Page 66 of Forever Christmas
“Corabelle!” I say, squeezing closer to her.
“I’m…fine,” she says. “They’re not that bad.”
It’s the longest elevator ride of my life.
Finally the doors open and we head down a hall. There’s an open door ahead, and the men move toward it. When we arrive, a nurse in pastel scrubs is already there.
“Hello, Corabelle,” she says. “I’m Katy, the nurse assistant. We pulled up yourinfo from Dr. Jamison and you’re all checked in. The doctor on call will be here any moment for an assessment.”
She hums as she pulls the sheets down. “Can you move or do you need us to transfer you?”
Corabelle says, “I can do it.” She sits up, and the two men help her down and onto the waiting bed.
“Thank y’all,” the nurse says, her voice a drawl. “Let’s get you comfortable. You want a hospitalgown or did you bring your own?”
“We hadn’t packed a bag yet,” she says. “I’m early.”
“That’s just fine,” she says. She opens a cabinet. “I’ll hook you up with something not too crazy.”
I want to tear my hair out. “She can’t feel the baby move! Shouldn’t we be doing something more dramatic?”
“We’ve paged the OB on call. He’ll be here any second.”
She’s right. She’s barely pulled a gown fromthe closet and turned around when a man strides into the room, tall and self-assured. His shoes ring on the floor. “I’m Dr. Petersen,” he says, extending a hand.
I shake it automatically. “She’s only thirty-three weeks, and the baby has a heart condition. And she can’t feel the baby moving.”
The doctor has the sense to look serious. “I hear everything you’re saying.” He turns to the nurse. “Sendup radiology with a sonogram machine. Let’s do a Doppler now. And prep.”
The woman nods.
“Sorry I haven’t let you change yet,” the doctor says. “Let’s see how the baby is doing.”
He lowers Corabelle’s bed and fits her thighs into the big leg stirrups they only have in hospitals. The nurse rolls a tray over, and he grabs a set of gloves.
I turn to Corabelle. She’s still serene and cool, almostremote.
“She’s still pretty tight down below, but with the contractions, that will change. We’re going to inject steroids to help the baby’s lungs, just in case. We’ll administer some drugs to stop labor.”
“They didn’t work last time,” I say.
He nods. “I’ll page our pediatric cardiologist on call to let him know we might have a birth. We’ll also notify the one your OB chose for you. We’ll seewho’s available if the baby makes his arrival.”
Another nurse walks in with the little machine that amplifies the baby’s heart. She’s young with perfect curls in her ponytail, like a Barbie doll.
“Hello!” she says. “I’m Adrianna, your RN. Katy and I will be taking care of you until seven.”
“Let’s just take a listen to that heart before I go,” the doctor says.
Adrianna smooths a bit of gelon Corabelle and turns it on. The whomp whomp comes quickly.
“That’s Mom,” she says with a big smile. “She’s a little nervous.”
She moves the wand around.
Corabelle closes her eyes. I know she’s already given up and just awaits the news.
But then we hear it. A heartbeat double the time of the other.
