Page 72 of Pieces into Place
“Let’s do some laps to get these contractions going, okay?”
Blake was nowhere near as chipper about the situation as Melanie was, but she agreed nonetheless. Isla and Vera had gone home to get some rest before the real labor started for Blake. They’d been reluctant to leave at first, but Melanie had gotten stern with them and told them they’d be needed more later than right now. So they’d gone home to nap.
Must be nice,she grumbled to herself on the fourth lap of the labor and delivery floor. Melanie was walking on one side of her, pulling the IV pole behind her. On the other side was Alexis, who had her hands tucked into the pocket of the hoodie Mason had brought her from home.
“So,” Melanie’s smile was wide as she spoke, “I have the sign finished.”
“You do?” Alexis and Blake both stopped in their tracks as they looked at Melanie. She had on the same green scrubs as everyone else, with the pink shirt underneath and matching hair tie the best way to distinguish her from the other nurses.
They had entrusted Melanie with creating the sign they were going to use to announce not only the baby’s name, but that they had changed their name to Mackenzie as well. Blake hadn’t seen the finished product and she couldn’t wait to see it, along with everyone’s reactions.
“Yup. I finished it early, which now is a good thing. Also, I’ll have the defibrillator ready when you tell Isla and Vera. Because youknowthey’re both going to freak out just like I did when you told me.”
Deciding to have Melanie be the one to trust with the name had been an easy decision. Not only was she close friends with the Mackenzie family, she also worked at the hospital, so sneaking in the sign so no one noticed would be easier for her.
“Oh, totally.”
“We have bets on who cries first,” Alexis teased.
“I want in!” Melanie laughed. “My bet’s on Vera.”
Blake laughed. “Allof our bets are on Vera.”
“Do you have the sign with you so we can see it?”
“It’s at home, but I’ll have Cameron bring it by tomorrow morning if that’s okay. I’m fairly sure we won’t have a baby tonight.”
“Gee, thanks,” Blake laughed, trying to remain positive. “Don’t you have any secrets for getting a baby out faster?”
Melanie smirked. “I have plenty of tricks. We’ll just have to see what works best for your body and the baby.”
“Don’t be hitting on my wife, now, Mel,” Alexis teased as they all laughed.
After what seemed like more hours than it probably was, Blake’s contractions finally started just before five p.m. They were more intense than Blake had been fully prepared for, but she trusted her body could handle it. She’d so far found the birthing ball to be her best friend as she moved her hips in circles with each contraction.
Isla and Vera brought dinner with them, not only for Alexis, but for Melanie and Dr. Jacobs as well. Blake wasn’t allowed to eat, much to her protest, so everyone had eaten outside of the room in shifts. It was Melanie who was currently keeping Blake company as she lay on her side with the peanut ball between her legs.
“Okay, are you good if I run out and grab something really quick?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“I’ll be right back.” Melanie patted her arm before leaving the room. There was something so calming, so reassuring about Melanie that Blake trusted her completely. And totally understood why she and Emily had become fast friends.
Alone for the first time all day, Blake took a few moments to focus on her breathing and the baby. She rubbed her belly, which helped to calm her down as well.
“I know this isn’t exactly what we planned, but I’m so happy I get to meet you soon. Emphasis on thesoonpart, okay? Mama is right here, baby. Always.”
Now that she wasinlabor, Blake had to admit that her scared feeling from earlier had dissipated ever so slightly. She’d made it to four centimeters, so they’d taken the bulb out a half hour ago. While Blake was still nervous about all the unknown left to come, she knew she had an entire support system behind her. And that helped her remain slightly more positive than she was when she first arrived.
Well, that and the fact her symptoms had started to slowly resolve. Her blood pressure was no longer through the roof, which had eased her headache. Blake’s vision also wasn’t as blurry as before which helped her more than anything. While her legs were still slightly swollen, Melanie had told her that would go down after the baby was born.
Blake just needed the last part to come quickly and with ease.
Melanie came back into the room humming a Shania Twain song with a popsicle in her hand. She unwrapped it, handing it out to Blake.
“Don’t tell anyone I smuggled this in here for you.”
“Bless you.” Blake took the popsicle as if it were a million dollars. It had a very bland taste to it, but Blakedidn’t care. In that moment, it tasted like the best damn thing she’d ever had.
