World Tour

Brisbane XXII

¨Hey, sis, what's up?¨Eddy said tensely. 
He knew it wasn't time yet, but still: when a very pregnant lady calls there's always a degree of worry. Especially if said pregnant lady's carrying twins, too. 
¨Eddy, I... I'm not well. You need to come, now.¨
Belle's brittle voice sent him from tense to panic in a millisecond. 
¨Jesus, Belle, what's wrong?¨
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Brett jump out of bed at his tone and start scrambling to put his clothes back on. 
¨I don't know, Eddy, I'm just really sick. My head hurts so bad, I'm really dizzy, my belly hurts and I keep throwing up. I called the doctor and he... he said to go to the hospital straight away.¨
Eddy swallowed once, firmly pushing down his panic. They'd need him strong.
¨Okay. We'll be there in just a minute, Belle, sit tight, okay?¨
¨Yeah.¨ she said feebly, and hung up. 
¨Tell me, Eddy.¨ Brett said, his voice so bleak Eddy had to swallow again.
¨We have to go to the hospital, Brett. Belle's not well and has been told to come in.¨
They were both dressed in seconds and were out the door not much after that. 

Nothing could have prepared him for the way Belle looked. She was all swollen, her face puffy, her hands and feet twice their normal size. And she was pale, so pale. Her eyes were red and unfocused. Eddy rushed to her and held her hands.
¨Jesus, Belle...¨ he croaked.
She managed a small smile. ¨I'm looking that bad, huh?¨
Eddy wasn't going to comment on that. 
¨Come on, let's get you going, huh? Do you have a hospital bag?¨
¨Yeah, it's over there.¨ She pointed to a small holdall in the corner of the room. 
Thank God for his sister always being prepared. He'd have had no idea what to pack for her. 
He supported her into the car, climbing into the back seat with her and giving the keys to Brett, who'd not said a word the whole time. He got in, though, started the engine and set off towards the hospital.
¨It'll be okay, Belle.¨ Eddy said quietly, rubbing his thumb softly over Belle's swollen hand. ¨You'll see.¨
She nodded, but he could see clearly that she was not convinced. She groaned softly, closed her eyes and sat back a bit more against the seat. This short drive had never seemed longer than it did today.
Brett drove them right to the front of the hospital.
¨You go in here, I'll park.¨ he said, his soft voice resolute. 
Eddy nodded. ¨Okay. Come on, sis, we're here.¨
He helped Belle into one of the wheel chairs by the entrance and pushed her into the building as fast as he could.  

Everything went so quickly after that that Eddy didn't even have a second to process what was happening. As soon as they entered the labour ward a nurse had come and rushed them into an exam room, and it hadn't taken long for the room to flood with an obstetrician and several student doctors. Brett had found them again and was now at Eddy's side, holding his hand, nervously looking at the doctor. 
¨So, ms. Chen. I'm afraid the news I have is not great. You have a condition known as pre eclampsia. This happens relatively frequently in twin pregnancies, but at the moment your case is quite severe. Unfortunately, the only treatment we have is birthing the babies, but as you know, at 35 weeks gestation that is a little early. Still, we will give you an injection that will help the babies' lungs ripen and then we hope to keep them on board for just a little bit longer. We'll keep a very close eye on you and act straight away should things get worse.¨
Oh, how Eddy wished he'd have something useful to say, but his voice seemed to have vanished, along with his heart and his sense of balance. He held onto Brett's hand for dear life as spots danced in front of his eyes.  
Belle's eyes were wide, but calm. ¨Are the babies in danger, doctor?¨
The doctor smiled kindly. ¨Not at the moment. We're going to keep a very close eye on them as well as you.¨
She nodded. ¨I... I don't care what it does to me, okay? I just want the babies to be okay.¨
Eddy just about choked back the sob that bubbled up. 
¨Doctor, could you... could you please make sure everyone  is okay?¨
The doctor smiled his kind smile at Eddy now. ¨We will do our very best to do just that, mr Chen. Now. Unfortunately this does mean that we'll have to perform a C-section. I know that you were hoping for a vaginal birth, but that would just be too risky now.¨
Belle nodded. ¨I don't care anymore. As long as they're okay.¨
Suddenly her eyes were brimming with tears and Eddy lurched forward, putting his arms around her as best he could, hugging her tight. 
¨You'll be alright, Belle. You'll all be alright.¨