Compromised, page 34
part #1 of MetroGen Forbidden Love Duets Series
No. Not okay. He could be upset about the other guys. She’d taken responsibility for it and would accept her lumps.
He could not talk about her sister.
Kayla leaned forward and tapped the seat of the driver. “Stop the car.”
The driver immediately pulled off to the side. She wrenched the door open.
“What are you doing?” Steadman was stunned.
“What does it look like?” Kayla got out and slammed the door, disappearing into the passersby.
Her phone rang, flashing Steadman’s number, and she kept walking.
Chapter 62
In celebration of her mandatory not-suspension, pending trial, Angela got to attend Stella’s baby shower.
Word hadn’t spread yet of Angela’s disgrace because the attention was on Stella and the still unknown father of the baby. Angela also hoped no emergency surgeries were needed, because it seemed like every single scrub tech and nurse from MetroGen had come to drink mimosas and gossip.
The catering staff had gone home after cleaning up, and the four doctors were left hanging out with extra cookies, drinks, and a massive pile of presents.
“Who needs another?” Elizabeth brought over three pink mimosas. “They drank all the blue ones!”
“I’m good,” Angela waved her away. “I’m driving.”
The sky had gotten darker, and she vaguely thought she’d heard mention of an afternoon summer storm.
“Oh, come on!” Kayla slurred and took two of the glasses. “Three cheers for the party of bad sexual decisions!”
Stella sat down with a bottle of water and took a sip. “The baby games were fun. I don’t think I’m naming my child ABCDE, but it was nice of them to vote it as their favorite.”
Kayla downed her glass. “Baby Magi-slash-question-mark got tons of stuff. What will you do with eight car seats and five pack and plays?”
“Quit my job and run a daycare?” Stella said.
“No way. If anyone’s going to run a daycare because they’re unemployed, it’s me,” Angela said.
“You also made poor romantic decisions,” drunk Kayla said and picked up a pile of new baby clothes. “You have plenty of new choices for your future, just like Baby-No-Daddy. He/she/it can be a firefighter, surgeon, pastry chef, astronaut, or cowboy.”
“Is cowboy a job these days?” Angela asked.
“You’ll beat the rap, Angie. It sucks I had to report you,” Kayla slurred. “What you do in your free time is your business. Problem is the mandatory bylaws and reporting, especially since it happened in the hospital.”
“What Kayla is trying to say is we understand. Not one of us can say we’ve never made a sketchy romantic decision. My department chief’s ex-husband, almost divorced surgeon, whose mom is sleeping with your bio-dad, three different possible baby dad’s in three different departments,” Eliza said.
“My decisions are way worse than yours.” Stella nibbled on a blue frosted scalpel shaped cookie. “And, good job snagging Bachelor Eleven. He’s hot, and he dances.”
“Very hot. And old,” Kayla agreed. “Still, the dinosaurs are mad about it. One small ethical and professionalism violation and now she’s gonna be on trial.”
“You aren’t making me feel better.” Angela sighed and checked her watch. Michael, who she wasn’t supposed to be seeing, would be midway through his ER shift by now. He was on probation, but hadn’t been pulled off his rotation. After all, he was the victim of Angela’s predatory behavior.
“I don’t think she was trying to. What you need is a better strategy.” Stella took a pink rattle cookie. “Why are the pink ones rattles? Why can’t they be scalpels or retractors?”
“Umm, the cookie makers are misogynists? I found pink pelvic speculums, which were too gross to buy,” Kayla said.
“Hey,” Eliza batted the cookie away from Stella. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Eating a cookie because I’m pregnant and hungry,” Stella complained, and there was a flash of lightning outside.
“You just ate a cookie. Impaired glucose tolerance of gestational diabetes is no one’s friend,” Eliza said.
“I passed my test. So let me eat a damn cookie, or I might eat you next!” Stella bent over to get another cookie. Eliza slapped her hand out of the way. “Oww!”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you that hard,” Eliza said.
“You didn’t. Umm…” Thunder rumbled, and Stella straightened up, eyes wide. “My water broke.”
“No, it didn’t. No playing,” Kayla denied.
Stella stood, her chair and skirt were wet. “Yes, it did.”
“Scottie, grab the delivery bag and some towels!” Eliza called to her kids upstairs and drank the remaining mimosa.
“Let me drive!” Kayla volunteered and staggered toward the door.
“You are very drunk. So no.” Eliza said. “Angie, you’re in.”
The wind picked up as the kids handed over the delivery bag and the towels. Taussig tagged along at their heels, sniffing the new puddle of water on the kitchen floor.
“Also gross,” Kayla said, dropping one towel on the fluid.
“The delivery bag has her overnight stuff and a bunch of delivery supplies in case you have to deliver her in the car,” Eliza instructed Angela.
“Why would I deliver her in the car?” Angela asked.
“It’s like the Boy Scouts. Always be prepared,” Eliza said.
“And Winter is coming, and a Lannister always pays his debts,” Kayla chimed in. “So take my car.”
Kayla had a Charger. “It has better handling?”
“No, the Rolls-Royce,” Kayla said.
Angela glanced outside at the expensive silver car, practically untouched. “You want me to take her in the Rolls? Are you sure we just can’t deliver her here?”
“Hell no,” Eliza said. “We’ll put towels in the front to protect the seats, and you’ll be fine.”
Kayla handed the keys over to Angela. “Daniel and I broke up. Scratch the paint if you want.”
“Wait, you didn’t tell me you broke up.”
“You got a lot happening right now. It seemed like a talk we’d have after you don’t get fired.” Kayla pointed at the Rolls. “So get going. Keep us updated on this epic delivery.”
“Is anyone going to say goodbye to me?” Stella asked.
“No, it’s your first baby, so labor should last several hours. We’ll be there long before then, after we’ve sobered up,” Eliza said.
“I refuse to sober up for the happy event,” Kayla said, escorting them out the door. “Can I call the dads?”
“No. We can wait. I want to have my epidural and my Beyonce level hair being done. Besides, they’re all working today.” Stella hissed. “Sorry, little contraction there. I didn’t want any of them to make a surprise visit to the shower.”
They strapped Stella into the passenger seat, and Angela set off against the gathering clouds.
In retrospect, Angela should have paid more attention to the weather report. The storm was worsening, but her brain was focused on getting Stella to the hospital.
It never occurred to her to turn on the radio. They were east bound on 71 when both of their cell phones let out a loud high-pitched warning of the local emergency system.
Tornado warning is in effect for East Cleveland. West Cleveland. University Heights. Euclid. Elyria. Lake County.
“Not good,” Stella said and then screamed. “Oww, it hurts.”
“Contraction?” Angela asked. The rain was falling in sheets and she wondered if it was a good idea to have taken the freeway.
“I stubbed my toe,” Stella said, “Of course it was a contraction!”
“This isn’t good,” Angela said, coming to a stop. The cars in front of her had their flashers on. Somewhere up ahead, there must have been an accident.
“Why are we stopping? Move to another lane,” Stella’s voice raised several pitches.
“There’s nowhere to go,” Angela said. “The rain is coming down pretty hard, so let’s just wait. Labor takes a long time.”
Chapter 63
It was the calm during a storm.
Not the calm before a storm.
During a storm.
Michael sat behind his desk in the doctor’s fishbowl of the MetroGen ER. Raj had worked the morning shift, and Michael came in for the afternoon to evening shift.
He hadn’t seen anything more exciting this afternoon than a minor ear infection. In general, Michael liked the ER. It usually had something exciting happening in it. His previous two shifts had involved a bedside chest tube placement and an inmate who liked swallowing nails.
However, the ER was marshaling its forces for its second mass casualty incident in two weeks. The TVs were on in the hallways where Candy Dulce had been pressed into service on reporting on the weather.
“Avoid windows. Stay indoors and shelter in the most central place in your home. This would include your hallways or bathrooms. Basements are excellent options.”
They’d shifted into a stay at home order of Level 3 due to a tornado warning. The injuries couldn’t be brought to the hospital until the ambulances were back on the road. Anything coming in right now would be on its own two feet.
Once the ambulances started rolling, it would be a different story.
Then the floodgates would open and the ER would be drowning in patients. They were prepping everything they could now, but it almost certainly wouldn’t be enough.
The phone on the desk rang next to him. Whoever was calling had bypassed the front desk and had the direct number to the doctors.
“MetroGen ER. How may I help you?” he answered.
“Michael? Is that you?” Angela asked, wind blowing in the background. “911 told us to sit tight.”
“Yes, are you okay? I thought you were at the baby shower.”
“I was, but now Stella and I are stuck in traffic on the freeway. Her water broke, and she’s in labor.”
“Oh, no.” Michael started writing. “How many weeks is she, and how far along are the contractions?”
“She’s 40-weeks along, we think. Long story. Her contractions are less than four minutes apart.”
There was screaming sounds.
“What was that?”
“A contraction. Her water broke over almost two hours ago. Traffic is at a standstill.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re Eastbound on 71 before Fulton.”
Michael waved Dr. Doyle over. “Sir, I have a patient in labor stuck in traffic on 71. Her water broke, and her contractions are three minutes apart.”
“First baby?” The red-headed attending asked.
“Yeah, it’s…” Michael decided it was best not to mention it was Stella Magi. It would certainly color Doyle’s decision making. “First baby. She’s in the car with a doctor.”
“Could be a plus. Instruct the doctor on how to check the cervix.” Doyle checked his pager. “Oh, the Fire Department says they’ll be back to on service very soon.”
“And if FD can’t get to them?”
“You already did OB, right? I’ll get a resident to help you talk them through a delivery in the car. Might have to use the back seat. Get their number in case you get disconnected.”
Michael already had Angela’s number so it wouldn’t be a problem. He went back to the call. “My attending recommends checking her cervix and said we can talk you through the delivery if we have to. The back seat would be the preferable place for delivery.”
“You tell Doyle it’ll be a cold day in Hell before I deliver in the back seat! I’m not picking him because of his terrible advice!” Stella Magi shouted. “I don’t care how many delivery supplies Eliza stole. No way!”
“Okay, so try to sit tight. I’m not checking her cervix in Kayla’s Rolls Royce. She’s still in her leggings, which I won’t get off in this space,” Angela told him.
The overhead announcement went off.
“The Level 3 weather emergency has been lifted. Prepare to receive patients.”
Around him, every phone rang, and the ER board began to change, filling with electronic pre arrivals.
“Angela, the fire department is back in service. Try 911 again to give them your location.”
“Okay. Michael, I—”
The phone cut off. “Angela?”
One of the residents ran by and tapped Michael’s shoulder. “Hey, someone brought in a banged up bicycle accident. Possible pelvic fracture. Meet me in Trauma 4.”
Chapter 64
Ten more minutes had passed and Angela attempted to unsuccessfully reach 911 and Michael in the hospital again.
“Angela, I don’t want to deliver in a car. I don’t care if it’s a Rolls-Royce and I’m ruining Steadman’s special present,” Stella told her.
Angela rolled her window down, as the rain had slackened off. Her ears weren’t lying. Those were sirens in the distance.
“Great,” Angela opened up her car door and got out. “Not as great.”
The rising and falling wind made the extent of the problem visible. They were stuck behind a massive pile up, including multiple burning cars. Several cars ahead, smoke outlined at least one involved tractor trailer.
“What’s not as great?” Stella moaned, opening her window. “Smoke.”
“But there’s an ambulance,” Angela pointed. “And it’s driving the wrong way down the exit ramp.”
“One whole ambulance?”
Angela ran around the side of the car and opened Stella’s door. “We’re leaving on that ambulance.”
“Are you serious? Do you not see what’s in front of us?” Stella hung onto her seatbelt.
“They’re going to set up a triage at the front of the scene. We need to get there first.”
“Why do you think they’ll take us?”
“It’s our best shot. You’re two people to be rescued right now. Besides, I read the number on the ambulance. It’s from Firehouse 15.
“And it means something to me because?”
“Dr. Jacob Carver works there, and I hear they’re not going to want to deliver you in the field. Plus, they’re on my list of people who owe me favors.”
“They didn’t do you any favors when they spilled the beans.”
“Do you want to deliver in this car?” Angela grabbed the bag Eliza had given them.
“Hell no,” Stella heaved her body into Angela’s waiting arms. “I swear, I’m never doing this again.”
Angela looped Stella’s arm over her shoulders, and they began picking their way through the mess of cars and smoke.
It was slow going, and there was time for two fire trucks to arrive and unload. The captain had the bullhorn for announcements. Medic 19 unloaded three firefighters onto the scene, parking next to Medic 15.
“Help!” yelled Angela, her words also a cough. “Her water broke. She’s forty weeks pregnant and in active labor. Her contractions are three minutes apart.”
Stella screamed, “I am not delivering in the field!”
“This is Dr. Stella Magi. She’s an ENT at MetroGen. She had a baby shower this morning,” Angela told them.
“Have you checked her cervix?” Erin Hudgens asked, per Angela’s expectations, uninterested in delivering the baby in the middle of a live scene.
“I’m a cardiologist, remember?” Angela retorted. “We tried to wait out the contractions, but 911 wasn’t responding. Please.”
Captain Williams hesitated. “Is it her first baby?”
Erin shook her head. “Captain, this is Dr. Angela Perkins. She… we need to take them now. It’s two lives.”
Captain Williams looked between the three women and then back at the rest of his team working on the smashed cars He had to have been thinking about his last meeting with Angela at MetroGen and weighing the price of taking them now.
It was a feeling Angela understood quite well. The power of life and death rested in his hands.
A red-headed guy from 19’s team spoke up, “Take the women. We’re here for the next one, and more help is coming.”
Sure enough, two more ambulances and another engine were driving down the exit ramp. Police cars were coming too, stopping at the top to help direct traffic.
“Hudgens, Jones, take the pregnant woman and her friend.” The captain gave the command. “Medic 19, prepare to receive the next patient. Get a C-collar.”
The two firefighters from 15 switched to getting Stella onto the gurney. He took the wheel, and Erin headed to the back to get them settled.
Jones didn’t bother waiting for them to get situated. “I’m going now.”
“Yes, go,” screamed Stella. She kept the scream up through a full contraction.
Angela patted Stella’s sweat-soaked hair and tried to be reassuring. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“It is not okay. I need my epidural,” she cried.
“Which they can’t put in in here, and you need an IV and a liter of normal saline first,” Angela said in a reasonable voice.
“I’m not giving birth in an ambulance. Terrible things happen in here!”
“She doesn’t mean that,” Angela said.
“Yes, I do! People do unsanctioned C-sections or steal defibrillators so they can get held hostage!” Stella howled.
Erin tried to reassure her. “We’re going to get you to the hospital, Dr. Magi.”
“Tell me how close I am to delivery. Also, call me Stella, because you’re gonna put your hand all up my vagina.”
“I have to cut your leggings and underwear off since they’re wet. Your dress isn’t in great shape either,” Erin said. Peeling them off her poor swollen pregnant legs might have been impossible.
“I never liked this outfit anyway. I only wore it so those bitches at my baby shower thought I looked deserving and MATERNAL.” The last word turned into a shriek.
Angela hadn’t been kidding, the contractions were three minutes apart—or less. Stella’s labor was pretty advanced.
Erin got her gloves on and started cutting off the underwear. She’d get a drape after she did her check.
