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Smiling behind my face mask, I admire her determination just like I always have. “All right then, here we go. On the count of three, I want you to push.”
My training takes over at that point. I can tell she’s having a hard time remembering to breathe, so I motion for one of the nurses to give her oxygen.
The delivery itself takes a solid forty-five minutes. Lizzie does a good job, pushing when she can and resting when I tell her to. Pippa wipes her friend’s head with a cold washcloth, coaxing her through the pain as only a true best friend can. Seeing Pippa with Lizzie instead of the baby’s father doesn’t register to me until everything is all said and done. I keep waiting for him to burst through the door and join them, but he never does. Nor does she mention or ask for anyone during the rest of her labor.
All in all, the delivery goes smoothly. While the baby is just under six pounds, he doesn’t seem to have any trouble breathing on his own.
She names him Isaac, which I kind of like. It’s a good solid name and seems to fit him. He doesn’t cry right away. Only makes a few whimpers of protests before he’s swaddled against his mother’s chest, skin to skin. I shift my focus away from them to take care of everything else before my job is officially done.
The nurses hover until it’s clear that Isaac won’t need any assistance. Then they go about cleaning up and getting her recovery room ready. Pippa steps away to make a phone call, but as she heads out the door, she pauses to glance back at me.
“Thank you,” she says. “For making sure they both got through this safe.”
“I didn’t do much, that was all them,” I tell her.
“Still. Thanks…” She looks like she wants to say something else but just shakes her head and leaves.
I shrug off her strangeness toward me. She’s Lizzie’s friend, and I assume she knows what went down between us. That is bound to provide some kind of awkwardness, given the current situation.
As I remove my gloves and toss them in the bin, I watch Lizzie gazing lovingly at her son. It’s a beautiful sight. Her hair is still pulled back, but several strands have fallen loose to frame her face. She’s absolutely glowing, a look of pure love and devotion in her eyes. Normally, I make myself scarce after births to give the new parents time with their child. But since Pippa has stepped away and the nurses are busy, that leaves Lizzie alone, and I want to stay by her side until Pippa returns. Also, I have no other urgent appointments or a delivery to rush to, at least not for now.
“So,” I say, causing her to look in my direction. “What do you think?”
Lizzie smiles at me. “I think he’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” She strokes the baby’s dark hair. “And I stand by my earlier statement. The way humans give birth is a terrible way to maintain the species, and we should really do something about that.”
I chuckle and come to stand by her bed, taking care to remove my face mask. “You’re not the first woman to say that, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.”
“Do you want to hold him?”
The question takes me by surprise.
None of my patients ever really ask me to hold their child, at least not immediately after delivery. Then again, I never have any history with them. I give her a small smile and raise my hand to decline. I’m not holding another man’s baby.
“I’m good. You enjoy him. He’s yours after all.”
There’s a flicker of something in her eyes that goes by too quickly for me to identify. She looks back down and smiles at Isaac. “Yeah. All mine.” After a few seconds of silence, she glances at me again. “It’s definitely not the right time, but we should talk. About…you know…” She gestures between us.
I raise an eyebrow.
Clearly, she has moved on with somebody else. She really doesn’t owe me any kind of talk or explanation.
“The past is the past, Lizzie,” I say. “Besides, it seems to have all worked out.”
She frowns. “What do you mean?”
Before I can answer, Nurse Ronnie comes in with her usual bright smile and Pippa trailing behind. “We have your recovery room good to go, Mom,” she says as she pushes a wheelchair over to the side of the bed. “Your friend here is ready to take you. Would you be okay if I weighed this little guy and gave him his first bath?”
I can see the panic in Lizzie’s eyes, and her arms tighten around Isaac. “I can keep an eye on him,” I offer before I can stop myself. It’s usually something new fathers do, but since I don’t see one around, I decide to step in.
She immediately relaxes and gives me a soft smile. “Thank you, Doc,” she says as she hands the baby off to the nurse.
Itrail Ronnie out of the delivery room to the area where they bathe and clothe the newborns. The steady presence of the head nurse indicates that there have been more unplanned births than usual. In moments like these, having a dependable staff to rely on proves to be invaluable.
“He’s a pretty handsome fella, isn’t he, Dr. Maxwell?” she asks as she carefully goes about taking care of him.
“Yeah, he’s cute. And I’m not just saying that.” He might be the cutest baby I’ve seen, but I don’t say that. I’m probably biased.
“I’m sure his father is a looker too,” Ronnie adds.
