezed. “You’re doing amazing.”
“I need to push,” Missy called. “Please, I need to push!”
The two nurses efficiently finished preparing the room for the delivery, making sure everything was in order.
I had never worked with the Adams General staff, but everything was moving along smoothly.
"Alright, Missy, you're doing great. Take deep breaths and push when you're ready," I instructed, offering physical and emotional support. I monitored the progress closely, knowing she was going to meet her little girl shortly.
“Oh my god!” Missy screamed.
“You’re doing great, baby,” Charlie called. “Just keep going.”
“Keep going?” Missy spat. “What do you think I am going to do? Tell Shannon to shove it back in and sow me up?”
Both nurses snickered, and even I couldn’t help but smile. Never mess with a woman when she is giving birth. They will take you down without so much as a second thought.
“I just... I mean,” Charlie stammered. “I don’t know what to do,” he sighed.
“I can’t do this!” Missy cried. “I need something, Shannon. You gotta give me something!”
“You’re so close, sweetie. You need to push when the contractions start, okay?” Missy was well past being able to get an epidural or even pain meds that would kick in in time to help her for the next five minutes. She was that close.
“I need drugs!” Missy screamed.
Charlie looked at me expectantly.
“It’s too late for any of that. You’re gonna do this all on your own, sweetie. You’re strong and can do this.”
She let out an agonizing scream and crushed Charlie’s hand in hers.
“Push,” I called. “Give me one good push, Missy.”
Five minutes later, and two pushes, baby girl’s head was peeking out. “This is it, Missy. This is going to be your last push if you give me a good one. This girl is ready to meet her mommy and daddy.”
“I can’t do this,” Missy cried. “I’m not strong enough.”
Charlie leaned over her and brushed her hair out of her face. “You can do this, baby. You’re the strongest person I know. One push, and we can meet Ivy.”
“No,” Missy moaned. “We’re not calling her Ivy.”
Charlie chuckled. “Give us one good push, and we’ll call her whatever you want.”
Missy sat up and glared at Charlie. “I’m calling her whatever I want, even if it takes ten more pushes. I’m doing all of the damn work here.”
“That’s it,” I called. “Use that anger, Missy. One good push. " She needed to use whatever was left in her to get this baby out. “Channel everything you’ve got into meeting your little girl.”
Missy let out a roar and gave one final push.
“Holy shit!” Charlie called.
“Here comes the head,” I called. “Keep going!”
“I can’t!” Missy screamed.
But she did.
Missy did it.
I guided the baby out, and she instantly started crying. “You just have a beautiful baby girl, Missy,” I called. “You did it, sweetie.”
The nurses took the baby from me to quickly wipe her off, and I clamped the umbilical cord. “Were you wanting to cut the cord?” I asked Charlie.
He nodded eagerly and moved to the foot of the bed. He shakily cut the cord, and tears glistened in his eyes. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered. The nurses put her in his arms, and then Charlie placed her on Missy’s chest.
“Oh my god,” Missy sighed. “Charlie,” she sobbed. “Look at her.”
She was a beautiful little girl.
I had seen many babies in my time, and each time I delivered, it was like the first time. There was nothing like helping bring a baby into the world.
“You did it, Missy,” Charlie whispered. “You made out beautiful little girl.”
And this was the other part I loved.
The parents falling in love with their little baby.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was cleaned up, the delivery was done, and this was normal. I stepped out and went back to my life.
This was different, though.
Missy, Charlie, and their little baby had become part of my life.
“Knock, knock!” Shelby peeked her head in and beamed brightly. “I’m just here to see my amazing best friend and her beautiful baby,” she called.
“Get in here, Shelby Lyn,” Missy laughed. “Are you done freaking out now?”
Shelby stepped in and smiled sheepishly. “I had no idea that's how I react in emergency situations,” she confessed. “I promise I’ll be much better for the next one.”
Missy smiled. “Let’s just focus on this little nugget for now.”
Wilder slipped into the room and put his arm around Shelby’s shoulders. “Are we still calling her Nugget?” he asked.
Blake was the last one to step into the room. “Nugz,” he laughed. “She’ll always be Nugz.” He looked around happily, and his eyes fell on me.
His bright eyes turned dark and stormy, and I could feel his pain at the site of seeing me.
The room suddenly felt crowded.
I cleared my throat and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I, uh, need to check in with the nurses. I’ll be back in in a couple of hours, okay? If you need anything, press that button.”
Shelby and Wilder were excited to see the baby and moved to the bed.
Blake’s eyes stayed on me as I walked closer to him.
He opened the door and held it open for me.
“Uh, thank you,” I whispered.
Blake nodded and eyed me closely.
I slipped out of the room and was surprised Blake had followed me.
I turned on my heel and plastered a smile on my face. “Uh, can I help you with something, Mr. Marshall?” I asked.
“Thank you for helping Missy. We heard all of the screaming and knew it must not have been easy.”
I held up my hands. “I didn’t really do much. Missy did all of the work. Make sure to tell her she did amazing.”
Blake shook his head. “You helped her.”
I had, but I didn’t need thanks. I knew what I did was appreciated, but all of the focus should be on Charlie and especially Missy. “Yes, well, I need to go do some paperwork and whatnot.” I turned toward the nurse’s station, but Blake caught my hand. I looked down at his hand on my skin and then up at him. “Blake,” I whispered.
“This was what Sheldon wanted to do, right?” he asked. “He wanted to do what you’re doing.”
I knew what Blake was insinuating. It was my fault Sheldon was dead, and I was living the life he had wanted. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think that exact same thing. “I need to...” I hitched my thumb over my shoulder. Blake knew the answer to his question. It didn’t need to be spoken out loud.
Blake let go of my arm, and I turned on my heel. I sprinted to the nurse’s station and didn’t stop until my butt was in a chair in the back room.
Tears welled in my eyes, and I quickly swiped them away.
I was fine. I knew Blake was going to take shots at me.
I thought I had been ready for it.
I didn’t think he would do it when Missy had literally given birth twenty minutes ago, but he did.
“Dr. McGee?”
I dried my tears and put Blake out of my mind. I had been doing that for the past years, and I just needed to keep doing it. Nothing had changed after all of these years.