Chapter 88
After being served the papers, Tyler became extremely paranoid of EVERYONE she didn’t know, which included the nursing staff. She wouldn’t let anyone near Scott no matter how much Kevin tried to reassure her. What he ended up having to do was when Tyler went to sleep, he or Howie would take Scott to the nursery.
This worked several times, until complications set in. The morning before Tyler and Scott were to be released, Kevin noticed that Scott was having difficulty breathing and he wouldn’t nurse.
"Baby, we should let the nurses see Scott," said Kevin as Tyler held him close.
"NO! Scott’s not leaving my sight."
"Then walk with me, baby. Something’s wrong with him and he hasn’t been nursing very well."
Tyler was in denial and said, "He just wasn’t very hungry, that’s all."
Frustrated, Kevin knew he’d have to make a stand and risk making Tyler mad. "Tyler, I’m going to take Scott to the nursery. He’s having difficulty breathing and he hasn’t eaten well the last two times."
"No! You’re not taking MY son anywhere, Kevin."
Kevin saw the fear in Tyler’s eyes and his heart broke. He sat beside her on the bed brushing her cheek with his hand. Speaking softly, Kevin said, "He’s my son too, baby, and I’m not going to let anything happen to him. He’ll be perfectly safe in the nursery and they need to check him out. I’ll go with him and stay with him."
That panicked Tyler even more. "NO! Don’t leave me, Kevin."
"Baby, come with me. That way, you can stay with Scott," coaxed Kevin. He hated seeing Tyler like this because it always made him feel helpless. He wanted to make things right for her but he never knew what to say or do.
"We can go in the nursery with him?"
"Yeah, baby. You can stay with him...and I can stay with you."
Unsure, Tyler asked, "You won’t leave us?"
"No, baby! Never," said Kevin tenderly.
Kevin took Scott from Tyler’s arms noticing that his lips were a pale shade of blue. His heart skipped a beat and he wanted to hurry. He set Scott in the bassinet and went back to help Tyler. She was still moving slow and needed his help. He slipped her bathrobe on her and gave her a kiss.
In the nursery, the first nurse gathered Scott in her arms and called for immediate help as she asked, "How long ago did you notice problems?"
Kevin said, "He hasn’t nursed well the last two times. And the last time Tyler tried to nurse, I noticed he was having trouble breathing."
Scott was taken immediately to an examining room while a nurse paged the pediatrician. The first nurse ushered them to an area where they could watch but were out of the way.
Tyler looked up at Kevin, "What’s happening, Kevin?"
Kevin looked down at her and saw a helpless child standing beside him. "I don’t know, baby. They’ll tell us as soon as they know something," answered Kevin as he wrapped his arms around Tyler pulling her close to him. She welcomed Kevin’s embrace and rested her head against his chest.
The couple stood watching as the nurses examined Scott and then the doctor came in to do the same. It was apparent that something was terribly wrong but no one was saying anything.
It seemed like forever but the doctor finally turned to Kevin and Tyler. "Let’s go back to your room where we can talk."
"Can we take our son?" asked Kevin.
"I’m afraid not right now. I want to run some tests and keep him where we can observe him."
Tyler said softly but firmly, "I’m not leaving my baby."
"Mrs. Richardson, you have no choice. I want to put him in isolation for now. Once we know what we’re dealing with, you’ll be able to see him."
The doctor was shielding Tyler’s view of what was being done to Scott but with his height, Kevin could easily see the nurses placing Scott in an incubator and preparing an IV. Calmly, he said, "Tyler, Scott’s getting the best care. Come on and let’s go."
Looking into Kevin’s emerald eyes, Tyler said stubbornly, "I AM NOT LEAVING MY SON."
Kevin looked at the doctor who shook his head that there was no way Tyler could stay. Kevin knew Tyler wasn’t going to give in and again, he’d have to risk making her mad. He scooped Tyler up in his arms. "This in NOT the time for you to be stubborn. You’re going back to your room."
Tyler was still too weak to fight Kevin not to mention, he had a pretty strong hold on her. She gave in putting her head on his shoulder as he carried her back to her room.
The doctor followed them to the room and watched as Kevin gently set Tyler on the bed. Kevin then sat beside her and looked at the doctor.
"What’s wrong with our son?"
"His lungs are extremely congested and the blue tint to his lips suggests that he’s not getting enough oxygen. I don’t want to say what the problem is right now until I can run some tests on him. I’ve ordered chest x-rays along with oxygen."
"I saw them preparing an IV."
"To get fluids in him. He’s dehydrated. Once we know what we’re dealing with, it will also allow us to administer medications."
"My wife was nursing him."
"She can express her milk for now."
"How long are we talking about? We were suppose to leave tomorrow to
continue with our tour."
The doctor looked at Kevin. "Mr. Richardson, I can’t give you a time line
but my suggestion would be at least six weeks. That’s how long your wife is
going to need to recover as well. I know that I’ll be holding your son AT
LEAST forty-eight hours."
Tyler had remained silent the entire time as if in shock but now asked softly, "Can I hold him?"
"For now, no direct contact. You’ll be able to touch him through the incubator. I want to go back now and get started on what I need to do to find out what the problem is. I will keep you posted."
"Thank you, Dr. Terry," said Kevin.
Kevin shook the doctor’s hand as he said, "I know this is tough but I’ll do the best I can."
"I have no doubt about that," said Kevin. "I have one more question. Could we have prevented this by leaving him in the nursery?’
"No. Don’t punish yourself by second guessing. Given your popularity and the number of young girls gathered outside the hospital day and night, you did the right thing to keeping him with you."
"Thank you."
As Dr. Terry was leaving, Howie, Kryss, and Tiffany arrived to visit. Howie saw Tyler and looked around for Scott. He looked to Kevin, "What’s wrong?"
Holding Tyler close, Kevin proceeded to tell them about Scott. As he spoke, tears streamed down his cheeks and into Tyler’s hair and his voice faltered.
Howie rushed out of the room and down to the nursery. He stood staring in the window at his godson. He saw the little boy in the incubator with the oxygen tube taped to his little face and the tubes for the IV running from his legs. Howie felt a sudden surge of helplessness and began to cry uncontrollably.
A hand rested on his shoulder and Howie turned to find a red-eyed Kevin behind him. The two men embraced and Howie said, "Tyler can’t see him like this."
Kevin shook his head, "No, not yet."
