Ava had to rock back and forth a couple of times as she struggled to lift herself from the couch. Elizabeth rushed over to assist, and Ava finally managed to stand as another contraction squeezed her. Ava moaned against the pain, but Elizabeth kept a firm grip on her arm.
“They’re getting close, aren’t they?” she asked as though she hadn’t been timing Ava’s contractions since the first one almost two hours ago.
“Yes, and I am ready for the epidural,” Ava said through clenched teeth.
“Let’s get you to the car,” Elizabeth said. She took Ava’s arm as she slowly waddled out to the car, her protruding belly causing her to walk with an awkward gait.
Elizabeth stored the bag and made sure to get Ava situated in her seat before jumping into the driver's seat. Ava gripped the door handle as another contraction worked through her.
“We still haven’t settled on a name,” Elizabeth said, trying to distract Ava from her discomfort.
“We said we would wait until she’s here to decide,” Ava said between breaths.
“I know, but we could still come up with some ideas,” Elizabeth said. “What about Grace?”
“No,” Ava said. She usually wouldn’t have been so blunt but she was in pain. “I had a classmate named Grace, she was a pleasant enough person, but no.”
“Okay,” Elizabeth said. She threw out several other names, but Ava was barely listening. Everything felt very real all the sudden. Going through the fertility treatments and IVF had been very difficult for Ava, there had been a few tries that had not taken, and they had almost given up before this one finally worked. The pregnancy had been smooth enough, but she was still terrified constantly that something would happen. She reached over and grabbed Elizabeth’s hand squeezing it for comfort as they raced to the hospital.
Naturally, the staff was ready for them when they arrived. The news of the imminent arrival of their baby girl had spread like wildfire, but it only stoked Ava’s fear. Elizabeth was stoic, though and she handled everything beautifully. They got them both to the delivery room and everything was set up. Ava’s contractions were coming quickly, she knew that it would not be much longer. Everything started moving quickly at that point.
Elizabeth stood by her side holding her hand as each contraction wracked through her. Doctor Mars was attending—her first specialty had been obstetrics and she was more than happy to be available to deliver the baby. The concerned look on her face had both Elizabeth and Ava put on edge.
“What’s wrong?” Ava finally asked as Dr. Mars looked over the readouts again.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Elizabeth assured Ava, but Ava could tell from the lines on Elizabeth’s face that she didn’t completely believe it.
“I’m sorry, Ava,” Doctor Mars said and Ava’s heart froze in her chest. “We need to get this baby out.”
Ava squeezed Elizabeth’s hand, as another contraction flooded her. “What’s happening?” she gritted through her teeth. Elizabeth’s face had gone pale.
“I’m not sure, but we think the umbilical cord may be preventing her from coming down the birth canal,” the doctor said. Ava knew that wasn’t something that was usually said to a birthing mother, but Dr. Mars knew them well enough that she wouldn’t be able to get around it. “The OR is ready, they will be moving you into it in a couple of minutes.”
Tears sprang to Ava’s eyes, but the look of pure determination on Elizabeth’s face gave her pause. They had come so far, and their baby was strong, Ava knew that. She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, as everything around her turned into a flurry of motion. Within minutes she had been prepped and ready for surgery. Doctor Mars was assisting while the attending OB-GYN was leading the surgery. A screen had been set up in front of Ava so that she couldn’t see what was happening, and she had been numbed but remained awake for the operation. Elizabeth sat next to her; she could see around the screen, but her focus mostly remained on Ava.
Ava could feel the pressure as the surgeon worked on her body. She felt the weight of their hands on the top of her abdomen as they pushed to free her little girl. Elizabeth was holding her breath as they worked, thoughshe attempted to keep her expression neutral.
Suddenly the focus was no longer on Ava, except for Dr. Mars who was working to close the incision. Ava could hear the rushing around of the staff, but nothing else.
“How is she?” Ava asked, looking at Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s eyes followed the activity around the room, taking in each detail and watching each movement. Her lips were pressed together, but her eyes stayed focused.
“How is she? Why can’t I hear her?” Ava asked, her voice edging on hysterical. Elizabeth still didn’t answer but squeezed her hand.
“Elizabeth!” Ava demanded, but at that moment she heard the shrill wail of an infant. A baby, her baby,theirbaby was crying from what seemed to be a set of very healthy lungs.
“She’s fine, my love,” Elizabeth said, the relief in the room palpable as everyone began to smile. A few minutes later, Dr. Mars handed Ava a beautiful, pink, wriggling ball of perfection who was less than happy to be outside of her mother’s womb. She fussed and struggled to gain control of her extremities in all the open space. “She’s perfect,” Elizabeth said, her voice full of wonder.
“She is perfect,” Ava whispered as she nuzzled her baby girl. Doctor Mars took her back to get cleaned up while they finished working on Ava. Elizabeth looked down at her, but her expression was torn.
“Go,” Ava said, leaving no room for argument. “Stay with her.”
Elizabeth’s eyes glistened as she looked down at Ava.
“Please,” Ava insisted.
Elizabeth leaned down and kissed Ava softly on her forehead. “Good job, Mom,” she said. She stood up quickly and followed the nurses and pediatrician as they wheeled their daughter out on the tiny cart.
“You did great, Ava,” Doctor Mars said as they readied Ava to be moved into the recovery room.
