Distanced

Part 12: In Which Max Gets A Call

She pushes and the head is out.

"Give me your hand. Okay. Helen..." I take her hand and make her feel the baby's head. "They're right there. Your baby boy is right there. Now push hard on this next one. Okay."

"Ma...ahhhhhhhhhh owwwwwwwwww.......I'm sorry!!!" She grunts and pushes hard and then stops.

"Don't be sorry. You're doing great, Honey- just a few more and he's here." I say and look back at the baby- but she reaches for my hand.

"No...I'm sorry...Max..." I look at her and I know what she means now.

"We can discuss that later...."

"Ahhhhh!!!!!!"

"Yes! Yes! Come on!!! Push! One more  big push!!"

"GRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!" She delivers the baby and I untwist the umbilical cord from around his neck and he shakes, but he doesn't cry. I take my jacket off and wrap it around him. "Mmmax...??"

"He's here. He's here, Helen." I see the fear in her eyes. When a baby doesn't cry after being delivered- it's a good indication that something is seriously wrong.

"Why isn't he...why isn't he..."She sits up and stammers- her lip quivering as her body shakes.

"He's okay....Helen, I need you to push so I can remove the placenta.

"Max, I...he...he's not..." The ambulance at the top of the hill stops and EMTs hustle down with a med bag and a carrying board.

"Helen, please." She pushes continuously and eventually the placenta is out.

"Is everyone alright?" A woman asks as she gets near me and the baby and she smiles. "Audrey to Cal- we need a blanket, a nasal suction syringe and some water. We have a baby."

"Please...please help..." Helen cries horribly and the woman looks at me.

"Sir, your shoes. It's too cold not to have any on." I've forgotten I was barefoot. My feet are so frozen.

"Ma'am, we need. You to remain calm. We're gonna get you up and out of here okay." A man says and he and another male EMT helps her onto a board so they can carry her up.

"What's your name, sweetie?" He asks and Helen is just shaking. Her nerves are shot. She never takes her eyes off of me.

"Helen. Her name's Helen. I'm Max. We're doctors."

"Max you need to start getting up and out. I can take the bab..."

"Don't! Don't take him!" Helen cries and sits up against their restraints. "Max..."

"It's okay. Helen it's okay- I got him. Just stop struggling." I say and the two men start taking her up the hill as the woman EMT and I make our way up. With every step I feel like my feet fall off a bit more. I feel like my ankles are about to snap if I step wrong. I hold onto the baby and the woman brings the placenta close to me since we haven't detached it yet. Getting up to the rig, Helen is fighting them with all she can to not get on the stretcher. The second she spots me- it gets worse.

"Max..."

"I'm here. Okay. I'm here." But I can't. I can't get in the rig. Not after...not after Georgia. Looking down at the baby in my arms, I look back at Helen and I feel so sick to my stomach.

"Max- you need to get in the rig. We need to get your wife and your baby to the hospital." Audrey says and I don't even think about it. I just get in and sit down next to Helen. The men in the rig work on stopping Helen from bleeding- which isn't bad now that the placenta is out. The biggest struggle is trying to get her to calm down.