Chapter Twenty-One

Bo rushes to her side, catching her just as she begins to sink to the floor. He helps her stand long enough for him to pick her up and carry her towards the bedroom. He kisses the top of her head, as it rests on his shoulder, “Just breathe, honey. Just breathe.”

“We still have three weeks and a half weeks, Bo. It’s…it’s too soon,” she says, her voice choking with pain.

He lays her on the bed and wipes the hair off her damp brow, “Just try and relax, honey and breathe. There’s nothing we can do to stop this.” He sits down beside the bed and takes her hand, “We’re having a baby, Red,” he says through his tears.

She smiles and reaches out laying a hand on his cheek, her pain having subsided for the moment, “I love you, Bo.”

He kisses her hand, placing it down beside her, “I love you too, Red,” he reaches for the phone beside the bed, “Try and relax, okay? I’m going to call Dr. Conklin.” Nora nods, reaching for Bo’s free hand. Bo grimaces when she squeezes his hand. He smiles through the pain as he waits for someone to answer, “Dr. Conklin, please. It’s an emergency….Then page Dr. Woleck!,” he yells, “This is Commissioner Buchanan and my wife is in labor. We’re going to need the medivac chopper…I KNOW there’s a blizzard, just get the chopper up ASAP. He looks over at Nora, once again brushing the hair that clings to her damp brow, “Breathe honey. They’re going to page, Larry.”

Bo kisses her forehead before standing up and walking into the bathroom. He returns a moment later with a damp cloth. He wipes her brow while he waits for Larry to answer his page. Another minute passes before Larry responds, “Larry, thank God, it’s Bo. Listen, Nora’s in labor and we’re stuck up here on Llantano Mountain. I think you’re going to have to talk me through this one, Doc.” Bo reaches out and wipes her brow again as Larry asks him a few questions, “Every 2-3 minutes….Consistently since she first started having them 30 minutes ago…No her water hasn’t broken yet…I told them to dispatch the chopper as soon as they can but I don’t think they’re going to get here in time, Larry.”

Larry gives Bo a list of everything he’ll need to deliver their baby; from the towels to a shoelace to clamp off the cord. Larry gave Bo his cell number and told him that he would stay at the hospital to talk Bo through the delivery and be on the medivac chopper as soon as they’re able to take off.

Bo hangs up the phone and gathers what he’ll need. He returns to the bedroom a few minutes later and climbs into the bed beside her. He rubs her back when she needs him to; he wipes the perspiration from her brow. Two hours after her contractions began Bo was back on the phone with Larry.

Larry sits in the medivac chopper awaiting clearance to take off, “Okay, Bo, she’s going to have to push with every contraction. Remember you’ll need to count to ten and try to have her push three times with each contraction.”

Bo nods, “Okay, Red, next contraction Larry says you can push.”

Bo places his hand on her stomach, like Larry instructed him to do. He looks up at her when he feels the muscles tighten, “Okay now, Red.”

Forty five minutes later she collapses back onto the pillow as the latest contraction subsides. Another fifteen minutes pass but she’s made little progress. Bo is having a hard time keeping her calm and focused, “Come on Red, you can do it.”

She glares at him, “Shut up Buchanan! How about we switch places, huh? Then you can see first hand how hard it is!”

Larry, who is still waiting for clearance, hears the exchanges and encourages Bo on the other end of the line. Bo just smiles and leans in and kisses the top of her knee. He places his hand back on her stomach and feels for the next contraction. He looks up at her, “Okay, sweetheart,” she shakes her head, “Come on, Red, you can do it.”

She nods and begins to push again. Bo and Larry continue to encourage her. Bo ignores her outbursts and smiles at her expressions of love when the pain finally subsides. Another hour passes as the storm continues to rage outside.

Bo leans in, helping her support her legs, running his hands up and down the outside of her thighs, trying to help her relax, “Okay, Red…time to push again.”

Nora continues to shake her head, tears of pain and exhaustion rolling down her face, “I can’t! I can’t do it anymore. I’m too tired!”

Larry jumps in on the other end of the line, “Don’t let her give up, Bo. She has to do this.”

“She’s exhausted Larry. I don’t know how much longer she’s going to be able to stand this. How are your chances of being able to take off looking?”

“It’s still coming down, Bo and we can’t see a damn thing,” Larry sighs in frustration, “Listen, Bo you’ve got to keep her focused. She has to do this.”

Bo just nods and wipes the perspiration from his brow, “Come on, Red. Let’s do this. This little one is anxious to meet its mommy.”

Nora nods, takes a deep breath, and begins to push again. Bo continues to encourage her while Larry encourages and coaches him from the rooftop of Llanview Hospital. Another hour passes before Bo finally sees the head. He looks up at Nora and smiles, “Okay Red, you’re almost done, honey. You’re almost done. I can see its head.”

On the other end of the line Larry breathes a sigh of relief as the pilot finally receives clearance for take off, “Bo, I’m going to talk you through the rest of the delivery. We should be there in ten minutes or so.”

Bo sighs and looks up at Nora, “Larry’s on his way honey and so is our baby. You ready?”

She manages a small, exhausted smile, “Ready,” she whispers.

Five minutes later Bo looks up at Nora, the tears falling onto his cheeks, “It’s a boy, Red. You were right, we have a son.”

Nora lays her head back on the pillow and smiles, “Our son,” she whispers as her eyes drift closed.

Bo looks down at their son and back up at Nora, noticing that she’s begun to shiver and her eyes are closed. Larry rushes into the room seconds later, followed by the paramedic.

Larry takes over for Bo as the paramedic rushes to Nora’s side. Bo climbs into the bed beside her and takes her hand, “Come on, Red open your eyes,” He looks at Larry, “What’s wrong with her, Larry? Why won’t she open her eyes?”

Larry hands their son to the paramedic who places him in the baby warmer. Larry begins to assess the situation, “She’s in shock, Bo. We need to get her to LH right now.”

Bo climbs off the bed as the paramedic and Larry secure her on the gurney. They secure her in the back of the helicopter and Bo slides in beside her. A few minutes later Larry returns with the baby. Bo looks down at their small son, “Hey there, little man, Happy Birthday.”

Bo watches Larry as he continues to assess her, while the pilot prepares for take off. Bo takes her hand. He looks at Larry, “She’s so cold and clammy.”

Larry looks up at Bo, “Her pulse is weak and rapid and her blood pressure is extremely low. She’s still bleeding and I can’t stop it here.”

“She’s going to make it, right Larry? I mean she has to make it.”

“We’re going to do every thing we can for her, Bo. We just need to get her to the hospital.”

Ten minutes later they land on the roof. Larry had called ahead and the ER was prepared for their arrival. They had blood standing by if needed and a team of neo-nantologists ready to assess the baby. The team of doctors and nurses rush her into the trauma room, followed by Larry. Larry turns and looks at Bo, “We’re going to take care of her, Bo.”

Bo watches as the door is closed in his face, shutting her off from him. He looks around the ER. ‘How many times have I paced outside these rooms,’ he thinks to himself.

On the other side of the door a race was on to save her. She was fading fast. Larry looks down at her, “Come on Nora, don’t do this,” the alarm on the monitor begins to wail, “Nora….”

TBC