TITLE: The Light At The End Of A Dark Dawn: Epilogue
AUTHOR: CTL (aka: AugieSwan2@AOL.com or just plain Chuck)
SUMMARY: All things lead to one conclusion.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The song ‘Circle’ was written and sung by Harry Chapin. Email me off list if you’d like to know why this magnificent singer/songwriter meant so much to me.
EPILOGUE: The Circle Is Complete (Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 1991)
OCTOBER 31, 1991 (Late Afternoon)
‘All my life’s a circle,
Sunrise and sundown
The moon rolls through the
nighttime
‘Til the daybreak comes around
All my life’s a circle
But I can’t tell you why,
The seasons spinnin’ ‘round
again,
The years keep rollin’ by
You know, it seems like I’ve
been here before
I sure can’t remember when
And, I’ve got this funny feelin’
that we’ll all be together again
Now, no straight lines make
up my life
And, all my roads have bends
There’s no clear-cut beginnin’s
and so far, no dead ends
I found you a thousand times
Guess you’ve done the same
Then, we lose each other
It’s just like a children’s
game,
As I find you here again
The thought runs through my
mind
Our love is like a circle
Let’s go around one more time
All my life’s a circle
Sunrise and sundown
The moon rolls through the
nighttime
‘Til the daybreak comes around
All my life’s a circle
And I can’t tell you why
The seasons spinnin’ round
again
The years keep rollin’ by’
Jill was sitting at her desk working on paperwork, trying to get caught up before going home to help the girls get ready for a Halloween party they were hosting at the house. She looked at her calendar and sighed. According to Dr. Sullivan she still had approximately two weeks to go before the birth of the baby. But the way she’d been feeling the past week, she didn’t think she’d make it to the projected due date. The baby had dropped in the last few days, making everyday tasks such as walking and sleeping major undertakings. For the past week and a half, she and Mike had been sleeping on the sofa-sleeper in the living room because climbing the stairs had become too difficult. Jill had become frightened two weeks before when the baby stopped moving as much, something that had happened with Matthew before she’d learned he’d died. She’d called the doctor, who had her come in for an ultrasound. To her relief everything looked great. The doctor explained that the baby wasn’t moving for the one simple reason that there wasn’t any room. The doctor gave her some tips to get the baby to move more and sent her on her way.
Jill took a deep breath and sat back, rubbing her stomach lovingly. The baby gave her a very sharp kick in response. It was so strong that it took Jill’s breath away. She was still trying to get her breath when the phone rang on her desk.
"Administration, Mrs. Danko," Jill winced as she answered the phone.
"Hey, babe," Mike’s voice came over the line. "The girls just wanted me to call and make sure you were going to get home on time."
"Yeah, I’m leaving in a few minutes," Jill assured him, still trying to catch her breath.
"Are you all right?" He asked, concerned.
"Yeah, your son just decided to punt from the forty yard line," Jill told him as he laughed. "Tell the girls I’ll be home in about an hour…a little more if there’s traffic."
"Okay, bye," he said as he hung up.
Jill grabbed her purse out of her desk drawer and slowly stood up. As soon as she did she felt a pop and warm water coursed down her legs. She sat down again and tried to compose herself before calling Dr. Sullivan and then Mike. She called Dr. Sullivan first.
"Dr. Sullivan, this is Jill Danko. My water just broke. I’m in my office. Yeah, I can walk up. I’ll meet you up there in about five minutes," she said, breaking the connection and dialing her home number.
<><><><><><>
At the house, the girls were hanging black and orange crepe paper over every available surface, excited about the party. Michelle ran to answer the phone when it rang. "Danko residence, Michelle speaking," she answered the phone.
"Michelle, let me talk to daddy," Jill told her.
"Hold on! Daddy, telephone!" She yelled as Jill cringed on the other end.
"Who is it?" Mike asked.
"Mom," Michelle handed Mike the phone.
"Hey, what’s wrong?" Mike asked, grabbing the phone.
"Get my bag and get up here. It’s show time," she announced.
"Are you kidding? I just talked to you thirty seconds ago," he stammered.
"Mike, I’m sitting in a puddle! Take my word when I tell you that this is the real thing!" She shouted at him.
"Okay, I’ll be there in about half an hour," Mike said as he hung up the phone. "Ladies, I’ve got to go to the hospital. Your mom’s having the baby."
"Does that mean we can’t have our party?" Mary Kate asked in a disappointed voice.
"Not without an adult present. Call Willie and Jen and see if they can come over. There’s no need for everybody to go to the hospital, anyway," Mike explained.
"But I thought the baby wasn’t due for two more weeks," Mary Kate complained.
"Well, apparently your brother has other ideas," Mike smiled.
"Having a baby on Halloween is pretty creepy," Savannah shuddered.
"He might not be born today. He might be born tomorrow morning," Mike informed them. "I have to go. Mary Kate, call everybody and tell them. I don’t have time!"
Mike went upstairs and grabbed
Jill’s suitcase from under the bed, along with the cassette player and
her Van Morrison tape. She’d insisted to him during their Lamaze refresher
course that she had to have her Van Morrison tape and he wasn’t about to
argue with her. Running downstairs and out to the Bronco, he was glad he’d
installed the car seat in the backseat of the car just the week before.
Dr. Sullivan had sent someone down to Jill’s office to bring her up to Labor And Delivery in a wheelchair, something Jill was very grateful for. Since her water had broken the baby felt as though he’d dropped dramatically. She was also glad that they’d pre-registered at the hospital because it was taking all of her concentration just to breathe. Dr. Sullivan met her as she was wheeled out of the elevator. "Let’s get a look at you and see how far along you are," the doctor smiled.
"Let’s hope I’m dilated enough to qualify for the ABC," Jill panted.
"Well, I’ve got good news. At the moment you’re the only woman having a baby. Business has been slow today," the doctor grinned.
"Everybody else must be out trick or treating," Jill grimaced as another contraction ripped through her.
"Must be," the doctor agreed as they wheeled Jill into a homey-looking hospital room with a queen-sized bed and bright wallpaper.
The Alternative Birth Center was a big improvement over the single bed hospital rooms. Jill had learned about it during their Lamaze class and subsequent tour of the new labor and delivery floor. She found out that she qualified to have her baby there since she’d had no problems during her pregnancy. She found out that not only would the baby stay in the room with her but Mike could as well. She also found out she’d be allowed to leave the hospital as soon as 24 hours after delivery, which suited her just fine. The only catch to the ABC was if there were more than two women in labor at the same time, the woman who was furthest along got the room, since there were only two rooms at the present time. Jill couldn’t believe her luck on hearing she was the only woman in labor at the moment.
The doctor helped her get settled and strapped a fetal monitor around her belly to monitor the baby’s heartbeat. She then did a pelvic exam to determine how far Jill had dilated; something Jill thought should be reserved for concentration camps.
"Do you feel like walking around a little bit?" The doctor asked, looking up.
"You’re kidding! How far along am I?" Jill asked.
"You’re only at three. But I think if you walk a little it might speed things up. Are you going to want an epidural?" The doctor asked.
"Can I settle for a bottle of tequila and a straw?" Jill gasped as the doctor laughed. "Yeah, I want an epidural, but not yet."
"I agree. It’s still a little early. Do you want to walk or do you want to wait for Mike?"
"If you get this belt off of me and help me up, I’ll try walking," Jill answered as the doctor walked over and took off the belt before helping Jill to her feet.
Jill was slowly walking up and down the hall with the aid of a nurse when Mike stepped off of the elevator. Jill smiled gratefully when he walked over and kissed her.
"Hi, baby. What’s going on?" He asked as the nurse smiled and took the items from his hand.
"I’m only dilated to three so Dr. Sullivan suggested I try walking to speed things up. The contractions aren’t very regular, but they’re strong as all hell," Jill informed him just as another one hit her.
Mike rubbed her back and timed it as it slowly passed. "Where’s your room?" Mike asked.
Jill pointed down the hall.
"We got one of the ABC’s," she panted. "At the moment I’m the only woman
in labor. Kelly was telling me that if I’d gone into labor earlier, I would’ve
been out of luck. Both rooms were occupied. The second woman went home
just after lunch." She gripped Mike’s arm tightly as he walked her down
the hall.
EARLY EVENING
Dr. Sullivan came in to do a check on Jill shortly after dinner. "You’re getting there slowly but surely. I think we’ll welcome that baby sometime around midnight, maybe a little after. By the way, you have about a million people outside the room."
"Let me go see what’s going on," Mike said as he walked out the door. He smiled when he saw that everybody had gathered in the hall. "What did the girls do? Send out an S.O.S.?"
"They called and told us that we had to come over to chaperone the party. That’s when we realized that the baby was coming," Willie grinned. "How’s Jill doing"?
"She’s okay. The doctor just checked her out and said the baby should be here in a few hours. Do you girls want to go in and see your mother?" He asked them as they nodded eagerly. "Okay, come on."
Jill smiled when Mike walked back into the room with the three girls in tow. She hugged and kissed all three of them as they looked around the room curiously.
"Wow! I wish my bedroom was as nice as this room," Michelle commented, looking around.
"Well, you’d get tired of it pretty quickly after lying in bed all day," Jill told her.
Savannah, ever the wanna-be doctor, was inspecting the monitors and gadgets. "Can I stay in here while you have the baby?"
"Savannah, get a grip! Mom doesn’t want to have the baby with a little kid in the room!" Mary Kate scoffed at her sister.
"I’m not a little kid! Please, mom?" Savannah begged.
"I don’t think so, sweetie. But I promise that you can all come back in as soon as Michael’s born. Okay?" She asked as Savannah’s face fell.
"You guys go back out there with Willie and Jen. I’ll keep you posted and maybe you can come back in before the baby’s born," Mike quickly ushered them out of the room.
The evening passed along uneventfully. Mike helped Jill remember to breathe through the contractions as he kept the Van Morrison tape endlessly playing. The doctor came into the room at 11:30 that night to check on her.
"Mike, why didn’t you talk me out of this?" Jill complained through another contraction.
"I tried to, remember?" He grinned.
"You should’ve tried harder," she lay back as he wiped her face with a damp cloth.
"Well, are we ready to have a baby?" The doctor grinned as Jill looked at her.
"I’ve been ready to have this baby all day. Please tell me I can start pushing," Jill pleaded as the doctor nodded.
An hour later…
"….Nine, ten! Another deep breath and let’s do it again, Jill!" Dr. Sullivan was beginning to sound like a drill sergeant as Jill put her chin to her chest as took another deep breath as Mike supported her shoulders.
"Remember when I told you that I wanted to give you a son? Well, I’ve changed my mind," Jill groaned as everybody in the room laughed.
"I think it’s a little late for that now. Come on, Jill. He’s almost here," the doctor encouraged her as Jill pushed one more time.
Jill screamed as she pushed once again. She didn’t remember it being this hard when she had Mary Kathryn. This time she felt as if every bit of energy was being zapped from her body.
"Okay, Jill. One more push and his head should deliver. Chin on chest and let’s do this! One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten! Okay, stop pushing!" The doctor ordered her as the baby’s head emerged and she quickly suctioned him.
"Get him out!" Jill begged.
"Okay, Jill, once more and I’ll have the rest of him," Dr. Sullivan smiled.
"Once more? You’ve got to be kidding!" Jill exclaimed in disbelief.
"One more, Jill and I promise that’ll be it. Come on, you can do this. You’re doing great so far," the doctor once again encouraged her as Jill took one more deep breath and pushed.
With the last push, the rest of the baby’s body slid into the doctor’s waiting hands as he began to wail angrily as everybody in the room erupted into cheers. Mike laughed through his tears as he heard the commotion extend to outside the room where everybody was waiting.
"He’s definitely a boy! He just peed all over me!" The doctor laughed. "Mike, you want to cut the cord?"
Mike’s hands shook as he took the scissors and cut where the doctor directed him. Jill lay back in exhaustion, unable to believe that he was actually finally here. She cried as the doctor held him up and laid him on her abdomen, continuing to rub him with a blanket as the baby continued to cry.
"Hello, Michael," Jill breathed, unable to stop touching him. She kissed Mike as he settled on the bed beside her.
"Let’s get him weighed and measured and I’ll give him right back to you," the doctor promised as Jill reluctantly released him into her hands.
"Can the girls come in?" Jill asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"If you’d like them to, but I thought maybe you’d like to get cleaned up first," the doctor told her.
"We promised they could come in as soon as the baby arrived. What time is it, anyway?" Jill wanted to know.
"Your son was born at 12:43 a.m., November 1, 1991. You missed a Halloween baby by 43 minutes. He weighs eight pounds, five ounces and he’s 21 inches long," the doctor confirmed what the nurse had written on the chart.
They inked his tiny feet and put the prints on his birth certificate before cleaning him up and handing him back to his proud parents. They were both lying on the bed admiring him when the door opened and the girls walked in, shyly approaching the bed.
"Come say hi to your brother," Jill smiled as she held the baby out to the girls’ admiring glances.
"He’s so little," Savannah breathed as Mike and Jill laughed.
"Little? He’s a tank!" Mike laughed.
"When are you bringing him home?" Mary Kate asked.
"Probably tomorrow afternoon. I’m sorry about your party," Jill told them.
"We’ll just postpone it," Michelle assured her mother. "This is better than any party."
After sending the girls home with Willie and Jen, the doctor cleaned Jill up before sending someone in to change the bed.
"So, are you sure you won’t have a problem with Mike staying in here with you? I know it bothers some women to have their husbands right beside them after giving birth," the doctor told her.
"That’s why I wanted this room. I like the idea of keeping my baby and my husband right beside me. I know I won’t get much sleep, but that’s okay," Jill smiled as she snuggled the baby tighter to her breast as he slept.
"You did very well, by the way. I’ll be by in the morning to check on both of you before I decide you’re ready to be discharged. Try to get some sleep," the doctor ordered her.
Jill fell into a deep sleep borne of sheer exhaustion while Mike dozed fitfully, afraid of causing her more discomfort by sleeping too close. Sometime toward early morning, he heard the baby start to fuss and quietly got out of bed to get him. Taking him out of the plastic bassinet, he settled into a rocking chair and sat there just holding him, knowing that before too long he’d have to hand him over to Jill, who’d decided she’d try to nurse, at least for a little while. But for the time being, Mike enjoyed the quiet moment of just sitting and holding the baby. He looked over at Jill, who was just starting to wake up.
"I didn’t hear him crying," she whispered sleepily.
"He wasn’t, yet," Mike confessed sheepishly as Jill smiled and sat up.
"You’re going to spoil him before we ever get him home," Jill chastised him as he handed the baby over to her.
He bent down and gently kissed her as she settled the baby to her breast. Watching the two of them, he knew without a doubt that the circle had now come to a complete end.
THE END