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Island Fever 5: Family
Written by: JeremyDCP@hotmail.com
M/F, F/F and a whole lot more
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Chapter 08: "Water"
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-*- Sunday, March 13, 2016 -*-
-*- Oslo, Norway -*-
"No," I told Scarlett in response. "I guess I was just
hoping that you would smile at me is all."
That answer seemed to floor Scarlett. She searched my
face, the pain and remorse that I felt for what happened
with Alison last night still evident. And then, Scarlett
just could not seem to help herself - she smiled brightly.
Yes, Scarlett was quite upset at me that I had all but
snuck off and had sex with Alison on our wedding night. But
my relationship with Scarlett was so unique, and she knew
that my feelings were genuine, and I wanted to be forgiven.
"Is this good enough?" Scarlett wondered, still smiling
broadly, as she made her way over to the carton of orange
juice sitting atop the wet bar here in the bridal suite at
Quisling Castle. "And we ARE going to have to talk about
how wrong it is to have extramarital affairs, especially on
your wedding night with your pregnant, newlywed wife sleeping
a mere three doors down the hall."
I squirmed theatrically. "That smile was good enough to
melt my heart."
Scarlett giggled as she poured herself a glass of orange
juice. She could not help it. "But you wanted it."
"I did," I nodded at her. "I also appreciate seeing it."
Scarlett and I had a strong enough relationship that, despite
what transpired last evening, we were on good terms about it.
Scarlett was upset, indeed, but jealousy and resentment were
not common feelings in our unique family and its structure.
Alison may not have been an official member of the family
quite yet, but the simple fact that everyone - Scarlett
included - wanted her to be greatly softened the blow of what
happened. Still, I made no excuses for my actions.
Scarlett sat down with me at the small table for two in
the bridal suite and made a face. "I was pretty unbearable
last night after the reception. I was all hyped up and
excited, but super exhausted. I wasn't the best of company.
I was complaining and nagging on you to no end."
I shook my head and countered, "You're pregnant, Scarlett -
less than three weeks from your due date. You should not have
to make any excuses for feeling bad. Myself, I should have
stayed here in the room and just cuddled with you all night.
It was fine that you did not feel like having sex."
Scarlett frowned. "It's not like you stepped out of the
room with malicious thoughts, wanting to seek out Alison - or
anyone else, for that matter - because I turned you down on
our wedding night, Jeremy. I talked to Lindsay - she told me
all about it. You came across Alison in the hallway and
things just sort of, I don't know, happened."
"Yeah," I grunted in response, picking up my own glass of
orange juice and taking a gulp. "Things happened."
"The perfect storm?" Scarlett theorized. "The chemistry,
the overall heat, between you and Alison, Jeremy, has been
off the charts in recent days. It's okay, I guess. Our
family and lifestyle sort of promotes what happened, you know.
The others have really been pushing and prodding you for you
to hook up with Alison. I really cannot blame you."
"I should have stayed and spent the night with you," I told
Scarlett for probably the fifth or sixth time this morning.
"It was our wedding night, Scarlett. It was our night. I
rented this whole castle just for you - so you could be the
princess. Instead, I'm off banging Alison."
"It isn't like some of the other girls in our family didn't
have strict one-on-one couplings on their wedding night,
either," Scarlett reminded me. "When Trish and Lindsay got
married in Cincinnati, remember, all of us had an orgy that
evening. It lasted til three or four in the morning."
"That was planned," I rumbled. "Everyone agreed on it.
No one agreed to me having sex with Alison last night."
"You and Alison did," Scarlett corrected me. "If Alison
is going to join our family, Jeremy - and it seems like she
has every intention of doing just that - I really have no
issues with it. Anything that happened, at all. Am I upset?
I was at first, but I'm getting better. I'll get over it."
"It's not like you had some sex with some employee here
at the castle," Scarlett continued. "Like a bimbo maid, or
something. You had sex with Alison. She is Lindsay's sister
and what happened between you and her, it's been building.
I have to admit myself that I was looking forward to hearing
the news that you and her got busy together. I just wasn't
expecting it to happen... LAST NIGHT." Scarlett giggled and
shook her head. "It was Alison, yes. You're lucky it was
not a bimbo maid, or something similar." She titled her head
from side to side and pensively ended, "If it was, I would
have to cut your balls off with a pair of hedge clippers."
"WHOA." My eyes wide, I gulped my throat and stared at
Scarlett in response. She was so incredibly friendly and
happy-go-lucky, I had never heard her say something like
that before. Yet, it was logical. It made sense.
Note to self - avoid attractive maids in hotels worldwide.
"You don't want to be ball-less, do you, Jeremy?" Scarlett
was giggling, indicating that she was being playful. Perhaps.
"I don't think you or any of the other girls have anything
to worry about," I offered. "Outside of our family, I do not
even look at other women. I do not even notice them. With
Alison, I have eight women in my life now. I have plenty."
"I know you don't notice any other women, Jeremy," Scarlett
chuckled. "Every time I have gone to the health club with you,
the little blonde behind the counter - Helga - she is hot for
you. I can tell that she wants to jump you, Jeremy, but you
never even give her the time of day."
My mind drew an absolute blank. "Little blonde behind the
counter at the health club? I don't ever recall seeing a
blonde at the counter there."
Scarlett giggled merrily. "My point exactly! She reminds
me a lot of Devon, but despite that, you don't even notice
her at all. Poor, poor Helga. No, none of us ever have to
worry about you cheating on us, Jeremy, with some random,
unknown girl. We just have to hide our sisters from you."
I shot Scarlett quite the evil eye. "Oh, come on. That
wasn't nice. Nor called for."
She was still giggling. "But it's the truth!"
I nearly jumped when I heard a loud thud - which sounded
more like a crash - upon the door to our bridal suite here
at Quisling Castle. I went over to investigate, but before
I reached the door, it flung open and Kristanna, my beautiful
wife, who was eight months pregnant (and four weeks out from
her own due date) was down on one knee, clutching her swollen
abdomen, with a highly distressed look upon her face.
"KRISSY!" Scarlett screeched, getting up and racing over
to her. But I was there first. "WHAT'S WRONG?" Scarlett
placed two hands upon Kristanna's shoulders to steady her.
"My water broke," Kristanna struggled to say, upset.
"Are you sure?" Scarlett fretted.
"Oh, I'm sure," Kristanna grunted. "Trust me, I'm sure.
My water broke and my doctor just diagnosed me with Group B
Strep a couple of days ago." There were tears in Kristanna's
eyes as she glared up at Scarlett, who was employed as a labor
and delivery nurse at the university hospital here in Oslo.
She was the family expert when it came to this sort of thing.
"What am I going to do, Scarlett?"
Scarlett's eyes loomed wide for several seconds, perhaps
contemplating things, then she focused on me and insisted,
"You have to get Krissy to the hospital now, Jeremy. Go NOW.
Do not wait. She and her baby need immediate medical help."
Kristanna was sobbing. "Ariel is-isn't r-ready y-y-yet..."
"NOW, JEREMY!" Scarlett demanded, and I grabbed my keys.
* * *
Pamela and Devon offered to go home and get us some supplies
and personal items while, heeding Scarlett's expert advice, I
wasted zero time in taking Kristanna to the university hospital
in Oslo. Once there, I explained to the admittance clerk that
Kristanna was only 35 weeks pregnant, yet her water broke an
hour ago and she had tested positive for Group B Streptococcus
during a routine visit to the doctor last week. Once I showed
the clerk a card from Kristanna's physician confirming said
diagnosis, they admitted her to the hospital without hesitation
and prepared a room for her. Prompt, urgent care was needed.
Unborn babies thrive and develop within their mother in a
bag of amniotic fluid (the amniotic sac), which is what protects
and nurtures them inside the uterus. A pregnant woman's
_water breaks_ when the amniotic sac tears or ruptures, and
its fluid leaks out through the cervix and vagina. It can be a
slow trickle or, in Kristanna's case, a solid gush.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS), on the other hand, is a type
of bacterial infection that can be found in about one out of
every four healthy, adult women. While GBS is generally
harmless to healthy women, it can cause stillbirth, or serious
infections and long-term ramifications for newborns. Amy, in
fact, was diagnosed with GBS when she was pregnant with our
daughter, Dani Grace (and nothing bad came of it).
It was so imperative that Kristanna get to the hospital as
quickly as possible because with the amniotic sac compromised,
the GBS pathogen could easily find its way in and infect the
baby (this was never a concern with Amy and Dani Grace). Not
to worry, though, as once the hospital staff did confirm that
Kristanna's water had indeed broke, they put her on heavy
antibiotics through an I-V that, for the time being, would
all but eliminate any risks associated with GBS.
However, the doctor also suggested to us that after two
full rounds of antibiotics (which would take eight hours),
that we opt to have labor induced and thus, our baby be born
_today_. Dr. Reitan explained to us in great detail that if
we chose not to induce labor, the antibiotics would wear off
in a day or two, and Ariel's risk for contracting GBS would
increase exponentially each day until she was born. There
was no way to repair or seal the amniotic sac.
It sounded like a no-brainer, of course, but the problem
was that Kristanna was only 35 weeks into her pregnancy. If
labor was induced and we had the baby today, or early tomorrow,
Ariel would be born nearly a full month premature. Kristanna's
due date was not for another four weeks.
Would our baby daughter be developed enough, strong enough,
to survive outside of her mother's womb? Would she be able to
breathe regularly on her own? Would Ariel have a heart problem,
perhaps bleeding on the brain? There were so many other
potential complications to worry us about a premature child,
such as metabolism and immune system problems, even jaundice.
What about long-term ramifications? Eyesight and/or hearing
problems later in life? Increased risk of cerebral palsy?
However, the doctor continually recommended that we opt to
have labor induced after the second round of antibiotics were
completed in eight hours. He said because Kristanna was a
GBS carrier, the chances of something going horribly wrong
with Ariel were much greater down the road if we chose not to.
Also, with an early induction, Dr. Reitan said that there
was a good chance that we would not see much of Ariel once
she was born. It would be very likely, he explained to us,
that because she would be born prematurely, Ariel would be
taken to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) here in the
hospital immediately for testing, observation and any
necessary treatment. What parent wants their newborn to
whisked away from them within seconds of being born?
"You mean Kristanna will not even be able to hold her own
baby immediately after she is born?" I asked, upset.
"Probably not." And, Kristanna began crying...
If Ariel checked out fine, the doctor said, she would be
returned to us as soon as possible.
"But I cannot say for sure," he added. "In some cases, a
baby born at 35 weeks has to spend up to two, maybe three
weeks in the NICU. Some need no time there and go home when
their mother does. Every case, every baby is different. Our
primary concern is that when your daughter leaves the hospital,
be it in three days or three weeks, she is 100 percent happy,
healthy and fine. We need to take precautions to ensure that."
Just the mere thought of our little girl spending the first
part of her life in the NICU created a truly bone-chilling,
frightening visual within my mind. Ariel may have major health
issues. She may struggle to breathe. Ariel may have breathing
tubes going in her nose and monitors all over. She could be
in an incubator, and neither of us would be able to touch her.
A newborn baby needed to be in her mother's arms. They did
not need to be in some sort of life support chamber.
Kristanna asked if we could have a little time to discuss
things before coming to a decision. The doctor said that
was fine; he would be back in an hour, but again reiterated
how important it was, how much he recommended, that labor be
induced today. It simply needed to be done.
"Call Scarlett and ask her," Kristanna simply told me once
the doctor and his two assistants left the room.
Scarlett, who was employed at this very hospital, was the
self-appointed doctor and caregiver for our family as a whole.
She had oversaw hundreds of births, both good and bad, in her
nursing career. I explained to Scarlett the sticky situation
in detail; Kristanna's water had definitely broken and she had
GBS, which could infect the baby. But we were quite hesitant
to have labor induced four weeks before Ariel was even due.
"Dr. Reitan is not only the best physician in the entire
birthing ward, but he is also the longest-tenured," Scarlett
told us over speaker-phone. "If he suggests that Kristanna
has her labor induced four weeks early, there is a reason for
it. He knows what he is doing. Trust him, and agree to it."
We put a call out to Kristof and Rande, Kristanna's
parents, and asked that they come to the hospital as soon as
possible. Ariel was going to be born sometime very soon.
* * *
"I feel so nervous!" Kristanna squeaked several hours
later, sitting up in her hospital bed. She glanced up at
the trio of I-V bags dangling above her head for perhaps the
millionth time today. "I am super nervous."
"Why are you nervous, sweetheart?" Pamela, who was seated
in a chair beside the bed, asked. "You and your baby are
going to be perfectly fine."
"I just keep looking at the bed, and all the... stuff, the
equipment throughout the room and I'm like, I know what THAT
does. I remember it from when Kaden was born. I know what's
going to happen! Oh, the pain and discomfort that awaits
me..." Pamela and Devon, also in the room with us, laughed
in unison. All of us had tried to keep the mood light and,
above all else, stay positive. Think happy thoughts.
Kristanna sighed. "I just need to relax. Everything will
be fine. Ariel will be fine."
I pulled Kristanna's blanket up to her neck and she purred
contently. It was the same blanket that she had received as
a Christmas present from her parents when she was eight years
old, thus it had tremendous sentimental value. It was, very
simply, her ultimate good luck charm in life. "I need my
blankie. Wouldn't feel right without my blankie."
"You're gonna do a great job today," I assured her. "A
beautiful, healthy baby in your arms."
"Really?" Kristanna sniffed.
"Really," Devon insisted.
"I'm going to cry!" Kristanna mewed, momentarily tossing
the blanket over her head. She pulled it away, however, and
was laughing gently. Trying to stay in good spirits. Trying
not to think of everything that could go horribly wrong in
giving birth to a premature baby.
"I love you, Jeremy," Kristanna told me. "I love you too,
Pammy and Devvy. I love you all of you so much."
"We love you as well," I responded in kind.
"You're going to be FINE!" Devon nodded.
"I just... I don't feel as if I'm prepared to give birth
quite yet," Kristanna frowned. "I would have never thought
in a billion years that when I went to sleep last night, I
would wake up this morning and actually have Ariel TODAY. I
wasn't... even going to start thinking about it, preparing
to give birth, for another week or two."
"At least you have been through the process before with
Kaden," Pamela offered. "You're not a first-time mother."
"Are you going to cry too?" Devon asked me.
"No chance," I said, squaring my shoulders and flexing my
muscles. "I'm pretty tough."
Pamela laughed. "Yeah, right."
Once the second round of antibiotics was finished to
combat Group B Streptococcus, Kristanna was given a dose of
_Pitocin_ via an I-V drip. This medication was a synthetic
form of a naturally occurring hormone (oxytocin) that causes
the uterus to contract. Also, the attending nurse inserted a
small, balloon-tipped catheter beyond the cervical opening
that, once injected with saline, caused Kristanna's cervix to
widen and dilate (something that she did not enjoy at all).
They also gave her more medication to aid in the process.
Kristanna was hooked up to so many various machines and
devices; much more, it seemed, than when Kaden was born 19
months ago. The doctor and his staff said the equipment was
keeping a close eye on Kristanna and our baby.
At 8:06pm, my wife felt her very first contraction. It
was the first of what promised to be many.
We had done our best to stay positive and upbeat throughout
the day, but there was still the underlying fear that there
may be something wrong with Ariel once she was born because
she would be four weeks premature. We tried not to dwell on
it, but the possibility still loomed heavily over us.
Kristanna was upset at the idea of giving birth and then
having Ariel taken away from her by a bunch of _white coats_
even before she could lay a finger on her. But, it was a
necessary evil. Ariel's life may depend on it.
Two hours later, Kristanna was standing up on her own by
the bed with a cup of Italian flavored ice in her hand. We
had since been joined by Kristof and Rande, both of whom
seemed amused at the sight of their pregnant daughter doing
a little dance as she munched on her crunchy ice snack.
"I'm all set," Kristanna told everyone in the room with a
glowing smile. Indeed, she was doing her best to stay upbeat.
Even in a dark and scary moment, Kristanna still found the
will to smile and project happiness to those around her.
"I got all these wires hooked up to me. I got the remote
control for the television in one hand, an icee in the other.
I'm all set! Yeah, that's right... let's dance." Kristanna's
movements became much more exaggerated, her body swiveling to
an unheard rhythm, as she added, "I'm gonna dance this baby
right out of me! Gonna dance her right out and into my arms!"
She lifted up the hem of her hospital gown to her knees
momentarily, showing us a pair of gaudy, red-and-white
checkered flannel socks. "I even got my lucky socks on!"
"Those things are hideous," Pamela chuckled.
"C'mon, Pammy! Dance!" Kristanna swiveled her hips
back-and-forth, trying to encourage her wife to join in on
the fun. "C'mon, dance with me!"
Pamela laughed and shied away. "My dancing days are over."
"I gots my SOCKS on!" Kristanna began singing, extending
each foot one at a time. "I gots my SOCKS on! I gots my..."
She then stopped in mid-sentence, proclaiming, "Oh wait,
contraction." Kristanna took a deep breath as Pamela stood
up and helped steady her with both arms.
"Are you really having a contraction?"
"Oh yes," Kristanna told her, seeming to settle down from
it just as quickly as it came. She then sat down on the edge
of the bed and glanced at all of us with a big smile. "11
hours in the hospital thus far, right? Is this a party, or
what? It sure doesn't get any GOODER than this!"
A few moments later, I escorted Kristanna on a slow walk
throughout the delivery ward and its hallways. The doctor
actually encouraged her to get up and walk around, saying
the activity would help speed up the birthing process. Of
course, I had to wheel along the cart of I-V fluids so the
medicine could continually be pumped into her.
"Lindsay is blowing my phone up," Pamela said once we
returned to the hospital room. Pamela was tapping away on
her cell phone, most likely in response. "It's killing
Lindsay and the others that they cannot be here for Krissy.
She keeps texting me, continuously."
I frowned. "Well, you know how it goes, Pamela. I don't
want everyone here at once. Krissy already has five visitors.
She doesn't need four or five more."
"Who would watch the other babies if everyone was here?"
Kristanna nodded at Devon. "That's true. I suppose we
could ask Alison, but that would not be right of us to put
her in charge of five kids at once. She's still new to us
and the family. Not right at all."
"And who knows how long it will exactly be before Ariel
is born?" Devon added.
"Your hair looks pretty," Pamela said to Kristanna, reaching
out and running her fingers through those long, golden tresses.
"Thanks."
"Looks gorgeous," Pamela added, now fanning it out in her
hand. "You're such a beautiful, pregnant girl."
"Thanks," Kristanna repeated with a tiny squeal.
"You're the most beautiful girl in the whole, wide world."
Kristanna pointed a menacing, yet playful finger at Pamela.
"You're gonna make me cry. Trust me, I will cry." Kristanna
giggled at her own words. "You call me beautiful, but I look
like Humpty Dumpty right now more than anything with this big,
massive belly. And I feel like a truck!"
"Trucks are cool," Devon offered. "I love trucks."
When Kristanna was dilated to a five (out of ten), she was
back in bed, this time for good.
"How are you feeling?" her mother asked.
"Good," she nodded. "Contractions are getting stronger
and more frequent, just waiting for the epidural."
A long, thin needle that is inserted into the spine to
disperse numbing medication, the epidural arrived just in
time as Kristanna's pain and discomfort really began to shoot
up. She sat up and hunched over in bed, and I gently held her
wrists at her ankles and planted kisses along her forehead and
face as the medication was administered through the needle. It
was not a pleasant experience for her at all.
Once Kristanna was dilated to a 9.5, the doctor and his team
of assistants and nurses entered the room and made the final
preparations to deliver our baby into the world. A mere 15
minutes later, a miracle happened.
Kristanna was mostly cool, calm and collected as she went
through the final stages of labor. I had one hand behind her
neck for support, the other holding her right, while Pamela
latched onto her left. Kristanna kept her eyes closed and,
quite surprisingly, did not make a lot of noise during the
process. Devon was the videographer with her tablet, while
Kristof and Rande stood by and lent whatever moral support
and words of encouragement they could to help their daughter.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...
ten," the nurse coached Kristanna along. "Perfect!"
"Good job!" Pamela exclaimed.
"Now again," the nurse said. "Deep breath, think about
your baby. Push. A one, a two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten... PUSH! C'mon, push harder! Okay
now. Relax. Relax, take a deep breath."
The pain must have been excruciating for Kristanna, but
she simply lay there in bed, her eyes closed, the same hard,
stoic look upon her face. And not a sound. She had been
through childbirth before and seemed focused on not letting
the discomfort get to her. My wife was one tough cookie.
"One, two... there's your baby's head! Three, four... oh,
it's so pretty! Look at all that hair! Five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten." Surprisingly, Kristanna kept her eyes
closed, wanting to stay focused.
"Beautiful, good job," the nurse nodded. "Exhale, come
on, exhale. Good job. Try one more time. Try and relax
your face, Kristanna. All your pressure, all your focus
down there. One, two, three..."
Once Ariel's head was fully out and exposed, Kristanna's
body violently jerked and she screamed out at the absolute top
of her lungs as the rest of our baby came out with what seemed
like relative ease. The nurses and assistants all converged
on the baby at once with the doctor, near Kristanna's feet,
doing a quick examination. When a loud, newborn cry was
heard, Kristanna covered her eyes with her hands and lost it.
"One-eleven in the morning, March 14, 2016," the nurse
announced, signifying the date and time of birth.
Not only did we have the euphoria of a new child in our
lives, but that cry - loud and powerful as it was - indicated
that Ariel's lungs and respiratory system were strong, and in
good shape. One of our biggest concerns in having Ariel born
prematurely was whether or not she would be able to breathe
on her own. Many premature babies are unable to cry once
they are born because they don't have the lung capacity to
even make the sound. But that cry was an excellent sign.
"Can I hold her? PLEASE?" Kristanna then begged the
physician, obviously recalling the conversation from earlier
when he explained to us that Ariel may be taken to the NICU
immediately. "Please let me hold my baby! PLEASE..."
The primary nurse looked at the doctor, who gave a simple
nod of the head. Suddenly, Ariel - still loud and fussy -
was placed atop Kristanna's shoulder and chest, and she
hugged the newborn, showering her with love and affection.
"She's so cute!" Kristanna mewed. "Oh, thank you!"
"Cry, girl!" Pamela laughed at Ariel. "Let it all out!
Crank it up, cry even louder!"
"We love to hear newborn babies cry," a nurse commented.
"Means their lungs are nice and strong."
"I love you, Ariel!" Kristanna sobbed at her. "Oh God,
are you okay? I know it wasn't time yet. Are you breathing
okay? Oh, Mommy is here to protect you!"
"She looks good, and healthy!" Devon observed.
"Jeremy, we have another baby!" Kristanna whined at me,
as I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you!"
she added, finding my lips for a quick kiss. "I love you!
Oh my God! This is our daughter! Our DAUGHTER! I cannot
believe that we have a DAUGHTER now, too!"
"I love you too, honey," I responded, my insides warm and
glowing as I gazed down at my wife and our new baby girl.
"Congratulations!" Pamela exclaimed at us.
"Because Ariel was born prematurely, we have to take her
away and run some specialized tests to ensure that she is
healthy," Dr. Reitan reminded us. "I hate to do this to you,
Mrs. [Last Name], but it is necessary. Remember, this is for
the safety and well-being of your child."
Kristanna was in shambles when the nurse pulled Ariel away
from her and put her in a mobile incubator device.
"Can't Jeremy hold her for a bit, at least?" Pamela asked.
"No," I said, shaking my head at Pamela. "Take her away,
make sure she is all good and ready to go. It's important
that Ariel gets checked out quickly."
When the doctor and several of his entourage left the room
with our baby, Kristanna screamed out in total frustration,
her arms and legs thrashing about wildly. Pamela immediately
climbed onto the bed beside her and hugged her tightly as
Kristanna went through a temper tantrum the likes of which I
had never seen from her before. Kristanna was FURIOUS. She
wanted to rip that doctot apart for taking our baby away.
"It's going to be okay," Pamela said, clutching Kristanna
to her, her lips just inches from her ear. "Ariel is going
to be fine. Settle down, honey. Just settle down."
"I only got to hold her for 30 seconds..." Kristanna cried
in the aftermath of her outburst. "If even that..."
"Shhhhh," Pamela consoled her. "Shhhhh, honey. It's for
the best. Ariel will check out perfectly fine, and she will
be back in your arms - where she belongs - in no time."
"But what if she's not?" Kristanna cried.
"Dr. Reitan wanted me to give you some medication that
will help ease your stress," one of the remaining nurses told
Kristanna, already preparing a new I-V bag. "Do not worry, we
will have your daughter back to you in and your arms as soon
as we possibly can."
"How long do you think that will be?" Kristanna's father,
Kristof, asked.
"I do not know," the nurse responded. "That is up to the
doctor. It all depends on the health and well-being of the
baby. Once we know anything, you all will know. Now, let me
finish preparing this medicine, and we will check you out,
Mrs. [Last Name], and get you cleaned up."
Kristanna continued openly sobbing, her face buried upon
the warmth and care of Pamela's shoulder, as I took a step
back and sighed. Powerless. I felt powerless. There was
nothing that I could do to help Kristanna or alleviate her
anxiety and suffering. There was nothing that I could to
aid and direct Ariel toward the path of total wellness.
All I could do was wait.
* * *
Upset, I was pacing throughout the hospital room, my arms
folded, some three hours later at 4:25am. Kristanna had
finally fallen asleep - due to exhaustion - about 40 minutes
ago. Pamela was seated at the foot of the bed but she too,
was asleep, hunched over the mattress with her upper half
resting upon it. She was clutching one of Kristanna's feet
with her right hand. Devon had been texting Lindsay back and
forth all night, while Kristof and Rande were still barely
awake. I was hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.
A new doctor - a pediatrician - then entered the room and
introduced himself, and said he had news concerning Ariel.
Devon was quick to wake Kristanna and Pamela, both of whom
literally jumped and hit the ceiling when told that we would
finally be given our very first update on Ariel.
Dr. Eriksen explained that Dr. Reitan, who delivered the
baby, graded her at a 6 (out of 10) on the Apgar Score, a
visual test given to all newborn babies shortly after they
are born. The pediatrician, Dr. Eriksen, said that a score
of 8 was considered normal, and there was no reason for us
to be alarmed that she did not receive a 10. Very few
newborns, he told us, got a perfect score. Nor was there
any reason for us to be alarmed that she got a 6.
Because Ariel did not score incredibly low, such as a 3
or a 4, Kristanna was able to briefly hold her before she
was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for
proper testing and observation. The pediatrician said that
Ariel was breathing incredibly well on her own; she did not
need any oxygen support or resuscitation whatsoever, which
was obviously what all of us wanted to hear. It was the
best possible scenario, at least for her breathing.
However, Ariel was suffering from a moderate case of
infantile jaundice, a condition that resulted from an excess
of bilirubin, a yellow-coated pigment of red blood cells in
her bloodstream. Because her liver had yet to fully mature
and develop, it was unable to flush through and weed out the
bilirubin on its own quite yet. Dr. Eriksen told us not to
worry; her liver would be fine given time. It was just not
fully mature yet. But, with the jaundice diagnosis, Ariel's
skin and eyes - her entire body - was discolored, yellow.
If left untreated, jaundice could lead to brain damage.
The good news was that if all went according to plan,
Ariel would be able to go home with us in four or five days.
The bad news, however, was that she would have to spend the
next 48 hours in the NICU undergoing treatment for jaundice.
Dr. Eriksen said that Ariel was in a specialized chamber
with _bili lights_ being shone down upon her.
Bili lights are a form of phototherapy. The light would
pass through Ariel's skin, he told us, and break down the
bilirubin into a form that her body could easily eliminate.
Once taken care of, the yellowish tint of her skin and eyes
would safely dissipate, and she would look normal. There
was no risk, and nothing for us to worry about, he said.
"Jaundice is a common issue even in full-term babies who
are born perfectly healthy," he added. "It is not always
treated with bili lights, though, because a full-term baby's
liver can usually do all the work itself. With your child,
though, she needs a little help. A little push, is all.
Inside the uterus, while in development, the mother's liver
takes care of cleansing the bilirubin from the baby."
"Otherwise, Mr. and Mrs. [Last Name], all I can say is...
congratulations. Your daughter is in good health and seems
to be doing fine. She is retaining body temperature quite
nicely on her own and has the strength to bottle or breast
feed when that time comes."
"Can I see her?" Kristanna begged.
"You can, but it will have to wait a bit," Dr. Eriksen
responded, to which Kristanna growled and cried out in total
frustration. "The nurse is getting you some food while we
speak because your sugar levels seem to be low at the moment.
We fret and worry about the health and wellness of your baby,
Mrs. [Last Name], but we also do the same for you. And you
should, too. Remember, you just went through a childbirth.
Your body needs time to rest and recover."
"How much does Ariel weigh?" Kristanna inquired, wiping
away a tear. "No one has even told us."
The doctor quickly flipped through his notes. "4 pounds,
13 ounces. On the light side, but common for a premature
baby. Nothing to be alarmed about at this point in time.
Good news is that she has not lost any weight since being
born, which is another concern for premature babies."
* * *
"Oh my God..." Kristanna mewed once I wheeled her into the
NICU at 6:30am, a mixture of love and grief upon her face, as
she caught her first glimpse of Ariel. Indeed, Ariel was in
a small glass chamber and had protective patches covering her
eyes. It almost looked like a tanning bed, with blue lights
beaming down upon her otherwise exposed body.
"Isn't she cold?" Kristanna wildly fretted as I guided her
wheelchair up to the machine. "Where's her blankets?" My
wife tried to stand up, but I held her back in the wheelchair.
She was in no shape right now to stand on her own. "Jeremy,
let me go! Ariel looks cold in there!"
The nurse with us explained that Ariel's temperature and
all of her vital signs were being closely monitored and, in
the chamber, there was no need for a blanket because it was
heated. The bili lights needed to make contact with as much
of Ariel's skin as possible, thus no blanket or even a diaper,
and the eye patches were there to protect from irritation to
the light. She was being turned and flipped periodically by
the nurses so no part of her body was left untreated.
Ariel even had an I-V in her arm; the nurse said it was to
help protect against dehydration while undergoing the bili
light therapy. Kristanna, of course, asked if she could hold
Ariel - even if just for a few seconds. The nurse told her
no, not yet, but we were more than welcome to reach through
the opening of the machine on its side and gently touch her.
"Oh, hi there!" Kristanna swooned, slipping her right arm
through the opening and tickling Ariel's chin with a single
finger. Suddenly beaming, Kristanna and all of her senses
seemed to come to life. "How are you, honey?" Ariel was
gently squirming about within the chamber. "I'm your mommy,
and he's your daddy. Say, hi Daddy! Oh, we're going to get
you out of this place as soon as we can. I promise!" Ariel
latched onto Kristanna's finger with a balled-up fist, which
brought forth a new onslaught of tears from my wife. I put an
arm around her and kissed the top of her head for support.
"Look, Jeremy!" Kristanna sobbed. "Ariel is holding my
finger. She doesn't want to let it go!"
"She loves you," I simply told Kristanna.
"Oh God..." Yes, Kristanna lost it again.
"Let that mother hold her child for a bit!" a man's voice
came from some 30 feet away. I looked up, and noticed what
appeared to be the head physician of the NICU looking our way
while tending to another small infant. "It's okay, Veronika.
Let Mrs. [Last Name] have a few moments with her daughter. I
think she deserves it. It would be good for the baby, too."
"Thank you!" Kristanna cried at the man, overcome with raw
emotion, as the nurse dutifully removed Ariel from the machine
and swaddled her up into a pair of blankets. Next stop was
Mommy's arms; Kristanna peeled back a portion of her hospital
gown so she could hold Ariel's little face to her shoulder,
skin-to-skin. At the same time, the nurse removed the eye
patches and placed a small beanie hat atop Ariel's head.
Indeed, there was a definite yellow tint all over her.
"She's so tiny!" Kristanna gushed, gently bouncing her
within her arms. "Jeremy, look at that face! Look at it!"
Kristanna began peppering Ariel with kisses. "Oh, you're
Mommy's little angel! Mommy's little miracle baby!" Ariel's
eyelids nudged open, giving us our first real glimpse of them.
"Her eyes are open! Look, Jeremy! Oh, you don't like that
light, don't you, honey? Yeah... it's a little too bright in
here." Kristanna shielded the overheard light from Ariel's
face, adding, "You have such pretty eyes!" She splayed kisses
along both of those eyes, saying, "You are so precious!"
I simply stood there, videotaping the entire exchange with
Devon's tablet. I could have held Ariel, but I felt she was
best suited to be in her mother's arms. After all, there was
only a very short window where Ariel could miss her treatment.
Kristanna needed to hold Ariel for every available second.
"Oh, I love you, Ariel!" Kristanna continued. "Daddy and I
are gonna take you home soon! Oh, you are so pretty! So very
precious! Mommy loves you!"
"Mrs. [Last Name]?" the nurse frowned. "It's time."
Kristanna looked up at me and, again crying, shook her
head. "I don't want to let Ariel go. I can't!"
"But you have to," I simply said, as the nurse gently took
Ariel back and returned her to the glass chamber. Off came
the two blankets and the little beanie hat, and on went the
protective eye patches.
"I'm so sorry!" Kristanna sobbed at our daughter, wiping
away an influx of tears. "I just want to take you home with
me, hug and kiss on you for days at a time! I'm so sorry you
were born early and that you have to go through all of this!"
"It's time we take you back to your room, Mrs. [Last Name],"
the nurse told Kristanna, who became even more upset with those
words. "You need another round of medicine, and you need rest.
We will have your daughter back to you as soon as possible."
* * *
By the time it was 10:00am, I was running on absolute fumes.
With everything that had happened to me in the past 48 hours -
first marrying Scarlett, then having sex with Alison that same
night and having to answer for it in the morning to an unhappy
Scarlett, followed by Kristanna's sudden, unexpected trip to
the hospital and the fear, the worry, of a rushed, high-risk
birth, I did not even know how I was still awake.
After returning to her room from the NICU, Kristanna spent
the majority of the morning crying in bed as she got more
medicine pumped into her. Devon, as well as Kristof and
Rande, had gone home to get some rest. Pamela was still here,
though, as was I. Pamela was nestled in bed beside Kristanna,
trying to sleep. No one was prying her away from Kristanna.
"Your rule, Jeremy, about a limited number of wives being
able to visit during a hospitalization just flat-out sucks,"
Lindsay proclaimed, as she entered the room with Piper, my
15-month-old daughter with Pamela, hitched in one arm. "It
sucks. It really does. I have been up all night, worried to
death about Kristanna, and you did not want me to come here
because Pamela and Devon were already here." Lindsay rolled
her eyes and added, "Can't have too many wives fawning over
someone all at once; can't draw attention to ourselves! Oh
no, don't want people coming to conclusions about our life,
our marriage, our family!"
"Settle down, Lindsay," Kristanna frowned. "And, hi."
"Dada!" Piper screeched upon seeing me. Lindsay set her
down and the toddler came bounding over to me and hugged my
legs. I had not seen Piper in nearly 36 hours. I leaned
over and picked her up, then motioned toward Pamela.
"You want to see Mommy? Mommy is sleeping, but I'm sure
she would love to be woke up for you."
"Everyone is coming to visit you soon," Lindsay told
Kristanna. "None of us care what anyone thinks about us or
our family. All we care about right now is you and Ariel,
and we ALL want to see you. They will be here in an hour."
Lindsay took a step back and peered around the corner of the
doorway. "Also, I have a surprise for you. Come on in."
"KADEN!" Kristanna cried out at the sight of her son, our
first-born child, who immediately rushed over to the bed and
literally jumped toward his mother. Lindsay was able to
catch him in mid-air, though, and then eased him onto the bed.
"Mommy is not feeling good," Lindsay told him. "Be nice
with her, be gentle, no jumping or horsing around."
"Oh Kaden, I love you!" Kristanna exclaimed, hugging and
kissing on our son as often - and as much - as she wanted.
His mere presence was probably a good outlet for Kristanna to
release some of her frustration and angst over Ariel. "I've
missed you so much! Oh, you're my baby boy!"
With the ruckus and movement in bed, Pamela woke up and
immediately extended her arms toward Piper. What ensued was
another happy reunion between mother and child. Pamela had
not seen Piper in over 24 hours herself. Lindsay and the
other ladies had been looking after Kaden and Piper while
Pamela, Devon and I stayed at the hospital with Kristanna.
"What did we talk about in the car coming over here,
Kaden?" Lindsay asked the 19-month-old. "Are you gonna tell
Mommy? You have a new baby sister. Don't you? What's her
name? Ariel? Can you say... Ariel?" Lindsay smiled at
Kristanna. "When Kaden saw a picture of you holding Ariel
on my phone, he kissed it. He kissed the phone."
"Awwwww!" Kristanna whined.
"Where's Mommy's big belly?" Pamela asked Kaden. "She no
longer has that big belly, does she? Big belly went bye bye!"
"Bye bye!" Kaden chirped, waving his hand at his mother's
stomach. Oh, both he and Piper were a sight for sore eyes...
"You want to see Ariel, your baby sister?" Kristanna asked
Kaden, who nodded his head in response. "Oh, you will, honey.
You will. The doctors are fixing her up and she will be with
us soon. The doctors are making sure Ariel is all well."
"All well!" Pamela squealed, grinning.
"Good God, Jeremy," Lindsay observed. "You look like you
are about ready to fall over. Why don't you go home and get
some sleep? Better yet, _I_ can drive you home, and you get
some sleep. You and Krissy won't be allowed to see Ariel
again until later tonight, right? Get some sleep until then."
"No," I told her. "I'm not leaving Kristanna."
"You need to!" Kristanna advised me. "Lindsay is right.
Go home, Jeremy, and get some rest. I will be fine here.
Pamela is here, Lindsay is here, others are apparently on
their way. My mom and dad will be back soon. I'll be fine.
Go home and get some rest."
"I'm not leaving, and I don't need any sleep."
Lindsay glared at me, frustrated, but then switched her
focus to Kristanna. She went over and gave her a very long,
drawn-out hug. "Oh, I was so relieved at the news of your
baby, Krissy. Scarlett said with the bili light treatment,
there is nothing to worry about. No long-term ramifications
or side effects at all. It will cure her completely."
"Where's your little baby at?"
"Trish is bringing Kaylee and Jackson with her to the
hospital," Lindsay told Kristanna. "She will be here soon,
as will Amy, Scarlett and Dani Grace. Devon is still home
sleeping, and Alison is playing video games."
Lindsay pulled away from Kristanna and shook her head, a
tear falling down her cheek. "I cannot imagine what it was
like for you, to have Ariel taken away... so quickly."
Lindsay began shedding even more tears. "You are stronger
th-than me. I... I would have thrown a fit if, immediately
after Kaylee was born, they took her away, and would not let
me see her." Lindsay became emotional at the mere idea. "I
could not... I would not be... be able to han-handle... it."
"It's been rough," Kristanna sniffed. "I just want to see
my baby daughter. I want to hold her." Kristanna perked up,
though, and embraced Kaden. "But at least I get to hug and
kiss on the wild man. Oh, I love you, Kaden!"
"How is Alison doing?" Pamela wondered. "Was there any
fallout between her and Scarlett over... what happened?" Oh
yeah, I nearly forgot about Alison with all of this intense
hospital drama. I had sex with Alison, Lindsay's younger,
19-year-old sister, the very same night I married Scarlett.
"None whatsoever," Lindsay answered. "Scarlett may not
have been happy at first, but I think she realizes the nature
of our relationship, our family, and the fact that all of us -
even Scarlett herself - wants Alison to be a part of it.
Besides, Scarlett has not even been thinking about that,
Pamela. She has just been worried, like the rest of us,
about Krissy and Ariel, and Jeremy too. All of us have been
hoping and praying that everything would turn out okay. I
prayed all night for Ariel."
Kristanna smiled and brought a hand to Lindsay's face.
"You're such a special girl. I love you so much."
"Oh, I love you too."
"I just want to go home with Ariel!" Kristanna complained.
Lindsay turned and pointed a finger at me. "Your rule
sucks. From now on, no one is keeping me away if one of my
wives is in the hospital again. It worked for the first few
pregnancies, because they were routine and there was little
risk. But this pregnancy, this childbirth. was different."
"Jeremy doesn't want six or seven women, not to mention
any parents or children, overwhelming someone all at once
if they are in the hospital, sick, not feeling well. He does
not want a big congregation in here."
"I don't care," Lindsay told Pamela, defiant. "The whole
concept sucks. Everyone agreed with me back home. That is
why everyone - minus Devon and Alison - is on their way here
now. When Devon wakes up, she is bringing Alison here, too.
Even Alison deserves to be here to show her support."
"Jeremy doesn't want people getting any ideas about us,
either," Pamela reminded her. "We want to keep our lifestyle,
our family and its structure, a secret."
"I don't care," Lindsay reiterated. "You're not the one
who had to sit home all day and all night while Krissy was
in the hospital, Pamela." Steadfast, Lindsay shook her head.
"Never again. No one is stopping me ever again."
"I have an idea," Kristanna offered, looking at me. "When
Scarlett gets here, let me visit with her for a bit, then why
don't you go home with her, Jeremy, and take a nap? It would
be good for you and Scarlett to have a little alone time
together after what happened between you and Alison. Have a
little time to talk and sort things out? Trust me, I will be
fine. I'll have plenty of company and support. You really
need to get some sleep, Jeremy. You don't look well at all."
"Yeah," Pamela agreed. "You can come back later tonight,
go with Krissy and visit Ariel in the NICU."
As much as it pained me to agree to it, Kristanna had a
valid point. I was concerned for Kristanna and wanted to be
with her, but she would have plenty of love and support if I
were to step away for a couple of hours. Really, I doubt I
would make it until noon before passing out.
At the same time, however, Kristanna was not my only wife.
Nor was she the only wife with a major problem. I married
Scarlett two nights ago and to say our blessed union got off
to a unique start would be quite the understatement. I really
needed some time alone with Scarlett where we could hopefully
smooth things over and resolve any lingering issues stemming
from my unexpected tryst in the bedroom with Alison. We had
a good, long talk yesterday morning, but did not get to finish
it because Kristanna needed to be rushed to the hospital.
Ariel seemed to be doing just fine now, but she was not in
the clear quite yet - there could certainly be a complication
or two that popped up before it was time for her to go home.
Then, outside of the hospital's supervision and care, would
Ariel become ill and need to be brought right back here? All
premature babies come with an increased risk of everything.
In any event, I had been brought down to my knees in
humility over the past 24 hours. The birth of Ariel - and
what ensued afterward (her being whisked away and Kristanna's
emotional outbursts stemming from it, then getting a few
precious moments to visit Ariel in the NICU inbetween hours
of wait and agony) - had given me a new perspective on life.
The birth of a child is supposed to be a time of happiness
and celebration. For parents of premature babies, however,
it is often a time of fear and uncertainty. One is not
supposed to feel _fear_ when a baby is born. Am I right?
My appreciation for Dr. Reitan, Dr. Eriksen and the rest of
the amazing staff at the university hospital was immense. I
was grateful for them and their hard work, knowing full well
that they not only most likely saved my daughter's life, but
perhaps Kristanna's as well. This whole experience taught me
to never take any of my children for granted, nor their health.
It reinforced how important my family was to me.
It took a very long time, but I now finally understood why
Scarlett insisted on keeping her job as a nurse here at the
hospital. For many months, I asked Scarlett to quit, telling
her that there was no reason for her to keep this job. Yet,
she refused to listen to me. I never understood why until now.
Every day at her job, Scarlett had the opportunity to touch
so many lives and guide them toward a better place, a better
spot. Scarlett had helped deliver hundreds of newborn babies,
aided in their care and treatment, all the while tending to
the mother and her needs. How many ex-patients viewed Scarlett
the same way I now looked at Dr. Reitan and Dr. Eriksen?
Wasn't that how we all originally met Scarlett? She was
the primary nurse - our angel of mercy - when Kristanna gave
birth to Kaden on July 29, 2014.
Kristanna was sick now - overly emotional (and rightfully
so) - but she would agree with me wholeheartedly concerning this
entire experience in due time. A mother's greatest treasure
is her daughter. I learned that just by seeing the look
upon Kristanna's face when she got to hold Ariel in the NICU.
Those two minutes may have been the happiest two minutes of
Kristanna's life thus far. Nothing may ever exceed them. She
was simply _glowing_ while Ariel was in her arms.
Many couples who have a premature child, the result of it,
are much less fortunate than Kristanna and I were with Ariel.
I understood this already. Eventually, Kristanna would too.
And she would appreciate the hard and often thankless efforts
of the doctors, the nurses and everyone else at the hospital.
I was looking forward to (hopefully) bringing Ariel home
with us later in the week and incorporating her into our
everyday lives, our routine. A new life is one of God's
greatest gifts, and I am going to cherish Ariel - as well as
the rest of my children - for as long as I shall live.
I already had visions of one day, Ariel getting married
and then giving birth to a child of her own. Me, a grandpa?
The mere thought warmed my senses and brought forth my first
smile in several hours. Ariel, I knew, was going to be fine.
<<<- End of Chapter 08 ->>>
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"Island Fever 5: Family"
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