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Author's Chapter Notes:
Soooo here's chapter 22. Please let me know what you thought!
Chapter Twenty-Two: When It All Falls Down



Everything was a blur for Nick and Alyssa. They’d been whisked off to the maternity ward that was on a different level than the waiting room. Alyssa settled herself on the bed and Nick sat at her bedside holding onto her hand as she gritted her teeth through the contractions. She couldn’t believe what was happening. She was only six months along she couldn’t be in labor could she?



Nick kissed her forehead giving her some ice chips to chomp on. “I love you…” He said trying to look useful.



Alyssa sighed a little and closed her eyes as they pressed their foreheads together. There was a knock at the door and Mary entered. “Hey sweetie.” She began going over to the other side. “They paged Dr. Petrarch for you. She should be here in about twenty minutes.” She explained brushing a few stray strands away from Alyssa’s forehead. She looked away getting a worried look on her face.



“Momma…” Alyssa replied seeing the fear grace her mother’s brow. “I’m gonna be okay.”



Mary looked up at her daughter and teared up. “When it rains it pours right?” She remarked looking at her hands as the nurse walked in and inserted and IV into Alyssa’s hand making her wince at the slight pain. Mary stood there looking helpless, not only one but both of her girls were in the hospital this night and it was only two o’clock in the morning. She felt in the pit of her stomach, this uneasy feeling about all the occurrences and tragedy that had happened in the past few hours. She looked at Nick who was clutching Alyssa’s hand a worried distraught expression gracing his normally happy face. She felt horrible for him, to have his own mother treat him, his fiancée and her own grandchild with such disdain was completely despicable to her. “So how are you feeling my darling?”



Alyssa grinned, “I’m all right I suppose, early labor and all is a real bitch.”



“The contractions are the worst. Just breathe and find a focal point that you can focus on, and Nick try to distract her and make sure she breathes please.”



Nick nodded and placed a hand on Mary’s, “I promise I’ll take good care of her.” He reassured.



She grinned a little and sighed, “And I can’t wait to hold my grand baby. He’ll be beautiful I’m sure of it. Even though he’ll need serious medical attention for a while since he’s so early.”



“I have a feeling this one is a real fighter.” Alyssa replied giving her mom a soft grin. She watched her Mother’s face grow pensive for a moment then changed in favor of a grin.



Mary kissed her daughter’s head and gave Nick a reassuring glance before excusing herself from the room passing a nurse with an ultrasound machine. She hooked it up and moved Alyssa’s gown to the side rolling it over her stomach. “Sorry about all this but since you’re already dilated quite a bit and you’re still only six months along Dr. Petrarch ordered another ultrasound for you.” She said reassuringly to Alyssa. “Hmm…the heartbeat is…rather weak.”



“Yeah he has a heart defect.”



“Hmm it’s very weak even more so than it would be with a heart defect and it’s slowing down from earlier when we checked. That could mean the baby’s in more distress than we thought. I’ll take this to Dr. Petrarch and see what she has to say.” She said leaving the room. Nick and Alyssa exchanged worried glances and Nick squeezed her hand knowing that no matter what he’d be there by her side.



******************************
Alyssa Narrating:



Distress?



Oh God. What did I do to deserve this? Noah’s in distress, I’m scared, my own sister almost died!? I can’t begin to understand why so much tragedy surrounds my life. Collin, my dad, Olivia and now this? I’m beginning to feel like a jinx. But I know I’m going to get through this, I always do, I have my dark moments but I’ve come through that. And now I’m going to be a mom. The next few months are going to be so tough, especially if Noah comes tonight, which let’s face it my water broke, he’s being born on July 25th, 2007. He’s got a heart defect, is in distress, I’m not an idiot he’s going to be in intensive care until he’s ready and healthy enough to come home.



I must remain positive about all of this, it’s going to be okay, I know it, it has to be.



When I saw Olivia in the hospital bed. I must admit I was relieved. It was so emotionally taxing sitting in that waiting room, not knowing if she’d be okay. It was devastating to even imagine only in the hypothetical sense what life would be like without Olivia in it. It’d be a hell of a lot less funny that’s for damn sure. She always makes everything funny, even when we were kids if Clark or I were down about something, it was Olivia to the rescue! She was always there to make us laugh and remind us that she cared. So life without her? It’d be barely tolerable. I got a taste of that back when she was in college and I was in high school. After Collin died I didn’t really have anyone I could talk to and relate to. And after I came home that summer….hooo boy did Ollie want to kill me. Mainly because she found out that not only was I a cutter, and a pot smoker but that I tried to kill myself. She was so upset and frustrated at me.



And really she had every right to be. I was so messed up back then. Losing Collin, and Dad being sick was just horrible and I couldn’t deal with it. So I smoked pot, cut school to get high. I know it may seem that hey I’ve got my shit together, but that’s only because I had the most amazing people in my life. My siblings, and parents and Kellie and Lori pulled an intervention on me, and when I didn’t respond to them my father shipped me off to Nick.



That summer…



I learned so much about myself, about Nick. I realize now looking back that he loved me so much enough to be destroyed when I was hurting so much. He made me see that I needed him. And I think I need him now more than ever in my life. To be by my side every step of the way. And I have this feeling in my gut, aside from the horrid contractions, that I’m going to need him to be everything to me for the next few months as we struggle with Noah. I’m so worried, I must admit. It’s so horrible to realize that your son, the baby who you helped create and nurture in your body for months, is coming way ahead of schedule and you won’t even be able to hold him until he’s strong enough.



That’s going to be so hard. To sit and watch him in a hospital bed and not be able to hold him, until he’s strong enough. I think that’s really cruel to do to a mother, say okay here’s your baby but you can’t touch him yet, he’s not strong enough because you let your life get in the way and stressed yourself out too much. I realize now that I should have slowed down faster, I should have just laid around and got fat. But what nobody seems to understand is that’s me.



I can’t just sit idly by while things happen, it’s never been the way I am and never will it be. Like the show for example, that was a whirlwind drama fest. Every five minutes it seemed to be something new between the siblings. And honestly I found myself more often than not being the peacemaker. Nick definitely changed though, he’s not as angry as he was before and was much more passive aggressive than anything. Especially when it came to Aaron. Anytime Aaron was a total jerk Nick would make a wiseass comment to him and put him in his place. Then I’d come along and be like “Aaron come on you’re an adult now it’s time to start acting like it.”



The whole experience was just so completely surreal and heady that I can’t even really begin to describe it. I just hope that I didn’t come off like a bitch to the siblings. Because honestly I love them, almost as much as I love Nick. I mean they are going to be my siblings after all. And now aunts and an uncle to this baby, Noah. They’ve been so thrilled about Nick and I having a baby, let alone a Carter boy. Aaron and Nick were so happy with that announcement, just because they have so many women already in their family I’m assuming the wanted to make sure that they’d get enough men to balance ‘em all out.



That’s another reason why I’m so worried. What if something happens, will they blame me? I would definitely blame myself, I’m the main reason why I’m laying here in this hospital bed while Nick tries ardently to make himself feel useful. I stressed out way too much, and I should have just relaxed and eased into this pregnancy, instead, I do what I always do, I obsess to the point where I nearly have an ulcer, in this case, where I go into early labor.



So now, what am I going to do?



End Narration
************************************



“Hello Alyssa, how are you feeling?” Dr. Petrarch asked sincerely as she walked into the room.



Alyssa groaned and grimaced feeling the contractions coming closer and closer together. “What’s happening Dr. Petrarch?”



“Well your son is in distress, and so are you. We’re going to perform an emergency c-section to save him and you. If you were to naturally give birth the stress on your body might make you go into heart failure and also the baby being so young may not survive either. So I think it’s best all around if we go in and get him out now.” She explained making Nick take a few deep breaths, just the mere thought of Alyssa or their son in danger made him feel sick to his stomach. No he couldn’t lose them could he?



Alyssa saw the pained look on Nicks face and squeezed his hand. “I love you.” She whispered.



Nick looked up to her face and grinned weakly. “I love you too. I’m going to go to the waiting room really quick and let everyone know what’s going to happen.” He suggested.



Dr. Petrarch grinned and handed him a set of surgical scrubs. “Before you do that change into these all right? I’m sure you want to be there when your first son is born.” She offered with a smile.



Nick took the scrubs and changed into them quickly in the bathroom in the room. Then came out making Alyssa cat call a little, “Look at you, my very own personal Dr. McDreamy!” She joked making him smile for just a moment. “Come on baby it’s gonna be okay. We’ll make it through this.”



He pressed his lips to hers in a lingering kiss. He sighed pulling away. “I love you too, I’ll be back in a few minutes, don’t start without me.” He said leaving the room. He went to the elevators and down into the waiting room again seeing them all there. Not just Alyssa’s family, but his own, his siblings, and the fellas had all arrived with their significant others as well as Baylee and Mason.



“Well look at you.” Kellie said giving Nick a hug.



Nick sighed seeing everyone there, “They’re going to do an emergency c-section.”



Mary covered her face and tried to gather her strength, “Keep her safe.”



“I’ll try my best.” Nick replied giving Mary a firm hug. He turned and left the room seeing Alyssa come out of the elevator just in time to see Nick coming back. “It’s time?”



“Yeah they’re taking me to the OR now.” She said as everyone came up to the bed having heard her voice. “Hi…”



“We’ll be praying for you darling.” Mary said clutching her rosary in her hands, she’d always been a woman of faith even when Alyssa was small. She held great stock in her faith and hoped that it would be enough to get them through the night.



The nurses and Nick went into the operating room and continued to prep Alyssa for surgery. They numbed her lower half just enough so she wouldn’t have any large amount of pain when they did the operation. Nick stood at her side near her head holding onto her hand. Dr. Petrarch came in moments later and began the final preparations. She began slowly cutting an incision in Alyssa’s lower abdomen as they began work on getting little baby Noah out. Alyssa winced and sighed as Nick looked on. He watched her face making sure she’d be all right. “Okay, I see him…” Dr. Petrarch announced. “He’s got the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and isn’t breathing well.” She said as she pulled him out. She unwrapped the cord and handed Nick a pair of scissors, “You ready Dad?” She asked.



Shakily he clipped the umbilical cord away from Noah’s naval and he was whisked away. “He’s not breathing on his own…” One of the nurses replied, “We need to intibate him.” She added. Nick’s face grew worried and he clutched onto Alyssa’s hand.



“Doctor, there’s a tear in her uterus.” One of the other doctors replied.



“Is she okay?” Nick asked worried.



Dr. Petrarch looked up with a concerned glance. “She’s bleeding out. We’ll need to do emergency surgery.”



“Her heart beat is slowing.” A nurse called out to Dr. Petrarch.



Nick glanced to Alyssa whose face was white as a ghost and her hand became weak against his. “Baby are you okay?” He asked seeing her eyes begin to close. “Alyssa! Stay with me…” He added sternly making her look up at him.



"Nick...ss..some thing is...wrong.." She said as her breathing became shallower and shallower and tilted her head to the side closing her eyes. The entire thing moved in slow motion as Nick looked up and watched in horror as the monitor that beeped in time with her heart slowed into one continuous line.








As always feedback is the best inspiration!!
Chapter End Notes:
Thank you to Tri and Mel for all their support this chapter!