The doctors mate

5

Dr. Cullen smiles at me as I pull gloves onto my hands. "Shouldn't Dr. Cullen be handling this?" One of his students ask. "I'm only here to make sure there are no complications. The labour and birthing process is handled by a midwife" He says gesturing to where I am doing the examinations. "So why are you here...everything looks fine" She points out again. "The baby is Breech. I assume I won't have to explain what that is?" I say pointedly, raising an eyebrow. She blushes furiously and steps backward. "So Amelia, Nice deep breaths...Did Miss White get you settled in ok?" I ask. "Yeah, she was great" Amelia says with a smile that turns into a grimace as the next contraction hits. "In...and...out" I say doing a few more checks. I wait until the contraction is over, "I need you to shimmy to the very edge of the bed...and pull your knees up to your shoulders" I direct. Dr Cullen moves forwards and assists her. "Alright, I know you'll probably want to push hard, but Baby needs you to push nice and slow, Ok" I say, pulling a stool forward. I stop her after a moment and get her to do the same thing a few more times. "Push...push...push and Stop!" I say, I take a deep breath in, "Now stay as still as possible. I'm going to have to pull baby's legs out" I say. I manage to extra care on leg and do the same with the other. I grab a towel and wrap it around baby's bottom. "Why is she going that?" A student asks. "It stops the baby from getting cold and gasping..." Dr. Cullen says. "Now another tiny push, then don't move while I free the shoulders" I say, slipping my gloved hand up the baby's back. Amelia let's out a scream as another contraction hits her. "Don't Push!" I say, twisting the baby until his shoulders are free. "I'm going to let Baby hang now..." I day, taking my hands from the baby and wrapping it in a towel up to its neck. Then I wrap my hands around his midsection. "With the next contraction push as hard as you can" I say, encouragingly to the girl. She nods and her face screws up. I almost wince at the sound of her scream as she pushes, and with a rush of water the baby is born. I catch the baby gently, and suction it's mouth before clamping and cutting the cord. "You have a happy healthy baby boy!" I say handing her the baby. She lets out a sigh, and cradles the baby in her arms. Dr. Cullen steps forwards and takes the baby over to the weights. "Alright! Let's get you comfortable while we wait for the after birth!" I say, injecting her in the thigh. I help her lean back against the pillows. She smiles and reaches for the baby Dr. Cullen has handed to her. She cradles him against her chest, tears dripping down her face as she gently strokes his head. "I know they won't let me keep you, but I love you so much!" She sobs pressing a kiss to the baby's head. I bite my lip in consternation and quickly dispose of the after birth. She hands the baby to me "Look after him for me? Please?" She asks. I can see the students shaking their heads and smile at the young girl in front of me. "We will" I say and place the baby in it's crib. Dr. Cullen sighs and turns to his students, "Dismissed" He says and follows me down to the nursery. "Wait! Why can't she keep her baby?" A girl asks running around the corner to catch up to us. I sigh "She's sixteen...still a child herself" I tell her. Her eyes widen "That's wrong!" She says. "Who are we to decide what's right and wrong" Dr. Cullen says, "Surely she can still see the child?" She asks. "It depends on who is adopting the baby" I say. "If they want an open adoption then she will be able to...if not then she won't" I say swallowing the lump in my throat. The girl nods and walks off dejectedly. I watch her leave "She is going to be good" I say and start pushing the crib. I make sure his details are on the crib. I smile at Dr. Cullen and walk away to my office.

I had just finished going through my paperwork for today when my office door burst open. "I have an idea!" The girl from earlier says, closing my door behind her. I raise an eyebrow as she sits opposite me. "Why are you telling me?" I ask. She grins, and reaches into her bag. "I've done some research, on everything..." She says dumping a folder on my desk. I nod and take the file, I open it and my mouth drops open. "Where did you get this information?" I ask, reading over my own hospital records. She chews her lip, "I got them from the library...they have everything on everyone!" She says excitedly. I flick through the folder. "You think that I should adopt the baby?" I ask, she nods "There's no one better. You've been there since she found out that she was pregnant...you delivered the Baby, you can't have your own, and you have no criminal record" She says. I close the folder, "I'll think about it" I say. She nods and stands up, "Thanks for listening" She says before stepping out of the room. I stare down at the folder and run my fingers over the two tiny footprints. I snap the folder closed again and tuck it under my arm. I step out of my office and walk towards a room that I haven't been in, in just over two years. I check to see if it's vacant and push the door open.

*********Memory********

It was stormy as I climbed into the passenger seat of my Husbands car. I was heavily Pregnant...twins, and they kept bouncing on my bladder. Adam smiles at me from the drivers seat and reaches his hand across to rest on my stomach. His ring glinting on his finger. He reversed out of the driveway and started to drive. We were going to Charlie's for dinner. The windscreen wipers were moving to and fro quickly. We still couldn't see anything past the car in front of us. We had been driving for ten minutes when I saw the car heading straight for us. I let out a scream when the car T-boned ours on the drivers side, I drifted in and out of conciseness, only really remembering the pain that spread from my stomach and lower back.

I had woken up in a hospital room alone, I couldn't really feel any pain, and looking down at my stomach I could easily see that I was no longer pregnant.

******end*******

I let my fingers trail over the sheets as I blink away tears, "Rissa?" Samantha asks, stepping into the room, I shoot her a sad smile over my shoulder and she walks over to me, "I thought you didn't come in here?" She asks, looking around. I chuckle and wipe my face again "It was hard not to...apparently I am the perfect person to adopt Amelia's baby" I say, staring at the bed in the middle of the room. She wraps an arm around my waist, "Why don't you ask Amelia?" She says closing and locking the door behind us. I nod at her "Thanks Sam, I think I will." I say and walk away.