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“Why would they do a section, Justin?” she cried.
“In case the baby needs to come out right away. Look, right now I’m just happy I came home for lunch because, knowing you, you would have waited until I got home tonight.”
“I was going to call you as soon as I hosed off the porch.”
“Okay.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “It’s okay. Do you want to call your friends?”
“No. I just want you right now. We’ll call them when we know what’s going on.”
They dropped Brulee off with Kelly, who ran out to kiss Maggie.
The trip to Saint John’s Parish took thirty minutes on the back roads. The doctor was waiting for Maggie and was upbeat with a smile, defusing her concern.
“We’re gonna have a baby today!”
“I’m not in labor yet,” Maggie said, worried.
“A little Pitocin will take care of that. Let’s see what’s going on with Miss Tina first.”
Justin helped her get into a hospital gown and up in the bed. They put the monitor on her, and even she could see the decelerations on the readout.
“Let me examine you just to see where we are,” the doctor said.
“You’re not in labor, that’s true. By the looks of the monitor, the baby is having a struggle. It could be cord compression. You don’t have any of the other signs we typically look for like diabetes or high blood pressure. You’re not postdate. We’ll do a C-section as soon as we can get a room ready.”
“I went for a horseback ride this morning. Could that have caused it?”
“No, don’t start looking for blame. These things happen. You’re smart you came in when you did.”
“Ugh,” Maggie said, lying back. “I’m not prepared for this.”
“I know, sweetheart. You’ll be fine though. Justin, you’re welcome to come in the OR.”
“Can I, Maggie? It won’t be like the vaginal birth,” he said to Maggie, who laughed.
“You can come in.”
At two p.m., little Justina Maria Chastain was born. Justin held her at the head of the OR table for Maggie to see, and tears cruised down the side of her face.
They were a family.
Epilogue
Halloween in the bayou is an event. The Boo Parade, festivals all month, delicious food, music, everything to make a holiday special. But since the Chastain family had a new arrival, baby boy David Blanchard Chastain, only a few weeks old, any street celebrations were out of the question.
“Just come here,” Maggie said. “You can spend the night right in the new guest quarters above the clinic. I plan on getting tanked.”
“Ha!” Katrina barked out a laugh. “Me too. My milk will be rich with ethanol.”
“They say to nurse before you drink and then wait two hours.”
“Someone had better tell Annie that,” Katrina said. “I’ve seen her drink a bottle ofHopitoulaswith Stevie at the breast.”
“It’s self-preservation. He hasn’t slept through the night in five months.”
“He’s only five months old,” Katrina said, grimacing.
“I rest my case.”
