Erin gripped her sister’s hand. She stared hard into Marcie’s eyes. “We will…we can. Can’t we, Marcie?”
Breathless, she said, “Yes. Yes. Please make it be all right.”
“It’s going to be all right,” Aiden said. “Now, Marcie. Push now…”
The baby had to deliver himself all the way up to the umbilicus without any manipulation or interference—that was the safest way. It was actually hard to watch; to remain uninvolved.
“Good,” he said. “Rest a second.”
It wasn’t going to take long; the baby was small and would come fast. The butt was out.
“Once more, Marcie—push when you’re ready…”
She was
so
ready for that. She pushed and Aiden could see thighs and knees. “Stop pushing. Pant. Hold back.” He ran two fingers up the baby’s thigh to the underside of the knee, applied pressure, the knee bent and the right leg delivered. He did the same on the left side and both legs were out. He supported the baby around the hips; to grab the baby around the belly could cause internal damage to the organs. With his thumb on the sacrum, his hands around the hip bones, he slowly rotated the baby downward until the first shoulder appeared.
“Arrrgggghhhh…”
Marcie growled.
“Don’t push! Don’t push! Don’t push,” he instructed.
The baby at this point was without oxygen and it was time to move quickly, but he had to be in charge and couldn’t have the mother’s natural urge to deliver trip them up. Aiden quickly moved two fingers up along the arm, applied pressure to the inside of the elbow to deliver the arm. He slowly rotated the baby in the other direction, repeated the maneuver to deliver the second arm.
This was the most dangerous part of the breech delivery—delivering the head. It had to be done carefully. He supported the baby’s underbelly with his left hand, buttocks up. “Marcie, do NOT push. Erin, I need you.” He moved a hand to Marcie’s pelvis. “In a second I’m going to ask you to press down right here.” He slid two fingers of his right hand inside the birth canal, slipped them around the baby’s neck in search of a cord. Luck was with him—no cord loops. He found the baby’s maxilla and pressed down, tilting the baby’s chin toward his chest.
“Erin, push down…Marcie, push the baby out. Now. Now.
Now.
”
And the baby slipped out. He was limp. Sluggish and worn-out and he’d been without oxygen, but not for a dangerous length of time. Aiden had a hand on his chest, flipped him over and stroked his back for a second. He was just about to turn him right side up and suck the mucus from him with his own mouth when there was a cough, sputter and lusty cry. Also, in the distant background, the sound of rotor blades.
“Nicely done, Marcie,” he said. “Erin, lay a towel across Marcie. Let’s clean this boy off, dry him and warm him. That’s what he really needs right now.”
Marcie was crying and reaching for him before there was a towel in place. “Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God,” she cried.
Aiden covered the baby to keep him warm, but then he tied off the umbilicus. He could hear the chopper; he wasn’t going to deal with the placenta. If the placenta delivered spontaneously, they’d take care of it.
Before the helicopter landed, the door to the cabin was kicked open and Ian yelled, “Marcie! Marcie!” He stood in the bedroom door, a look of sheer fright on his face.
Aiden stood to his full height, stripped off his bloody gloves and smiled. He was splattered with blood and fluids. “Everything’s fine, Ian. Your boy is here.”
Ian fell to his knees in the doorway. His fists were pressed to his eyes for a moment. Then he looked up. “They’re all right?”
Aiden walked over to him, lifted him up by the elbow. “They’re in good shape, but they’re going to the neonatal intensive care unit in Redding, to be on the safe side. The helicopter is landing. I’m sure you can hitch a ride.”
He moved to the bed. Erin got out of the way and Ian took her place. He lifted a corner of the towel and ran a finger down the baby’s belly. “God,” he said in a breath.
Marcie looked into Ian’s eyes. “Are you really mad?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “Yes,” he said without a trace of anger. “God.” He looked up at Aiden. “Is he going to be okay?”
“They’ll check him over in Redding, but he looks good, cried right away, has good color, just big enough but not too big for that delivery…I’d say you’re in good shape there.”
Erin was by Aiden’s side and his arm went around her shoulders. Seconds later, paramedics with a litter were in the room, taking vitals, assessing the patients, asking for details of the birth from the doctor and whisking the new family away. As they were wheeling Marcie out, they heard one of the paramedics ask, “Ever been for a helicopter ride, Dad?”
“Yeah, once or twice, but never a real good one.”
“You’re gonna like this one—getting your family to safety…”
Seconds later, a deputy was in the doorway. “Thought you’d like to know we caught that woman you didn’t beat up halfway down Highway 36 in her car, making a run for it. She went off the road—like she couldn’t see where she was going. She’s in custody.”
“Thank you,” he said.
Erin leaned against him. “The baby’s okay, isn’t he?” she asked.
“I think he looks great.”
“Have you really done that before?”
“Sort of,” he said with a shrug. “Sometimes in the case of twins, the second one is breech. If the mother goes into labor early and doesn’t make a scheduled C-section to accommodate that breech presentation, we have to deliver. I’ve done that a few times. Little…what’s his name?”
“Heath.”
“Little Heath cooperated by being small. And you were a wonderful help.” He kissed her forehead. “Thanks, baby. I couldn’t have managed without you.”
“Oh, God.” A teary voice came from out of nowhere. “That’s so…
beautiful!
”
Aiden looked around and then laughed when he realized the 911 operator was still on the line. “Got everything you need, my friend?” he asked.
She sniffed. “Yeah. If there’s more the attending physician needs…?”
“No problem,” Aiden said. “Soon as we hose out this room, we’re on our way to the hospital. I’ll check in there. Adios.” He clicked off the speaker. Aiden looked at Erin. “You okay?”
“I was planning to be in the room with her when the baby was born, but I wasn’t planning on seeing it. I really saw it. If I’m lucky enough to have a baby, I’d prefer not to do it that way,” she said.
“I’d prefer you not to.”
“Aiden, I gave Annalee fifty thousand dollars.” His eyes got huge and his mouth dropped open. “She had it all worked out—a transfer of funds via computer to her offshore account. And she had a gun. I really thought she’d just leave after getting her money, but she didn’t. I couldn’t wait to see if she’d cooperate in time for Marcie to get help. Really, I waited too long as it was.”
“So you crowned her?” he asked.
“Not exactly. After Marcie’s water broke and I realized we were out of time, I sprayed her and then whacked her. I should’ve done it before I gave her the money.”
“Of everything that went on here today, the money is the least of it. You might not be able to recover it, but believe me, where she’s going, she isn’t going to spend it.”
Word of crazy Annalee and the emergency delivery were all over town, and when Aiden and Erin finally showed up at Jack’s, drinks were on the house in exchange for details. In fact, the bar was busier than usual for a few days because the entire landscape of the town and its people was about to change as summer was drawing to a close. “Pretty exciting way to wrap up a summer vacation,” Jack said to Aiden.
“Yeah,” Aiden replied. “Remind me never to take another summer vacation like that!”
“What now, Doc?” Jack asked.
“We pack up, say our goodbyes and head for Chico. I’m sure we’ll be back for the occasional long weekend, but I have two things I have to get taken care of right away. I need a job and a wife.” He grinned. “I don’t have the job picked out yet.”
“Toldya,” Jack said, giving the bar a wipe. “This place is hell on a man’s plans for a quiet life of fishing…or hiking.”
Aiden lifted his beer in a toast. “I’m okay with that.”
There was packing up to do, farewells to celebrate. For a couple of nights, there were family gatherings of Riordans, plus larger crowds at Jack’s to say goodbye to new friends and neighbors. George and Maureen were heading toward Montgomery to be on hand for the first day of Rosie’s school; Luke had decided that once his family cleared out and Shelby got back to her nursing program, he was going to clear an area behind the cabins and install RV hookups for vacationers. Luke and Art promised to visit Erin’s vegetable garden to water and weed, and then to harvest whatever they could.
Aiden had packed up and loaded his car and had Marcie’s hooked up behind so he could tow it. He helped Erin load her belongings into her SUV. While she went back into the cabin to check locks and lights just one last time, he started her engine for her and leaned against her car, waiting. When she came out, he opened his arms and she walked right into them.
“Future summer vacations probably won’t be as exciting as this one was,” he said, tightening his arms around her.
“I can live with that,” she said, giving him a kiss. “Are you at all concerned that Annalee could get out of jail and show up in your life again?”
“Not as long as you’re in charge of the bear repellent,” he said with a laugh.
“And you’d be smart to keep that in mind, mister,” she threatened with a smile. “The days of giving me a concussion to win my attention are in the past.”
“Very caveman of me, don’t you think?” he asked.
“Oh, very,” she said. She wrinkled her nose. “You did kind of have that cavemannish look and aroma….”
He growled and nuzzled her neck. He kissed her, then stroked her hair over one ear. “Let’s hit the road—I’ll follow you. Show me the way home, sweetheart.”
“It’s today,” she said, her voice soft.
“Want me with you?” he asked.
She shook her head and smiled. “No. I want to do this on my own.” She glanced at her watch. “I just wanted to stop by for a minute first.”
He slipped a big hand around the back of her neck and massaged a little bit. “We’ll celebrate tonight, how’s that? I’ll sneak away a little early, bring something of Preacher’s. Put out those candles again. How about that?”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll drop by before I leave town.” She gave him another quick kiss and jumped off the stool, heading back to the clinic.
Twenty minutes later she was standing in the reception area when the door opened. Darla and Phil came in. They looked a little bit concerned, or if not concerned, maybe perplexed. Mel smiled at them and said, “How are you two?”
“Good. Everything’s good,” Phil said, his arm casually draped around Darla’s shoulders.
“Any news from any quarter on your adoption application?” Mel asked.
“Nothing yet, but we’ve been told it can take such a long time,” Darla said. “We’re prepared to be patient. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. When you called, you said you wanted to talk to us about it? Did we miss something? Something we should add?”
She shook her head. “I have someone I’d like you to meet,” Mel said. “Come with me.” And then she led the way to the kitchen. When she got there, Marley and Jake stood up from the table. Marley was just barely beginning to show, her T-shirt pulled snug over her slightly rounding middle. “Marley and Jake, I’d like you to meet some very dear friends of mine, Darla and Phil Prentiss. They have a big farm in the valley and I’ve known them since I first got to Virgin River a few years ago.” Then she turned to Darla and Phil. “Meet Marley and Jake. They’ve looked at your adoption packet, wanted to meet with you and talk. They’re facing some very special challenges.”
Marley’s hands gently caressed the little tummy; Jake’s left arm went around her waist while his right hand shot out over the table toward Phil. “How do you do,” he said.
“I’m going to fix you some tea, Phil and Darla. Then I’m going to leave the four of you to talk. There aren’t any patients scheduled so take all the time you want.”
Darla’s hand moved shakily to cover her mouth, and tears came to her eyes. “Don’t cry, darlin’,” Phil said. “If you get all mushy, these young people will think you’re not tough enough to be a good parent.” Then he chuckled and reached for Jake’s hand. “It’s an honor, son. Please, sit down. We’re at your disposal—fire away.”
Mel left them in the kitchen and went back to the reception area. Cameron was at the desk. “You okay?” he asked.
“Fine. Yes. Do you want to get home early today?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t have to,” he said.
“Then, would you mind taking care of our guests, if they need anything?”
“Not at all. Going home?”
“Yes,” she said. “But first I’m going to walk across the street and hope the bar is empty. I think I want to feel my husband’s arms around me.”
“You do that.” He smiled. “It’s a good thing you’re doing.”
“There’s a lot of love in that kitchen,” she said. “I have a feeling they’re going to be a great comfort to one another.”
“Mel,” he said, “you’ve been a great comfort to so many people. Please never forget that.”
“Thanks, Cam. That’s nice of you to say.” And she thought,
We will have no wasted or excess love left over when we go. We will spend every last drop
.