Pinnacle of Truth Prologue

 

A solitary bead of sweat made its way down Carlie’s left cheek, hung on her chin for a second, and then fell leaving a wet trace on her white blouse. She shifted uncomfortably. A sharp tightening in her abdomen like that of an over-filled balloon threatening to burst made her grasp the pew in front of her. Forcing herself to remain calm, she leaned over, grabbed Jason’s hand, and whispered, “I think things are picking up.”

“Do you want to leave now?”

“No, I think I can make it to the end of the service.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, ten minutes isn’t going to make any difference.” Carlie forced herself to breathe in slowly.

Immediately following the service, Carlie and Jason hurried to their car.

“I want to go home and eat first.” Carlie said as she struggled to fasten her seatbelt.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Jason sped out of the church parking lot.

“Yes, I need to eat first. I don’t want to do this on an empty stomach!” Carlie smiled in anticipation.

“Alright, if you’re absolutely sure.” Jason tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to turn green.

Eight hours later, Jason gritted his teeth, and clenched and unclenched his hands. His eyes darted back and forth between Carlie and the doctor.

“Mrs. Wilson, you must stay absolutely still when I put the needle in, so you need to tell me as soon as you’re ready.”

“Not yet.” Carlie’s face went beet red.

“Breathe, Carlie, you must remember to breathe.” The nurse, Heather, coaxed as she mimicked the breath patterns she wanted Carlie to follow.

“Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting.” Carlie winced in pain.

Jason towered over the group, as he could not bring himself to sit down to watch. “In slowly, out slowly, very slowly, that’s it. Remember how we practiced, Carlie. Long deep breaths.”

“Oh, okay! That’s better. Do it now, please! Before the next one comes. Please do it now!”

“Alright, steady now, no sudden movement. You’ll feel some pain, but you must remain completely still.”

“Please, do it! I’m ready. I promise, I won’t move.” Carlie’s chocolate brown eyes stared at a spot on the wall as the needle pierced her backside.

“Great job. We’re almost done. Steady does it.” The anesthesiologist’s even voice calmed Carlie. “There, all finished.”

“How long will it take to be effective?” Jason said.

“No more than thirty minutes to be fully effective, but, Carlie, you should start to feel some relief in the next ten minutes.” Dr. Wang stood up.

“Great. I’m certainly looking forward to that!” Carlie panted as another contraction started.

Three more hours passed.

“Push again, Carlie. That’s it, nice and strong.” Doctor Flynn frowned, shook his head, stood up, and paced the room.

“Is everything alright, doctor?” Jason could not help himself.

“Everything is fine. This baby just wants to take its time. This often happens with a first born.”

“Dr. Flynn, you’re needed in the operating room,” a young nurse flew into the room. “Mrs. Moore is ready.”

“Okay, be right there.” Dr. Flynn turned to the nurse. “Heather, keep the monitor on at all times.”

“Oh, but I much prefer to be up and around,” said Carlie.

“I understand, Mrs. Wilson. But, we need to make sure your baby is content. I have to attend to another patient now. I don’t expect your baby to arrive for a few hours yet. Heather will continue to check on you. She’ll alert me when I need to get involved. You’re doing just fine, Mrs. Wilson.”

Carlie beamed after the retreating figure of Dr. Flynn. As tired as she was, she knew the time was near when she and Jason would finally meet their first born face-to-face.

“Help! We need help now!” Jason called to no one in particular as he raced towards the nurses’ station. “The nurse said she would only be gone a minute. Where is Heather? Where is Dr. Flynn? Please someone help us!”

“Mr. Wilson, I was just coming to check on your wife!” Heather hurried after Jason as he tore down the hall to Carlie’s room.

“Jason…Jason, please don’t leave me again! There’s so much pressure!” Carlie spoke from behind clenched teeth.

Heather went to the foot of the bed. “Mrs. Wilson, breathe deep breaths. It’s very important for you to breathe large calming breaths.” The nurse’s frown did not go unnoticed as she examined Carlie.

“What is it? Is everything okay?” Jason’s voice boomed.

“Everything is just fine. I just need to go fetch Dr. Flynn. Everything is going to be just fine! Your job Carlie is to keep breathing, long slow breaths. I’ll be right back.”

Jason gently squeezed Carlie’s hand as he tried to control the trembling in his voice. “I won’t leave you again, Carlie, I promise! Everything is going to be okay!”

Heather grabbed a mask and held it over her mouth as she entered the operating room and approached Dr. Flynn. “Dr. Flynn, the Wilson baby is definitely stuck. The mother has pushed over and over, but has made no progress.”

“I see.” Dr. Flynn let out a groan. “I strongly suspect the baby’s head is facing forward, rather than towards the mother back.”

“Oh, no, you mean in the occiput posterior position?”

“Exactly, without help, that baby isn’t going to come out on its own.” Dr. Flynn remained focused on the swollen belly lying on the operating table. “How long has the mother been fully dilated?” The doctor did not look up as he carefully completed the required cut.

“He’s been crowned for ten minutes. His vitals are fine for the moment. The mother is still in good spirits…but she has no idea of the danger…how much longer will you be?”

“I’ve only just started. This baby is in severe distress.”

“Do you want me to page Dr. Mercier?”

“I already have, but it seems he left suddenly for a position in the States. He gave no notice.”

“Oh, no! Is there no other doctor on site? What about Dr. Gagnon? Is he on call?”

“He’s on holidays in Paris. Jane, please adjust the light to the left. Whoa, too much blood! Her heart rate is decreasing. Clamps! Now!” Great beads of sweat formed on the doctor’s forehead. “Easy, easy, steady now! Wait, suction! No, there’s still a bleed! Dr. Wright, hold your hand steady with firm pressure right here! Okay good!”

Heather stood her ground, eerily aware of the escalating danger of all four patients under Dr. Flynn’s care—Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Wilson and their full-term babies. Heather’s frightened eyes darted about the room.

“Heather, go get Dr. Wang! Tell him I’m authorizing him to administer a local anesthetic to completely freeze the exit path! That should keep the mother comfortable for as long as I’m in here. Come and get me at the first sign of distress to either the mother or baby.”

“But, the baby has already crowned, doctor.” Heather swallowed hard.

“Yes, I know. You already mentioned that!” The doctor let out a huge sigh. “There’s no other way!” Suddenly an alarm went off. “This mother is crashing. Stand back. Heather, go. I’m completely committed here!”

Heather raced out of the room, her heart pounding so hard she felt like a horse was galloping in her chest. As she sped back to the Wilson’s birthing room, she silently uttered five desperate words, “May God help us all!”