Here are the responses to the May 11, 2003 Challenge.
Have one or more of the boys 'assist' a lady in childbirth.
Universe: ATF
Not my best work... but still... All the usual disclaimers.... LOL
Cuervo had gotten herself pregnant and the team was excited over the event. All except one. Ezra had just completed a long undercover assignment and wanted nothing more then to get home and go to bed. He was not amused to find the cat giving birth in his car, on his thirty-five dollar white dress shirt even.
His first impulse was to take a taxi home and let her handle the birth by herself. After all, it was a most natural thing. But he stayed to rub her ears. And was thrilled when she gave birth to seven healthy kittens. Now.... what to name them??
Ok Phyllis and Angel and I decided to play this time
Warning: Just a bit of swearing
Universe: ATF
"This will never work," the obviously pregnant woman in the purple dress, hissed.
"Sure it will, just make it seem real," the young man whispered as he patted the hand on his arm.
"Oh!" The woman grabbed her stomach.
"Honey is it time?" He barely got the question out as his companion sank toward the floor.
"Oh God!" She screamed grabbing her stomach and beginning to pant.
"Great job, that's very real," the man whispered close to the woman's ear, as he watched his teammates move closer to their targets. The feat made possible by the distraction the two were providing in the crowded room.
His blue eyes bulged as a hand firmly grabbed the back of his neck and began squeezing as the voice screeched, "You're the son of a bitch responsible for this!"
"Excuse me sir, sounds like she's in the final transition phase of labor. I'm a medic maybe I can help." Nathan tried to keep from laughing watching the undercover agent play his part to the hilt. Their mischievous sharpshooter may never suggest such a plan again.
Universe: ATF
"JD, I think you've got it." Lisbet said.
"Thanks for picking me, I thought I was going to spend my rehab typing the other guys reports."
"Who else would I want looking after one baby while I'm having the other? Just call if the server gives you any problems, okay? Thank you for lunch."
"Oh, you're welcome, Lis" JD said as he paid for lunch and they started back towards Lis' car.
Lis paused for a moment, scrunching her face. "JD, I think you may need to take over faster than we thought, would you mind driving to the hospital?"
Universe: ATF?
"Where is our erstwhile ladies man?" Ezra queried.
"Oh, it seems the animal magnetism of his kicked in, last I heard he'd been up all night" Vin said with a chuckle.
Noticing that everyone had a large grin on their faces, Ezra had to ask. "Oh, and do any of us know this lady?"
You had to say that word again, didn't you?" Laughed Nathan.
Chris decided to explain, "Lady is foaling and threw a fit when Buck tried to leave."
Universe: ATF
It was supposed to be simple, pack since he got off from work first, drop by the clinic and wait for Rain to finish her shift, then leave on vacation. Did it happen that way? Oh no, five minutes until her shift was over and he had to respond when someone asked for help.
"Where's the doctor?! Get in here!" He yelled. "She's crowning!"
Universe: ATF
"Mr. Vin!"
"Whoa Jesus, calm down, what's wrong?"
"We find cat in barrel, tied to drown!"
"OK, let's see the cat."
"She gulped water or something, big belly."
"Ah, that's not water, Jesus, that's kittens. Go get some rags from my place."
Slightly later.
"Mr. Vin, I'm never gonna go to the bathroom again!"
Universe: Little Britches ATF
The grades had combined for a trip to the zoo where both Vin and JD had gotten to see baby hippos. The zoo had kindly taped parts of the birth and it was playing on a loop, so when they came home that was naturally the part of the trip they wanted to talk about.
"Now, boys, Chris has some experience with birth" Buck said.
"Buck!"
"Yessir, he was given the task of telling Mrs. Tole about her husbands death I-L-O-D and she went into labor right there. Delivered a kid on the rug he did."
Universe: ATF
Ezra had suprised them all with how well he adapted to camping, even himself. He had concentrated on being compliant and non-complaining but this was too much!
"Whoever told that polecat she could have kits on my sleeping bag had better remove her immediately! Gentlemen, I mean it!"
Universe: ATF
OK — here it is — there are six parts that need to be read in order... each 100 or less...
This is the first...
The suspect and his pregnant wife arrived at the remote warehouse for the meeting with the undercover agent. The guns were in the van they drove and once the deal was made, Chris ordered the arrest.
As Buck called out, "ATF, put your weapons down," the suspect ran, leaving his wife, the guns, and the cash.
Ezra secured the suitcase and started to place the handcuffs on the woman, but stopped when she cried out that her water had broken.
She gasped, clinging to her belly as the contractions started.
"Dear Lord." He stated, just before Ezra fainted.
Universe: ATF
Buck called out that they were under arrest, and ran after the suspect as he bolted.
They were near an exit when they heard the man's wife call out in alarm.
Buck turned to see Ezra approach the very pregnent woman and was hit on the head from behind as the husband used the diversion to escape.
When Buck woke he heard the woman calling for help and staggered to his feet to lend aid.
He headed back to help, but saw stars, as his head injury asserted itself, he dropped to the floor, next to Ezra, unconscious.
Universe: ATF
JD heard Buck's shout as the deal was made, listened as the suspect ran and heard the woman call out.
He had seen the very pregnent woman, so he called for an ambulance, grapped his gun, and ran to help.
He slammed the van open and knocked Josiah down with the heavy door. The big man went down hard.
"Oh, my God... Josiah!" JD called as he dropped to his knees beside the fallen man.
He was still kneeling by Josiah and didn't see the suspect came around the corner.
JD soon lay next to Josiah as the van drove off.
Universe: ATF
Vin watched from the rafters as the suspect ran, Buck chased, Ezra fainted, then Buck staggered back, collapsing next to his teammate.
He called Chris on the com, updated him on the sitiation and climbed down.
The woman was writhing on the floor.
He ran to her and asked what he could do to help.
She cursed rudely, mad that her husband had deserted her, and madder still at the agents for causing that desertion.
She swung a brick into the side of his head as he leaned over her.
Now three men lay unconscious.
Universe: ATF
Chris listened to Vin's description of the events and headed inside to help.
He entered the building just as the woman on the floor raised her hand and blindsided Vin with a stray brick.
He ran to them and pulled Vin away.
The woman cried out again as another contraction hit.
He knew that he should help, but really wasn't sure about what to do, and after watching her knock out Vin, he wasn't sure if he would be safe trying.
He was still pondering the question when Nathan entered the building.
Universe: ATF
Nathan heard the woman cry out, grabbed his medical bag and headed across the street.
He found JD and Josiah lying in the alley, checked their condition and headed inside.
He entered and saw three more agents uncouscious on the floor, with Chris kneeling next to Vin... apparantly ignoring the moaning woman.
He ran to the woman and started to reach down, when he heard Chris's warning.
Too late.
The EMT's arrived, noted the six unconscious men and called for more ambulances. Then wondered at the blond agent who sat, gun pointed as the woman she gave birth.
Universe: Little Britches
"Eww, what's that?" JD watched with morbid awe as a slimly black sausage slipped out of the cat.
"JD! It's a kitten, she's having babies!"
There were more kittens, then the last one began to arrive, but it didn't slip out it just stayed half in and half out.
"It's stuck Vin. You gots to help it," JD pleaded.
Vin reached forward and trying not to notice the sticky, slimy, mess, gave the kitten a tug. It flopped down on to the blanket where Beauty instantly began to clean it. Both boys held their breath until the kitten finally moved.
The End
Universe: Old West
"Le obio!"
"I know, but only for now."
"No for all ways, you're never going to touch me again — Never! Medra del dios, lastima."
"Push Inez, now."
"I am pushing you idiot! Never, not again."
"Now darlin' you know you don't mean that, you said that last time."
"And the two times before that."
"Nathan you stay out of this. Buck Wilmington, if you ever come near me again, I swear I'll cut it off! Four babies in three years! It's not natural!"
"Nothing more natural honey."
"Don't you honey me! You... you... man!"
"It's a boy."
"Te amo."
THE END
Universe: ATF
Apologies first. Sorry about these being so late — the server was down. Next, I need to apologize for sending seven emails — on with drabbles for each of the guys. See, I had yesterday off & all afternoon to write (thought I forgot to spell check — hmmm...). Lastly, I need to apologize for stretching Ezra & Vin's drabbles to the limit. They're actually all part of a larger story, but since each birth discussed is different, I counted them as different drabbles, rather than one story (grin — I'm gettin' waaaaayyyy too sneaky for my own good) ;-)
Ezra froze.
Of all the possible loyalty tests he might have expected, assisting in the delivery of babies wasn't one of them. Still, he needed to prove to the leaders of the group he could be trusted.
Even to his inexperienced eye, he could tell which of the women was in labor. His job was to coach the woman through. Stepping closer, he took the woman's hand. "You look beautiful my dear," he said, surprised he meant it.
The look she gave him rivaled any Larabee glare he had received. His eyes widening in fear, he decided to keep quiet.
Wiping his brow, Ezra took a deep breath. He was looking forward to a nice relaxing cup of wine. Having never assisted in a birth before, he had been amazed at how he felt.
Never before had he seen such a beautiful sight or heard such vile threats from a woman. He briefly wondered what it would be like to be at the birth of his own child before ending those thoughts.
Reaching for the jacket he had discarded earlier, his hand froze as an urgent voice called, "Mr. Simpson. Terri's just gone into labor, can you help?"
"Thank you, Mr. Simpson," Terri said, looking up into the emerald eyes. Ezra smiled down at the young woman. After 10 hours in a delivery room helping two women have babies, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sink into his bed and sleep. "You're welcome, my dear," he replied.
He was startled out of his thoughts of rest by a frantic call from the nurse, "Mr. Simpson! Abby's gone into labor with the twins! Could you help until her husband comes?"
Ezra suppressed a whimper as he flexed his sore hand. Women in labor were deceptively strong.
"OK, dear, deep breath," Ezra coached, beginning to feel like an old pro. Actually he was beginning to hit that level of exhaustion where reality became unreal. Taking a quiet look at his watch, he realized he'd begun this fifteen and a half hours ago. Right now they were taking a very short break between the birth of Abby's twins.
"Thanks Ezra," Abby whispered, panting from her exertion. "Sorry about the shirt." Ezra smiled down at her. "Not a problem," he answered, sighing inwardly at the destruction of his silk shirt.
"Here he comes!" Abby called out, clutching Ezra's hand.
Ezra awoke to a gentle hand shaking him. "Mr. Simpson," the nurse said, smiling down at the half-asleep man. "It's time for you to go."
Stretching and hearing his back crack, he stood and slipped on his jacket. Looking at his watch he realized that between the births and his few hours of sleep, he had been in the compound for twenty-eight hours.
His hand just rested on the doorknob when a nurse called out, "Mr. Simpson!" With a heavy sigh, Ezra turned around and headed back. It appeared Elizabeth was in labor now.
"Thank you, Ezra," Jane said.
Jane had gone into labor several minutes after Elizabeth and Ezra had split his time between the two women. Jane seemed to respond best to poetry, nearly exhausting Ezra's repertoire. He would have to refresh his memory on several.
Elizabeth focused best if he was silent and simply stroked her hair.
The two women had delivered two more healthy baby boys. Ezra smiled. Six babies he'd been involved with. Right now he just wanted to go home. This time he actually had the door open before the nurse called him back.
"You're doing wonderfully, Mary," Ezra encouraged through gritted teeth. Lord the woman was strong. He'd have to have his hand examined to ensure there were no broken bones.
"I can see the head," the doctor called as Mary let out a low moan. "Just a bit more work..."
"Ezra!" she cried out.
"You're fine, you're doing fine," Ezra encouraged, gasping in pain as his hand was clenched more tightly.
There was a smack followed by a high-pitched cry. "You have a beautiful daughter," the doctor announced as the mother burst into tears.
Ezra held Mary and prayed his day was over.
"So how did you gain their trust so quickly, Ez?" Buck asked, settling into his chair at their table in the saloon.
Ezra lifted his tired eyes to his friends. They had successfully wrapped up the case and Ezra just wanted to sleep. He lifted his hand to brush a stray strand of hair off his forehead and winced at the bruises. Staring at his hand, he sighed and said, "Lamas, Mr. Wilmington."
"Lamas?" JD asked, puzzled.
"Let's just say there will be a sudden influx of Ezra's in the next census."
Universe: ATF
"OK, I just need you to breathe," Vin said calmly. He knew this wasn't easy on the woman, but he needed her calm and in control. He found himself being overwhelmed by his own memories.
The first birth he'd seen had been that of a horse. He'd been at the foster home for about a month when the mare began to foal. He and the other kids had been awakened to see the sight. Vin had been awed at the sight of a new life coming into the world.
He was snapped back to the present by a moan.
"The ambulance is coming, just breathe for me," Vin encouraged.
His mind drifted back to another time and another woman, girl really. He'd been on the streets about five months when he found a girl in the alley. She was in a lot of pain, Vin stopped to see what was wrong. She was in labor and it wasn't good.
Vin wanted to get help, but she wouldn't let go of his hand. In the end he stood there speaking quietly to her while mother and child died.
"It's coming!" The shout brought his mind back to the present.
"OK," Vin said calmly. "I need you to pay very close attention to me..." He continued his soothing talk as his mind once again returned to his past.
"Leave her!" his Lieutenant commanded.
How? Vin wanted to scream. The woman needed help. She was in the last stages of labor. "I can see the head!" Vin screamed back as bullets slammed into the wall nearby.
"Move it, Tanner!" the lieutenant shouted. "That's an order!"
Cursing, Vin stood and followed his unit, leaving the woman behind.
His mind returned to the present as he placed his hand under the delicate head.
"That's it, you're doing great," Vin smiled up at the nearly exhausted woman. "One more big push and we'll be set," he encouraged, his mind returning to the recent past. Vin thought of the last time he heard those words.
His neighbor, Rosa, went in to labor. Vin had been asked to stand in when George couldn't get off work. George showed up as the baby crowned.
Vin stayed back, watching with awe as the doctor encouraged, "OK, one more big push..."
Returning his attention to the task on-hand, Vin prepared for the final push.
He couldn't stop the wide smile. From previous experience he knew about the afterbirth, but how could you hold the slippery little bundle and not be in awe. Quickly cleaning out the baby's mouth, holding it upside down and smacking the bottom of the baby's feet, Vin heard the small cry.
Wrapping the baby in his shirt, he found the string he needed and tied off the umbilical cord and cut it with his knife. Bringing the baby up to be held by her mother, he said "You've got a beautiful little girl here who wants to meet her mother."
He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. His emotions were in turmoil. He had been there for Adam's birth and the whirlwind of emotions involved in that swirled within. He recalled the joy, the pride, the fear, the love, the awe which accompanied the event. He also felt the horror, the emptiness and the despair of Adam's death.
Now he stood here on the trail, eight year old Vin by his side, trying to help the woman before him through birth. "Any luck on the cell-phone?" he asked, praying Vin would get through to the park rangers.
"Could it be that different from a horse?" Chris asked Buck in a low voice.
"A horse!" Sarah screamed. "You put got me into this and now you're comparing me to a horse!"
Chris winced. The blizzard outside prevented them from getting to the hospital, so he and Buck were left with the job of helping deliver the baby.
"Tell ya what, pard," Buck offered, "I'll call 911 and have them walk us through..."
"Except the phones are out!" screamed the very nervous Chris.
"Ah," Buck replied.
"Do something now!" Sarah demanded as a particularly painful contraction hit.
"Aw, hell."
'I'm going to shoot them all,' Chris thought as the gurney holding the suspect was wheeled into the emergency room.
The bust seemed to be going smoothly when the suspect, in this case a pregnant gun-runner, had started labor. Nathan was busy elsewhere and the others had quickly volunteered him to handle the situation since he had experience. "Experience my..." he began before being cut off.
"Are you the father?" the doctor asked.
"NO!" came the resounding reply from both the ATF agent and the suspect.
As the suspect moaned, Chris automatically started coaching, his lamas training coming back.
"You're doing great," Chris soothed. "Just a little longer, you're almost there." He didn't get a response, not that he'd expected one. "How's it look, Doc?" he asked.
"Looks good, Chris," came the response. "Looks like the head dropped just right, should be about as easy as it gets."
"Whoa, there girl," Chris said, as the horse moved, nodding its head. "You're doing fine."
"Here we go," the vet said as the young colt arrived.
Chris looked back and watched as the small horse struggled to find its footing. He felt himself beginning to mist up at the sight.
"Chris, it would mean a lot to me if you were there," Tom, leader of Team 3 said. "We go back a long way and I know Becky won't trust anyone else with this. She only agreed to you because you've done this before."
Chris sighed, unsure if he wanted to be coach for Becky. He feared the memories it brought back would be too painful. But, Tom was right. They went back a long ways, back to the days when the three of them worked in the Denver PD. "Sure thing, Tom," Chris said, hoping he wouldn't regret it.
Universe: ATF
This went against his rule. He was always very careful not to get anyone pregnant. He had been around pregnant women. He had been there with Sarah during Adam's birth. Pregnant woman could be very scary people. Thus he had a rule against helping them during the birthing process.
Still, here he was, unable to resist a woman in distress. No baby should be born without help on the side of a road. He just hoped the ambulance got here soon. The woman's water chose that moment to break.
The mustached agent sighed and thought, 'So much for the rule.'
Buck shifted his gun to keep it out of the way. He had been on patrol when he saw the young child run out in the street. Stopping to warn the child against such action, he had been dragged in and presented with a woman giving birth in a bathtub. "Oh, sweet Jesus," he muttered, immediately calling in the situation and praying the ambulance got there in time. Police training, despite what television said, did not include baby delivery as a course.
Not knowing what else to do, he began stroking the woman's head praying the ambulance hurried.
"But Papa Buck, it's important!" five year old JD cried, pulling on his hand. "The eggs are shaking! You gotta come!"
Buck paused and looked down at his small son. Eggs are shaking? It took a moment for his quick mind to register the face the eggs were hatching. Buck smiled, confident in his ability to aid in the hatching of the chicks.
"OK, little britches. Let's go check out the shaking eggs," he said with a smile, looking forward to experiencing this with his son, wondering how JD would react when the chicks finally escaped their shells.
Chris was still at the hospital with the gun dealer they had taken down. He had been volunteered to go because of his experience with helping in Adam's birth. Now the other 6 were sitting around Inez's discussing their own experiences.
Buck thought back to when he was 10. His mother's co-worker, Cathy, had gone into labor and there was no money for the hospital. Following his mother's instructions, Buck had helped as much as he could. Initially repulsed by the bloody, squirming creature in his mother's hands, once cleaned up, he had been amazed by the small child.
"So, what about you?" JD asked. They'd all been relating experiences they'd had in regards to giving birth.
Buck smiled and sat back. "I ever tell you about Adam's birth?" he asked, silently apologizing to Chris. Seeing heads shaking around the table he began, "Well, see, there was a blizzard goin' on when Sarah went into labor. We couldn't get out, the phones were dead and we had no way to get help." The others were hanging on his every word, "Chris pulls me over and whispers, "Could it be that different than a horse?" Well, Sarah heard him and..."
Nathan sighed. Yes, he had been trained, but around this group of yahoos, dealing with bullet wounds, broken bones, cuts and contusions was far more necessary than helping a woman give birth.
The seven had spotted the minivan on the side of the road and stopped to help. They found a woman in what Nathan thought were the last stages of labor. Vin and JD had taken the woman's other kids to a field and had them running around playing tag. The rest of the team stared expectantly at Nathan.
Nathan prayed his memory didn't fail him.
He'd dealt with about every sort of trauma he could imagine. His friends, his brothers, had put him through some of the most emotionally draining and terrifying experiences of his life. But nothing had terrified him as much as this.
All the guys were laughing, but he didn't care; he couldn't get past his own nervousness. He had never done something so important, so terrifying in all his life. The nurse had to help him with his scrubs.
"OK, Mr. Jackson," the smiling nurse encouraged, "Let's get you in there to help your wife with this birth."
"Uncle Nathan," JD asked, looking up at into his warm brown eyes, "what's that elephant doing?"
Nathan looked over and smiled. He had taken the Vin and JD to the zoo since both Chris and Buck were out of town. The news had carried stories about the pregnant elephant, but he hadn't expected to see it give birth. Vin had wandered off into a personnel only area and Nathan had taken JD with him. They found Vin staring through the bars at the elephant. "She's having a baby right now, JD," he answered.
"Are you going to help her?"
Nathan reached over, his hand moving aimlessly around the nightstand until he finally found the cause of the offending noise. "Jackson," he mumbled.
"Nate!" came Buck's relieved cry. "Ya gotta help me!"
Awake and praying his hearing was still intact, Nathan flicked on the bedside lamp. "What is it?" he asked.
"I'm at the diner around the corner from your place. The girl I'm with is in labor. Ya gotta come help me. The ambulance won't be here for at least an hour — huge accident."
Wondering how he was going to help, Nathan replied, "I'll be there in five minutes."
"It's OK ma'am, just breathe," Nathan encouraged. He and Rain had finally gotten away on vacation to what they thought was a remote spot in the mountains. That morning they'd been hiking when they stumbled across a woman obviously in labor.
Rain had left to get help and Nathan had been surprised by the rapid progress of the labor. He had been hoping Rain would be back before it got to this stage. "Now, listen closely and do what I ask. Everything's going to be fine," he soothed, hoping he wasn't lying to the woman.
Universe: ATF
He sat back listening to the laughter of his friends as Buck related Adam's birth. He could see the light in Bucks eyes and the sorrow that he hid so well. Thinking back to his own experiences, he tried to decide on one to tell.
His first experience came with his sister's birth. They were overseas and the doctor lived in the next village. His father left to get him. Josiah didn't know what to do. He was terrified and watched his mother as she breathed quickly. "Momma, what do I do?" he asked.
"Just be here," came the reply.
"It's alright," Josiah's deep voice soothes. He reached up and stroked the woman's hair. He had been helping out in the mission when she went into labor.
The ambulance had been called, but the baby didn't want to wait. One of the other workers had come to get him assuming he had some experience with this sort of thing. He knew none of the others did.
He had asked for clean towels and warm water. He prayed continuously that this birth would be devoid of complications. "The ambulance is here!" someone cried. Josiah closed his eyes in thanks.
"Chris, I have to leave now," Josiah said.
"We're two days away from this bust and you want to leave work at noon," Chris said glaring at Josiah. "Why?"
Josiah sighed. He hadn't wanted this to be a big deal, but now it was going to be. Looking at his feet, he explained, "You remember me talking about Lydia, don't you?"
Chris nodded.
"She didn't have a lamas partner. I offered to help. She just went into labor... I need to be there."
"And you didn't tell us so we could start a betting pool?" Chris asked with a smile.
"That's disgusting!" JD cried. Josiah sat back smiled. He knew the story he had chosen would garner that result. He had decided upon it mostly to see the reaction of his young brothers. "You ate the placenta!"
Vin and Josiah exchanged a smile over the green tinge that colored the other's faces. Both had seen enough of other cultures not to be surprised.
Josiah sighed. "It's a great honor to assist in the birth. It was an even greater honor to be asked to partake in that ceremony, and a blood offense to refuse."
"Still gross," JD muttered.
"Dear Lord," Josiah prayed. "Let us get to the hospital safely and in time. Please Lord, let the birth be trouble free and wait until we arrive at the hospital. How much longer, Ezra?" Josiah asked. Holding the hand of the young woman they'd found in the alley.
"We have arrived," Ezra said, parking the van by the emergency room doors.
Josiah lifted the young woman and carried her in. Once on the gurney, she refused to release his hand. "Go with me," she begged.
Unable to resist, Josiah walked next to her to assist in whatever way he could.
JD looked at the men around the table. He knew none of them would believe his stories. But he'd helped in several births.
The first was at his high school prom. He had gone with a long time friend. The ballroom had been stifling and the two had gone out for some air. Hearing a noise at the side of the building they had gone to investigate.
They found one of their classmates huddled behind a dumpster. JD sent his date back to get help and was just in time to hold the baby as it pushed free.
"Ma'am," JD said, trying to garner the woman's attention. "Ma'am, the ambulance is on the way."
"Don't leave me!" the woman cried, clutching JD's hand in a death grip. He looked up and saw his partner smiling down at him.
"You're alright ma'am," he soothed. "I'm right here. Just breathe."
"Just breathe!" the woman shrieked. "You men are all alike. You do this to us and then think it's so easy. 'Just breathe'," she mocked.
"Yes, Ma'am," JD replied through gritted teeth as her hand crushed his. Must be another contraction, he thought. Hope that ambulance gets here soon.
"I know you're in pain, Carrie, but I'm going to need that hand again someday," JD said, trying to soothe the frightened girl.
Team Seven had been volunteered to help at a youth shelter. JD ended up with Carrie who suddenly went into labor. With everyone else busy, JD had gone with her to the hospital and was now trying to keep her calm and relaxed during her labor, a task made more difficult by his own nervousness. He had helped other women in giving birth, but none of them looked at him with the absolute faith Carrie did.
"Um, Buck!" JD called out. He wasn't sure what to do.
The two men had been shopping when they entered an aisle to find a woman in labor. The store was mostly empty and Buck had gone to get help, leaving JD to calm the woman.
He really wasn't prepared to be on the receiving end, so to speak. Still, as he watched the small head appear, he instinctively reached out to support the small head. After a moment or two the tiny body appeared at the same time as the paramedics and their gurney.
The swells of the ocean under the ship seemed to coincide with the moans of the woman in the bunk.
JD and Vin had snuck on board before the Vengeance left dock and hadn't been discovered until they were asea. Vin was up on deck swabbing it and JD was supposed to be asleep.
Noting the small figure in the corner, Nathan shook his head. These two boys could get into more trouble... "JD," he encouraged, "I need you to help me."
JD's eyes grew wide. "How?" came his awed whisper.
"Take her hand and talk to her," Nathan advised.
Universe: ATF
You guys finally got me — but I didn't play by the rules. Could we maybe call it a triple drabble? Or maybe a double drabble plus sounds better?
For some reason I have had a few childbirth storylines running through my mind — most with funny parts to them. But most quite longer than 100 words, Though one is begging me to write it if RL allows.
Anyway — this one probably could have been better if I made it a little longer. Please read the note on the end. Mistakes are all mine, Naturally.
Nathan was tired and for not the first time since he at left the Federal Building at 5 PM yesterday he was wishing he had said no when his old friend Sam had call from the Mountainside Independent Emergency Rescue Squad. But the EMT came in and covered the volunteer overnight shift and that is how he found himself in the situation he was in now. It was now 4 AM Saturday, he had been puked on, rained on, bled on, rained on, spilled unknown substance on, rained on... at least he was dry.
The downpours were torrential. The power outages sporadic. The emergency calls outlandish. And then this simple call: woman in labor — 9 month, full term; first child; contractions 15 minutes apart; plenty of time.
They arrived at the hospital and the ER was in chaos — the triage nurse made a simple request. Contractions were still 8 minutes apart, plenty of time, could you guys please take her up to OB?
That's when things got dicey — the lights flickered and something sparked just as Nathan wheeled mom feet first into the elevator. The doors slammed closed, trapping mom and the gurney (luckily not causing her physical damage) and would not budge one way or the other. Nathan found himself with the business end of mom in the elevator, his bewildered partner on the outside looking in through a small opening. Murphy wasn't doesn't having fun yet — Mom got bitchy — real bitchy, real fast — transition. And Nathan started sweating. The hospital was plunged into darkness.
"Ah shit." He murmured under his breath, "I only do shootings, stabbings, poisonings and the such. This birthins' for the birds." As the emergency generators kicked in causing "mood lighting" to bounce through the halls, the dark skinned man rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
Just a note: In my previous life (pre back injury) I was a volunteer EMT and later a paramedic. And yes, while I took some dramatic license with the story I did find myself stuck with the "delivering end" of a pregnant woman all by myself in a jammed elevator. At that point I was a relatively new EMT and hadn't even delivered my own children yet, let alone someone else's :) While I had the training and verbal support outside the door You can imagine mom and I were both releaved when maintenance pulled out a last minute repair and she with her crowning child were whisked away to delivery. I tell you — you just can't make this stuff up :)
Universe: Old West
JD's eyes widened as the woman latched onto his wool jacket, screaming, "No!"
"Ma'am, I'm just going for help," he stammered.
Gripping both of his lapels, she shook him hard enough to dislodge the bowler hat. "There's no time. Don't you understand? You have to help me."
JD's grew wider. "Me?" he squeaked. "No, no, I don't know..."
"You don't have a choice, buster. Now, shut up and listen."
Three hours later, six men rode up, looking for the missing seventh. Dismounting, they entered the cabin.
"Guys. Look. Twins." JD exclaimed. He smiled, holding two bundles, the mother smiling peacefully.
Universe: Little Britches
Nathan squatted down and tried to get comfortable.
"Sure takes a long time." Vin said.
JD nodded. "Sure does. Hurry up, Nathan.""Ain't no way to hurry nature. Babies come in their own time. You won't have to wait much longer," the healer said.
"Look! I can see something," the five-year old cried.
Vin and JD moved closer as Nathan's hands moved to the squirming bundle. They watched in awe as the baby was wiped down and cleaned.
Suddenly, "Look! There's another one," this from Vin.
Two hours and four puppies later, the two grinning boys sat back, exhausted.