The Dance Part 2

Chapter 304 Dread

Dinner was a merry affair for the three eldest brothers and their wives. Conversation always seemed to find its way back to their children despite an evening away from the Brownies. The brothers could only imagine what Gabe and Lucy had taken on as it had been a very long time since they kept all the kids, especially since they were older and more vocal.

"I can see it now. My boys probably have Gabe tied to a tree by now." Matt's rambunctious sons were a handful for even he and Jill but they were all good kids.

"And Lucy....I'm sure the girls have raided her makeup and turned her into a strumpet." Red giggled at the thought of Lucy sporting flaming red lipstick and garish blue eyeshadow.

The couples enjoyed a rare treat of steak and fresh lobster followed by the restaurant's signature dessert of Baked Alaska.  Lila once again disappeared to the ladies room followed shortly thereafter by Jill. Bam soon hovered outside the ladies room as he knew something was amiss.

"It's getting worse isn't it?" Jill asked as she rubbed Lila's back.

Lila nodded. "I just want to go home and lie down."

"You wait here. I'll get everyone and we can head back home." Lila winced as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

"Please don't let Bam know something's not right." No sooner did Jill exit the ladies room she slammed right into her brother-in-law.

"Something's wrong isn't it? I feel it in my gut." Jill tried to reassure him that Lila was overly tired but he wasn't satisfied with the answer, quickly pushing by Jill.

"Joshua, you can't be in here." Lila was surprised he had violated the sanctity of the ladies bathroom.

"To hell with protocol, Lila. What's wrong?"

Lila meekly replied. "I'm fine."

"I can clearly see you aren't. We are going to the hospital and I won't take no for an answer." Her husband's reaction was exactly what Lila hoped to avoid. Every time her husband went into "respect the danger" mode, he became a little extreme in his actions. Lila knew she couldn't talk him out of it. She let him help her up and escorted her rapidly to the car before barking out orders to the other couples.

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The drive to the hospital seemed to take an eternity to Bam. Lila couldn't find a comfortable position and flopped back and forth under the restraint of her seat belt. Bam refused to park at the entrance and drove to the emergency room doors leaving his car illegally parked. His only concern was for his wife as he calmly explained to the nurse on duty that Lila needed to be seen immediately. As Bam described her symptoms, Lila felt a wetness run down her leg. Her water had broken and she stood staring at the floor in disbelief. Her first thought was it was too early for the baby to come but mother nature has a way of exercising her powers at the most inconvenient times.

The nurse and Bam turned to see Lila standing in a puddle of liquid as she looked up at the two of them with a wretched horror fixed upon her face. She felt herself go weak as her knees buckled from under her only to be caught by Matt who had burst through the emergency room doors at exactly the precise moment to catch Lila's downward spiral.  Matt was quickly followed by Bear, Rose and Jill. Matt scooped her up and looked to the nurse and Bam for direction. The nurse pointed in the direction of an empty gurney parked across the hall from where he stood. He carefully transferred Lila to a prone position as Bam and the nurse swiftly crossed the hall to attend to Lila's needs.

"How many weeks?" The nurse asked Bam taking her pulse.

"Um, we aren't sure. It's complicated." The nurse had signalled her coworker to call the doctor on duty as two attendants began to wheel her down the hall. As Bam attempted to follow his wife, the nurse stopped him in his tracks.

"No, sir. You can't do anything now. I'll need to get additional information and a medical history."

Jill and Red volunteered to stay with Bam and help answer questions as Matt and Bear proceeded to the waiting room.

Bam fumbled through the nurse's questions as best he could with the help of Jill. His frustration was reaching his tolerance as he snapped at the nurse's questions. "Bam, let me help. You go wait with the family."

Red tugged at his arm beckoning him to follow her. When he was out of earshot, Jill delicately explained the complicated circumstances of Lila's pregnancy to the nurse who soon disappeared to the room where her sister-in-law was taken. The nurse relayed the information to the attending physician who had determined Lila was indeed in labor and there wasn't any way to prevent the baby from arriving early.

Lila fell in and out of consciousness as the medical team worked on her. At one point, she made the doctor promise that he would save the baby before her only to be reassured that no one was dying on his shift.

In the waiting room, the family anxiously gathered for news of any kind. Matt attempted to calm his brother's nerves reminding him that Lila was a fighter. Bam beat himself up believing he should have never let the pregnancy move forward. It was typical of him to second guess his decision especially when it came to her well-being. As much as it pained Lila to think the baby could possibly be Nato's, she knew she had enough love in her to overcome that one fact and in some way, she knew Bam had the ability in himself. It was a mutual decision not to read the test results...a decision that they both hoped not to regret.

The doctor and his team worked long and hard to help the baby into the world but because of its prematurity, a blood transfusion would be necessary. Transfusions were not out of the norm especially with babies born with anemia as this one was. Since learning that Bam may not be the father, the doctor had the baby's blood typed immmediately before posing the question to the family of needing a donor.

The family jumped to their feet as the doctor pulled off his surgical cap and mask to address the family. Bam quickly noticed the blood on his scrubs qnd asked,  "Is my wife alright?"

"She has had a difficult delivery. She's resting now. But the baby..."

Jason Aldean-Tonight Looks Good on You

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