“One down, one to go. How much longer until the next one, Doc?” Mr. Duncan asked.
“Could be here in five minutes, or as long as five hours,” Dr. Preston told them. “But I’m gonna go ahead and give you a light sedative, Charlotte. Okay?”
Mrs. Duncan gasped in pain. “I think it’s definitely going to be five minutes.”
I quickly took the baby from her arms and called for one of the pediatric nurses to come assist while we got ready for the next birth. Mrs. Duncan was in the middle of pushing when Naomi, another nurse, came into the room.
“Well, what’s this cutie’s name?” she asked.
“Paris,” Mr. Duncan told her.
“Paris. Pretty name for a pretty girl,” Naomi said. “I’ll go ahead and take her down to the nursery.”
“You may want to wait a few seconds, Naomi, or you’re gonna have to make two trips. Her sibling is just about to arrive,” Dr. Preston said. “Here comes the surprise.”
“Surprise?” I asked.
“We knew one baby was a girl, but she would steal all the attention during the ultrasounds and block the other baby, so we couldn’t tell the sex,” he said. “But we’re about to find out. One more push, Charlotte.”
Mrs. Duncan groaned and leaned forward. Her husband’s eyes grew huge as he stared at the lower part of her body.
“What is it? Is it another girl?” he asked.
“It’s a boy!” Dr. Preston said. The second baby was smaller than his sister, and he was quiet. Dr. Preston quickly passed him over to me, and I took him over to the warming bed, where Naomi was waiting with the other twin.
“He’s not crying,” Mrs. Duncan said. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine, Charlotte. Maggie and Naomi are going to take good care of him. You just lay back and relax for a second,” Dr. Preston told her.
I rubbed the back of the baby boy and whispered, “Come on, baby. Breathe.”
As if he heard my instruction, he gasped slightly, then finally let out a tiny cry. The tension that had filled the room moments before was now gone. I followed the same process for him as I had earlier for his sister, and then held him up for his parents to see.
“We need to hurry and get him to the nursery because he’s gonna need a little more attention than Miss Paris,” Naomi said. “What’s his name?”
“Rio.” Mrs. Duncan sighed. “LC, go with the babies.”
“Are you sure?” Mr. Duncan asked her.
“Yes, please. You need to make sure they’re okay.”
“You can go ahead, LC. We’re gonna get Charlotte settled and comfortable,” Dr. Preston said.
“I hope that means something for pain, Dr. Preston. My back is still killing me.”
Dr. Preston nodded. “We can definitely give you something.”
Mr. Duncan kissed his wife, then followed Naomi and the babies out of the room. When they were gone, Dr. Preston gave her a sedative.
Just as he was about to help Mrs. Duncan deliver the afterbirth, another nurse popped her head in the room.
“Dr. Preston, we have an emergency down the hall. The baby’s heartbeat is dropping fast,” she said frantically.
Dr. Preston looked at me. “Maggie, can you take it from here?”
“Of course,” I said.
He leaned over to speak to Mrs. Duncan. “Charlotte, you’re in good hands.”
She smiled, looking a little more relaxed as the sedative entered her system. “I know that. Go ahead and take care of your other patient.”
With that, Dr. Preston followed the nurse out of the room. I covered Mrs. Duncan with a warm blanket and went about gathering the items I would need to start cleaning her up. She was in and out of consciousness by this point as the sedative took full effect.
I was doing another vital check on her when her eyes fluttered open.
“Thank you again, Maggie,” she whispered.
“It’s Margaret.” I smiled. “And you’re welcome.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Margaret.”
“It’s fine. Congratulations again. Two new bundles of joy.”
“I’m tired already, and I haven’t even started breastfeeding yet. After these two, I definitely don’t think I want anymore.” She gave a half smile. “Do you have any children?”
“No, unfortunately that’s a blessing the good Lord didn’t see fit for me to have,” I told her.
“You’d make a great mom. I can tell. You’re so patient and nurturing. You deserve a baby.” She closed her eyes again.
“Thank you, Mrs. Duncan,” I said. Then I noticed her grimacing again. “Are you still in pain?”
“Yes. My back is still killing me. And my stomach. It hurts so bad.”
“Let me increase your pain meds just a little.” I put a little more of the sedative in her IV and waited a few minutes. “Is that better?”
“No, it still hurts, but I’m so sleepy, Margaret. Oh, God. I feel like I gotta push again.” She winced.
“You’re probably having a bowel movement. It happens sometimes.” I rubbed her arm reassuringly.
“I don’t think I’m gonna make it to the bathroom.” She slurred her words. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just go ahead, and I can clean you up. It’s natural.”
She let out another loud groan, and suddenly I understood that whatever was going on couldn’t have been a bowel movement. I lifted the sheet and looked between her legs, and to my surprise, a tiny head was emerging. I looked around the room and grabbed a nearby blanket.
Mrs. Duncan’s eyes were now closed. I gently pulled the baby from her. It was another baby boy, even tinier than his siblings. I held him in my hands. Even though he wasn’t crying, he was breathing.
Mrs. Duncan had been carrying triplets and had no idea. As I cradled him in my arms, I thought that it somehow didn’t seem fair. Here I wanted a baby but couldn’t have one, and this woman had three, one of whom she didn’t even realize she had. Hell, no one knew other than me—not even the doctor.
My eyes went from the baby, then back to the mother, then back to the baby.
No, Margaret, you can’t, I told
