End of the Line

Chapter Thirty-six. A Veteran's Plea

Chapter Thirty-six

A Veteran's Plea 

The water broke much earlier than expected. Bill called a cab. A nervous driver drove them at breakneck speed through the Downtown rush hour traffic, and up the hill to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Whilst Bill was detained in Admissions, nurses whisked June by wheelchair up to Maternity. Bill filled out the requisite forms. It seemed to take an eternity. Would he be too late? 

"You can go and join your wife now Mr. Benson." 

"Where is she?" 

"In the labour room." 

"Where is that?" 

"On the third floor, sir. 

Bill didn't need further instruction after reaching the correct floor. He just had to follow the hair-raising sounds.  

The labour room contained six screened off beds, all occupied. As a nurse led Bill to June's bedside, he noticed a large blackboard situated on the wall opposite the entrance. Listed were the names of all the women presently in labour. Two numbers were written next to each name - the present extent of dilation, and the time between contractions. June had the lowest number for dilations and the highest for contractions. It was going to be a long wait. 

June was in mid contraction when Bill reached her bedside. Her face was grimaced in pain. She reached out for him. Her grip intensified with the spasm. Her long fingernails gouged in to his palms. Stoically she refrained from expletives, unlike a woman in an adjacent bed who was loudly expressing her displeasure in some foreign tongue. The contraction eased. 

"God Bill I never expected this." She was panting, gasping for air. It's the worst pain I've ever experienced." 

"Just hang in there love. I'm here to help." This he did, acting as a brace during the contractions, and cooling her fevered brow in the intervening periods of relief. 

During one such period, an orderly approached him. "Like to place a bet?" 

"A bet? What are you talking about?" 

"We're running a pool. Which lady is going to deliver first?" 

"But there's no gamble there. You have all the information posted on the blackboard." 

"You can't go by that. Labour can be very erratic. Come on man. Surely, you can support your wife. It's only a fiver." 

Bill could ill afford such extravagance, but placed a bet anyway. 

As time passed, it looked as if he had thrown his money away. The period between June's contractions started to decrease, but the dilation remained stubbornly constant. However the duration and intensity of the contractions began to increase. After one that was particularly intense, and had even June screaming obscenities, she turned to Bill. 

"Bill. Could you ask one of the nurses to bring me a bed pan?" 

Bill obliged and politely stood outside the screen as the nurse attended to June. 

"Oh my God. She's fully dilated. The baby's coming." 

The nurses hustled June off to delivery, ignoring Bill.  

"Can I watch the delivery?" he asked one of the nurses. 

"I'm afraid not sir. It's not for the squeamish." 

"If only she knew the things I've seen," Bill thought to himself. 

"Just go and sit in the waiting room Sir. We'll come and get you after delivery."