Conclusion
Two months have passed since that fateful Labor Day weekend, when Sarah and Amanda announced that they wanted to have children, and selected me to do the honors. Despite the odds, both girls missed their periods the next month, and testing confirmed that they were pregnant. Talk in the town was centered around the vacation they both took at that time, and tongues wagged about how they could both come home pregnant from the same trip. At home, our loving family became even more loving, as we merged from two couples into a a quad relationship. While we still kept to our original pairing most of the time, we still found the time for swapping, not to mention group activities.
Jenny's due date was rapidly approaching. While she had no unusual episodes during her final trimester, I still had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right. The dream that I had that first night with Amanda had not returned, but had never fully left me either. As we moved into the final days before she was due, I was on pins and needles. I kept her close, and never missed an opportunity to tell her how much I loved her. Other than while I was at work, I stayed by her side, helping her in every way I could. Sarah and Amanda had arranged their schedule so that at least one of them was with her each day while I was gone.
I was sitting at my desk on a Tuesday afternoon when the call came. Jenny's water had broken, and Sarah was taking her to the hospital. I called Amanda at the store, and headed there myself. I arrived just as they were pulling in, and together we helped Jenny inside. This being her third child, labor progressed quickly. Only two hours after arriving, Jenny was in the birthing chair, with me at her side, holding her hand and offering encouragements. Everything was going normally, with me helping Jenny with her breathing while the doctor prepared for the episiotomy. We had all done this before, so the routine was familiar.
That is, until life threw me another curve.
I was holding Jenny's hand while she tried to resist the urge to push. She was panting through the contraction, when suddenly her face went white, and she screamed in pain. I turned to look at her in alarm, when I heard the doctor say "Oh, my God, she's hemorrhaging!" followed quickly by the nurse shouting "Her BP is falling, 80 over 60! Pulse 75."
Suddenly, the room exploded into activity. The doctor called for a unit of blood, while the nurse kept calling out her numbers. Jenny's blood pressure was dropping fast, and her pulse was fading. I put my face right in front of hers and started talking to her. I could see the fear in her eyes, and she maintained a tight grip on my hand.
"Jenny, you are going to be OK. Just stay with me, you hear? Stay with me!" I said. The doctor shouted for someone to notify surgery to be ready for an emergency. I looked down at him, working feverishly at Jenny's groin, and noticed that there was a lot of blood. The activity in the room began to fade into the background as I tried to keep Jenny there, talking to her desperately, begging her to stay with me.
Jenny's face went calm, as if the pain had disappeared. Looking directly into my eyes, she said "Josh, I love you so much." then her eyes went dim and her grip on my hand went slack. Dimly, I heard the nurse say that she had lost the pulse, followed by the doctor telling someone to get me out of there. Hands grabbed me and I was pushed toward the door. As I looked back, just before the door closed, I saw Jenny lying lifeless and pale in the birthing chair, and the doctor covered in blood. Everyone was shouting, but I could no longer understand what they were saying. I turned away from the door, the world going blurry from the tears in my eyes. In a daze, I moved towards the chairs outside the delivery room. Before I could get there, the room began to swim before my eyes. I heard someone scream Jenny's name, and was vaguely aware that it was me. I remember seeing the floor coming closer, then a bright light went off in my head, and there was only darkness.
When I awoke, I was in a strange room, mostly dark. I was in bed, but couldn't figure out how I got there, or where I was. My arm felt funny, and my head ached something fierce. I also had something in my nose. As my eyes slowly regained focus, I could see in IV stand above me, with a tube leading down to my arm. There was a monitor next to my bed, displaying what must be my pulse. With a start, I remembered. Bolting up in the bed, I yelled out "Jenny!" into the darkness, only to have a searing pain in my head cause me to collapse back down. I heard a voice in the room, but before I could figure out who it was, or what they were saying, blackness took me again.
When I next awoke, the pain in my head had eased somewhat, and I could focus better. I avoided raising up again, remembering what had happened the last time. I blinked until my eyes cleared, and saw that I was in the same room, but the light was better now. Was it daytime? How long had I been out? Then, I remembered. This time, instead of a yell, it came out more as a sob: "Jenny!" I cried.
Someone stirred by my side, and I heard my name called.
"Dad, you're awake! Oh, thank God! I thought we had lost you!" It was Sarah. She had been sitting by my side, and had fallen asleep in her chair. I could now see her bending over me. Her faced was etched with fear, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Sarah." I cried, tears flowing freely down my face. "Oh, my God, Sarah. Jenny..." was all I could get out. My head still hurt, but my heart was broken. "Jenny!" I screamed, ignoring the pain in my head.
"Dad, Jenny is going to be OK. Do you hear me? Jenny is OK." Sarah's words seemed distant, but did penetrate my despair and pain.
Looking up at my daughter, I managed to focus on her face. "Jenny is OK?" I said. "But I saw her..."
"No, Dad, she is OK. It was touch and go there for awhile, but she pulled through. She is in another room, under close watch, but the doctor says she is doing well. The baby is also OK. Do you hear me? Both of them are going to be OK!" Sarah's face is only inches in front of me now, and I can see tears rolling down her cheek. I feel her hand in mine, and squeeze it to let her know that I have heard.
Jenny is OK? And the baby? Sarah holds me while I cry, unable to speak. Questions begin to form in my head, but before I can ask any of them, the darkness comes again.
I wake up again, this time with a clearer head. The room is dark again, but I remember quickly. I am in the hospital, although I still don't know why. I remember Jenny, and Sarah telling me that she was OK. Slowly, I turn my head, and see Sarah sleeping in the chair at my side. How long has she been there? I try to reach over to her, but I still have an IV in my arm. Finding my voice, I call her name. "Sarah."
With a start, Sarah wakes up. Seeing me watching her, she manages a smile.
"Hey, you. Feeling better?" she asks.
"I think so. My head doesn't hurt so much now, and my mind is clearing. How is Jenny?" I ask.