A Steel Valley Christmas

Chapter 1: Black Friday

*LENA*

"What time do they want you to come into work?" I grab my wine glass and down the rest as I look at my wife. She had promised me that she shouldn't be called into work and we'd stay up and watch Christmas movies tonight after I put Frankie to bed, but of course, she receives a call in the middle of dinner. And of course, she says yes to coming into work.

Pushing her plate back, she sighs as she refuses to meet my gaze. "I said I'd go in around 8."

I try my hardest not to glare or give her a look, but she already knows how I'm feeling. We are currently at dinner with Jenna and Kelly and a couple of other friends, and everything was just fine until she received the call. I can feel my face grow hot, and I don't hear the conversation anymore around the dinner table; so, I do what I know to do. I grab my purse and quietly excuse myself muttering something about needing to check on Frankie.

Francesca was born just five months ago, and to be honest, it was a very hard labor for me. My water broke some time around 10 p.m. but I didn't really start hard labor until a little after midnight the day she was born. When the doctor came in around noon the next day, and I hadn't progressed beyond three centimeters, he was alarmed and rushed me into an emergency c-section. That mixed with the factor that her heart rate was dropping rapidly scared both Stef and I drastically, and Stef had clung to my hand as she tried to soothe me with her words even though I could see the fear in her eyes.

*FLASHBACK*

"I'm right here, baby. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. They just want me to put these scrubs on over my clothes before I go with you into the operating room, okay?" Stef rubs her hand softly over my flushed face. I was now shaking uncontrollably as my contractions were coming every few minutes, and the pain was truly out of this world. It hurt far more than I could ever have imagined, and I seriously didn't think it could hurt any worse.

"Okay," I manage to get out as she disappears, and I'm left to squeeze the white cotton sheets beneath me as another round of contractions hit me worse than ever. I try to breathe through them, but I can only whimper and cry out as a nurse walks over to me to tell me that they are getting ready to have the anesthesiologist give me a spinal. My doctor is an expert at delivering babies, and as soon as he walks into the room, he smiles widely as he walks over to me and takes both of my hands in his.

"Lena, Lena, did you ask your little girl what's taking so long to join us?" He squeezes my hand as I attempt to breathe through the last of these contractions.

I finally am able to catch my breath long enough to look into his caring eyes. "I haven't had the chance to, doctor," I lightly tease as he continues to smile.

"Okay, well, I need you to try and sit forward so you can be given your spinal. We'll tell you when to inhale and when to exhale, okay?"

I nod as I scoot forward on the bed, and he continues to hold my hands in support. The only problem is, just as soon as I sit forward, another wave of contractions hit threatening to suck the air right out of my lungs, and I yelp as I squeeze his hands so hard, he even winces. "Breathe, Lena...c'mon, you can do it. We're so close to meeting your little girl. Breathe...inhale...." I do as he says as I squeeze my eyes shut and feel a hard pinch in my lower back.

"Can you bend forward a little more, Lena?" the anesthesiologist asks as he tries to get the spinal done and over with, and I try my hardest as I continue squeezing Dr. Harding's hands even tighter. As soon as the spinal is released, I feel a warm wave wash over me, and the intense pain I had been feeling for well over 12 hours is now gone, and in it's place is nothing but sheer giddiness at the relief I feel.