Safe

Chapter 19

Everything slows down and calms down, from there. Most of the other people in the room gradually step out, their own jobs done and the risk of complications past, and by the time they get an update called through to the phone on the desk over by the wall, it is only Rita left in the room with Shayne and Courtney.

(Shayne figures, at this stage, it's first-name basis, given she just played a significant role in delivering their child).

"They said Charlie is doing good still, his oxygen dropped a little when he first got down there because he struggled a little with the mask, but it's settled back to normal now he's got a proper breathing tube fitted too and he's settled into sleep, he's getting used to where he is and all his other vitals are good," she tells them, Shayne feeling his eyes welling with tears all over again as he glances at Courtney to see her furrowed brow relax as she turns to beam at him.

"We- we got our baby, Shayne. He's gonna be our little Charlie," she mumbles, softly, and Shayne leans over to press a kiss to her lips when she tugs him towards her.

Much to his own relief – and Courtney's – Rita guides them clearly and non-judgementally through the immediate post-birth process. His own fear that him still being there and being so involved isn't normal flares all over again when he helps Courtney off the bed and into the shower in the bathroom attached to the delivery room, but she is still holding his hand tightly searching for the security of his presence beside her, and he pushes his worries to the side. He couldn't be more amazed and proud and in absolute awe of her, he doesn't care that she's messy and sweaty and still slowly coming down from the painkiller gas.

"It's good you're being here and helping," Dr. Nook tells him, almost reassuring, evidently sensing his hesitance, "Courtney, would you like Shayne to help you clean up, too? I need to stay in here to make sure you're okay, but either of us can help out where you need, and you can choose whether you just freshen up a little with a face washer or you can have a proper shower and wash your hair, too, if that would help you feel better."

"Can Shayne wash my hair?" she asks, softly, Rita nodding and Shayne immediately whispering a soft 'of course'.

"Thank you," she mumbles, softly, and she drips water all over him and his clothes as he gently massages at her scalp and rubs shampoo through her hair while she lazily wipes a face washer across her own body, but he doesn't care about the drips, simply letting her soft, appreciative sigh finally settle his own nerves and overwhelmed almost-sadness.

He helps her back into a hospital gown as Rita changes over the bed to new, clean sheets, and he helps her back up into the bed as Rita sets up the IV again and re-attaches some of the monitoring equipment.

"Everything is looking fine, but given everything, just keeping an eye on things in case," she reassures, softly, before moving into everything else she wants to run through before they head back up to the maternity ward, and to Courtney's relief, it includes feeding, and what she needs to be careful of and for how long post-birth – and, as much as she's exhausted and weak and worried she won't retain it all, she knows Shayne is right beside her taking in every word he can.

"Do you guys wanna go via NICU and see your guy before you head back up to the maternity ward?" Rita asks them, once they're ready to leave the delivery room. Court is curled back on the bed in exhaustion, again, hand now much more lazily resting in Shayne's.

"Yeah, just- quickly," Courtney mumbles, sleepily.

"It does mean we'll need to take you in a wheelchair instead of in the bed, is that okay? IV and everything can attach to the wheelchair and I'm comfortable you're stable enough to sit up for a while, you're just exhausted, which you are absolutely entitled to be," she explains, but Courtney nods, slowly – with Rita's help – shuffling back out of the bed and into a wheelchair.