Kevin stood outside the door, helpless and distraught. His mind was reeling; the sight of Lynne lying there hooked to tubes and monitors, still unconscious as both she and the baby fought for their lives. The nurses reassured him that they were doing everything they could for both of them and the doctor was in the room examining her as Kevin stood outside impatiently and waited for news.

A few minutes later the doctor emerged, shook Kevin’s hand and then led him over to a chair where he delivered the news. "How much do you know about Lynne’s condition? Did she share any of her health during this pregnancy with you?"

Kevin shook his head. "No. She kept this pregnancy from me and I just recently found out about it, actually, I flew home to be with her the minute I learned she was pregnant. I love her and this baby, Doc. What can I do to help?"

"I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Richardson. I tried to get her to tell you the truth from the beginning but as you know, she is quite stubborn."

Kevin smiled and said, "Boy, do I know." His face suddenly reflecting his fear, he asked, "So, what is going on with her and the baby? Why did she pass out on me like that?"

"She has what we call ‘pre-eclampsia’ or ‘toxemia’. She’s been battling it throughout her pregnancy and it has continued to get worse as her due date nears."

"What is that? It sounds so bad."

"I won’t lie to you, Mr. Richardson. It can be fatal, but only in rare instances."

"Please, call me Kevin."

"Okay, Kevin" the doctor said with a smile. "Lynne has been doing all that I’ve told her to do, she’s tried really hard, but I believe the time has come to take this baby. I think it would be better for both Lynne and your son."

"My son?" Kevin asked, tears forming in his emerald green eyes once again.

"I’m sorry. I thought you knew" the doctor said, regretful that he had told Kevin the sex of the baby without Lynne’s approval.

Kevin wiped a tear from his cheek and smiled. "Is he going to be okay? Is it too early to deliver him?"

"We like to wait as long as we can to ensure the baby’s lungs are developed, but Lynne is due in two weeks so the baby should be fine, providing his condition doesn’t deteriorate in the next twelve hours."

"Why would that happen?" Kevin asked, now worried more than ever.

"Toxemia is a pregnancy induced hypertension disorder. Lynne’s blood pressure is elevated a lot more than I would prefer and her body is retaining fluid and causing her to swell. This isn’t good for her or the baby. You may have thought that she passed out in there earlier, but in actuality, she had a seizure due to the toxemia."

Frantic at the sound of the doctors words, Kevin asked, "A seizure? Is she okay? Why hasn’t she regained consciousness?"

"As long as we can keep her blood pressure in control, she should be fine. Sometimes the body heals itself by what we call a ‘deep sleep’ or a self induced coma."

"Coma?" Kevin all but screamed.

Resting his hand on Kevin’s shoulder for reassurance, the doctor continued.

"I’m expecting her to wake up at anytime now. When I have evaluated her and I feel the time is right, I want to due a cesarean section and take the baby to prevent any further complications."

Kevin buried his face in his hands, trying to make sense of all that he was being told. "When will you know the time is right and isn’t that dangerous, doing surgery on her in this condition?"

"We are monitoring both her and the baby closely, Kevin. I promise you, I will not let anything happen to her. Surgery is always risky but we will have a wonderful team of doctors and anesthesiologists present to make sure that she is just fine. You can even be in the delivery room if you would like."

Kevin perked up, a smile returning to his face. "I can? Will she be awake?"

The doctor laughed, seeing the enthusiasm on Kevin’s face. "Yes, you can and as long as her vitals are good, she will be awake. We can’t have mom missing out on the most important time in her life, now can we?"

Kevin stood and made his way back to the window, looking in on her still form. "Can I go in and be with her?"

"By all means. I’ll be in and out monitoring her progress. Let me know if you need anything."

Kevin shook the older man’s hand and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Doc."

"No problem, son. In the meantime, maybe you should call some of your family and hers as well. I think it would be good to have some support here."

Kevin thought about what the doctor had said and took out his cell phone and began to place his calls. Michelle was first on the list, knowing that she would notify the rest of Lynne’s family.

Next was his mom. God, he had so much to tell her. She was going to be a grandmother once again and he knew that she would be ecstatic. Last but not least, he called Howie. However, all he got was his answering machine. He left his message explaining what was going on and then went back to Lynne’s room and sat beside her, stroking her hand lovingly.

"I love you, Lynne. The doctor says everything is going to be just fine and I know in my heart that he is right. All I ask is that you fight, fight hard for me and our son."

For the next hour, Kevin sat at Lynne’s bedside, holding her hand and thinking about their future together.

Laying his head on her thigh, he began to sing softly. Suddenly he felt her run her fingers through his hair.

"Kev?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Hey baby" he said as positive as he could. "You gave me quite a scare."

Tears began to form in her eyes. "Is the baby okay?"

With a proud smile, Kevin said, "He’s fine, Lynne. Don’t worry."

"You know," she said quietly.

"Yeah – the doctor let it slip."

Wiping the tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks, she stared deep into his eyes for a long time before gathering the strength to speak. "I hope he looks like you. Your dark hair, your beautiful green eyes and genuine smile."

"He’s going to be perfect no matter who he looks like."

"I missed you, Kev."

Kevin leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "I know, baby. I missed you too."

"What do we do now?" she asked, scared that she might have destroyed her chances of a life with Kevin, despite his affection to her.

"First we have this baby and then we get married and work on the next one."

"Next one?" she laughed. "I think not, Richardson!"

Caressing her cheek, he said, "It’s okay. Let’s have this baby tonight and then we can talk about his brothers and sisters later. Deal?"

"Deal" she huffed as another labor pain wracked her body, causing her to sit upright in the bed and grab her stomach.

"What can I do to help?" he asked as panic once again set in.

Lynne didn’t answer as she continued to try and control her breathing like she had learned in Lamaze class. Instead, she reached for Kevin’s hand and squeezed tightly. When the contraction had passed, she relaxed her grip and sank back against the pillows on the bed. "Damn that hurt!"

"I’m going to get the doctor" Kevin said, his face pale. "I’ll be right back."

Chapter 85       Index