Until Autumn - Sheridan Anne Page 0,6
baby first need to be assessed and transferred to gurneys. November and the baby need a full health screening, and we still need to cut the cord, deliver the placenta, and check for tears.
It’s going to be a mess, but this is the exact reason why I have an amazing team at my back. They’ve been trained for bullshit situations like this. Though, don’t get me started on the failing back-up generator. That’s another whole issue in itself. What if someone had been in the middle of surgery? It’s unacceptable and will be brought up to the board members of this hospital. I don’t care what it costs them, it will be fixed.
Lights throughout the hospital begin flickering back to life, reminding me of the many night shifts I had to take during the early years of my training. With the power back on, it won’t be long until the elevator kicks back into gear and opens up, revealing the mess that we’ve been left with.
I hear the familiar flurry of activity behind me. With the power up and running, it’s business as usual. Only now, the business is twice as hectic. Nurses are running through the halls, checking on the wellbeing of the patients who relied on that power.
The familiar ding of the elevator finally sounds, and as the doors begin to slide open, relief surges through me.
“Alright, it’s go time,” I announce to my team.
The first thing I notice is November and Asher on the floor with their new baby in her arms. Asher glances up and beams at me like any proud father would at the chance of showing off his new daughter, while November sits patiently, staring at her little girl as though she’s too mesmerized to even notice the doors are open.
Autumn is standing off to the side, making room for us to do our thing, but I don’t bother looking up. I’ll deal with her once I know November and her baby are safe.
There’s a mess of fluids on the ground, but they’re instantly disregarded. Bodily fluids aren’t exactly new for me. In fact, out of all the specialties I could have gone with, I probably chose the one that has the most bodily fluids. At first, it gave me a queasy stomach, but after so long, you learn to forget it’s even there.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, dropping in beside November and instantly checking her over to find that she’s going to need a little attention.
“Alright, I guess,” November says. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for this time around.”
“Don’t worry,” I say with a grin, glancing up at my cousin. “I’m sure with this guy right here, you’ll be popping out a few more Mayson babies. You can follow your birth plan on the next one.”
November rolls her eyes. “Don’t remind me. Considering that I haven’t even delivered the placenta yet, it’s way too soon to be thinking about more.”
I can’t help but laugh, and as Asher looks up at me, I see the knowing sparkle in his eye. Just as I thought, he plans on having more. He’s probably hoping for a whole soccer team, and even then, he won’t be satisfied.
My senior midwife steps around me and goes straight for the baby. “November, I’m sure you remember Suzi from July’s delivery. We’re just going to cut the cord, and then Suzi is going to take this little one to get checked out. She’s in great hands.”
November eyes Suzi as though she’s some kind of predator about to steal her baby, but after a second, her hold on her baby girl loosens. “Yes, of course. How could I forget?”
The cord is cut, and not a second later, the baby is lifted off November’s chest and placed into a plastic, see-through crib that’s already been prepared with ‘MAYSON’ written on the side.
With the baby just sitting outside the doors with my midwives checking over her, I look back at November. “Alright, you’re up next,” I tell her, sensing the nurse behind me moving in with the gurney. “We need to get you off this floor and into a sterile room. Are you ready?”
November groans as Asher adjusts himself, more than prepared to scoop her up like her knight in shining armor and get her to safety as quickly as possible.
“Okay,” November says on a groan, glancing up at her husband, knowing that he won’t let anyone else even attempt to lift her. “Just make it quick. It still hurts.”
Asher