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Jul. 1st, 2010 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Guppy takes less than half an hour, and most of that is because the queue is long. He grabs a tub of Double Chocolate Fudge ice cream while he's there, since that's another craving of hers. He heads back to the house quickly, hoping it won't melt too much.
As he opens the door, things don't look quite right. The phone is on the floor, the cordless part a little way away. Suspecting the cat, he picks it up and puts it back on the table where it belongs, then reaches down to pick up the handset.
There's blood on it. A bloody handprint. A tiny little Alex-sized bloody handprint.
He drops it on the table and runs into the living room. No Frogspawn, no Alex, and blood on the carpet. Calling for them, he makes a run around the house to check they aren't still in there somewhere, then runs back to the hallway. The maternity bag is gone.
His mobile rings, and he fumbles for it in his pockets, his hands shaking, but manages to answer it.
"Frogs, I just got home, are you okay?"
"Guppy?" The voice is a man's, and it's familiar. "It's Jeff, we've just picked Fran up and we're taking her to St James' Hospital. She's had a bleed but she's stable."
"Have you got Alex with you?" Guppy asks, sitting down on the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes, he's sitting on my knee and he's fine." Jeff says. "Look mate, keep calm and make your way here, and I'll fill you in when you get here."
Guppy ends the call, grabs his coat again and runs out the house. He tries to get into the car, but keeps dropping his keys, so decides that he's probably too panicked to drive. So instead he sprints the five or so minutes to the hospital.
He knows his way around - he used to work there, after all - so heads straight for Resus. He can see her through the door, so goes in and approaches her.
"Guppy, you need to stand back for a minute." His former boss and one time girlfriend stops him getting any closer. "We're getting fluids into her and the bleeding is slowing down, but we're about to take her up to theatre for an emergency caesarean."
"Please, someone just tell me what happened!" Guppy pleads. "Is she going to be okay, is the baby okay?"
"The placenta is over the cervix, as you know, and it started to bleed. She will be fine, the baby is currently okay but is starting to show signs of distress. Please go and see your son while we prep her for theatre; we'll call you as soon as we're starting."
Guppy follows one of the nurses to where Dixie and Jeff have been looking after Alex, in the Relatives' Room. Alex is under the table, curled up and rocking. Dixie is trying to coax him out with a Bob the Builder toy.
"Thanks for looking after them." Guppy says to his former colleagues, crouching next to the table. "Fran's about to have a caesarean, are you able to keep an eye on him for a little while? He's probably going to be doing that for a bit." He digs in his pockets. "I'll call his Grandma and ask her to come pick him up."
"No problem Guppy." Jeff nods. "He was a bit scared when we came in but we got him sorted. He called the ambulance, you know."
Guppy stops mid dial, momentarily stunned. Then crouches down further to Alex's level.
"Good job Fry." he says softly.
They reassure him that Alex will be fine with them. Guppy thanks them again, and sprints up to the maternity department. He gets through to Frogspawn's mother and asks her to come and look after Alex. For once, the woman agrees without any fuss.
He hurriedly changes into scrubs. Frogspawn is just being anaesthetised as he gets to the theatre; not enough time to have the spinal anaesthetic. She smiles weakly and takes his hand, and as she goes to sleep, he strokes her hair and tells her how much he loves her. Then steps back to let the team intubate her and wheel her through into theatre.
It's a lot simpler than the one he had to perform on Mike a few days ago, with no magic involved for a start. Within a couple of minutes of starting, he sees the gush of liquid as the surgeon enters the amniotic sack. Seconds later, the surgeon is lifting the baby out head first.
"And we have a little girl." he announces, passing her over to the paediatrician bearing a towel. After what seems like forever but can only be about ten seconds, the baby lets wail a very indignant cry. Guppy cranes his head to look at her, as doctors check her anxiously.
"Is she okay? Can I hold her?"
"She's a bit small, she'll have to go to SCBU." the doctor says. "But you can for a moment, yes."
The paediatrician gets Guppy to sit down, and passes his new daughter over to him. She's tiny, if not as tiny as Alex. Amazing that a month will make such a difference. He has to smile at her expression of displeasure at such a dramatic exit from the nice comfy womb.
"Have you got a name for her?" the midwife asks, peering over his shoulder.
"Coral." Guppy says. "Coral Antonia Sandhu."
He looks back at Frogspawn. "Have you managed to stop the bleeding?"
"Yes, the placenta is out and the bleeding has been stopped." the surgeon confirms. "She'll feel a bit weak for a bit but she should be okay now."
Guppy breathes. His girls are okay. His little boy is okay. Now he can celebrate becoming a father again.
"Actually, bizarrely enough this may have been in their favour." The surgeon continues. "It looks like before the bleed, the placenta had already started to fail. If the bleed hadn't alerted us, we might not have known that."
"But she's okay?" Guppy asks, looking up at the paediatrician.
"Nothing to suggest she isn't okay." the paediatrician confirms. "She's early but she looks very well."
He doesn't want to let Coral go, but the doctors whisk her straight off to the special care baby unit, so he stays to be with Frogspawn as she wakes up. A text informs him that Alex has been picked up by his grandparents. Now he only has to split himself in two directions at once...
In one universe, he intervened and stopped it.
In one universe, he stayed home that night.
In one universe, she didn't bleed.
In one universe, silently, the placenta failed.
In one universe, she wasn't born.
But in this universe, it worked out in the end.
As he opens the door, things don't look quite right. The phone is on the floor, the cordless part a little way away. Suspecting the cat, he picks it up and puts it back on the table where it belongs, then reaches down to pick up the handset.
There's blood on it. A bloody handprint. A tiny little Alex-sized bloody handprint.
He drops it on the table and runs into the living room. No Frogspawn, no Alex, and blood on the carpet. Calling for them, he makes a run around the house to check they aren't still in there somewhere, then runs back to the hallway. The maternity bag is gone.
His mobile rings, and he fumbles for it in his pockets, his hands shaking, but manages to answer it.
"Frogs, I just got home, are you okay?"
"Guppy?" The voice is a man's, and it's familiar. "It's Jeff, we've just picked Fran up and we're taking her to St James' Hospital. She's had a bleed but she's stable."
"Have you got Alex with you?" Guppy asks, sitting down on the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes, he's sitting on my knee and he's fine." Jeff says. "Look mate, keep calm and make your way here, and I'll fill you in when you get here."
Guppy ends the call, grabs his coat again and runs out the house. He tries to get into the car, but keeps dropping his keys, so decides that he's probably too panicked to drive. So instead he sprints the five or so minutes to the hospital.
He knows his way around - he used to work there, after all - so heads straight for Resus. He can see her through the door, so goes in and approaches her.
"Guppy, you need to stand back for a minute." His former boss and one time girlfriend stops him getting any closer. "We're getting fluids into her and the bleeding is slowing down, but we're about to take her up to theatre for an emergency caesarean."
"Please, someone just tell me what happened!" Guppy pleads. "Is she going to be okay, is the baby okay?"
"The placenta is over the cervix, as you know, and it started to bleed. She will be fine, the baby is currently okay but is starting to show signs of distress. Please go and see your son while we prep her for theatre; we'll call you as soon as we're starting."
Guppy follows one of the nurses to where Dixie and Jeff have been looking after Alex, in the Relatives' Room. Alex is under the table, curled up and rocking. Dixie is trying to coax him out with a Bob the Builder toy.
"Thanks for looking after them." Guppy says to his former colleagues, crouching next to the table. "Fran's about to have a caesarean, are you able to keep an eye on him for a little while? He's probably going to be doing that for a bit." He digs in his pockets. "I'll call his Grandma and ask her to come pick him up."
"No problem Guppy." Jeff nods. "He was a bit scared when we came in but we got him sorted. He called the ambulance, you know."
Guppy stops mid dial, momentarily stunned. Then crouches down further to Alex's level.
"Good job Fry." he says softly.
They reassure him that Alex will be fine with them. Guppy thanks them again, and sprints up to the maternity department. He gets through to Frogspawn's mother and asks her to come and look after Alex. For once, the woman agrees without any fuss.
He hurriedly changes into scrubs. Frogspawn is just being anaesthetised as he gets to the theatre; not enough time to have the spinal anaesthetic. She smiles weakly and takes his hand, and as she goes to sleep, he strokes her hair and tells her how much he loves her. Then steps back to let the team intubate her and wheel her through into theatre.
It's a lot simpler than the one he had to perform on Mike a few days ago, with no magic involved for a start. Within a couple of minutes of starting, he sees the gush of liquid as the surgeon enters the amniotic sack. Seconds later, the surgeon is lifting the baby out head first.
"And we have a little girl." he announces, passing her over to the paediatrician bearing a towel. After what seems like forever but can only be about ten seconds, the baby lets wail a very indignant cry. Guppy cranes his head to look at her, as doctors check her anxiously.
"Is she okay? Can I hold her?"
"She's a bit small, she'll have to go to SCBU." the doctor says. "But you can for a moment, yes."
The paediatrician gets Guppy to sit down, and passes his new daughter over to him. She's tiny, if not as tiny as Alex. Amazing that a month will make such a difference. He has to smile at her expression of displeasure at such a dramatic exit from the nice comfy womb.
"Have you got a name for her?" the midwife asks, peering over his shoulder.
"Coral." Guppy says. "Coral Antonia Sandhu."
He looks back at Frogspawn. "Have you managed to stop the bleeding?"
"Yes, the placenta is out and the bleeding has been stopped." the surgeon confirms. "She'll feel a bit weak for a bit but she should be okay now."
Guppy breathes. His girls are okay. His little boy is okay. Now he can celebrate becoming a father again.
"Actually, bizarrely enough this may have been in their favour." The surgeon continues. "It looks like before the bleed, the placenta had already started to fail. If the bleed hadn't alerted us, we might not have known that."
"But she's okay?" Guppy asks, looking up at the paediatrician.
"Nothing to suggest she isn't okay." the paediatrician confirms. "She's early but she looks very well."
He doesn't want to let Coral go, but the doctors whisk her straight off to the special care baby unit, so he stays to be with Frogspawn as she wakes up. A text informs him that Alex has been picked up by his grandparents. Now he only has to split himself in two directions at once...
In one universe, he intervened and stopped it.
In one universe, he stayed home that night.
In one universe, she didn't bleed.
In one universe, silently, the placenta failed.
In one universe, she wasn't born.
But in this universe, it worked out in the end.