His Hotcakes Baby (17 page)

“What the hell went wrong?  Somebody
better talk to me!”

Chase was ranting, slowly going out of
his mind.  Two additional surgeons came running past them and after a quick
examination and running through her vitals, ordered an injection, which seemed
to contain the convulsions.

They rushed her out of the delivery
room and Stiles informed him they were taking her to intensive care.

“What happened?”

“We believe she suffered from
postpartum preeclampsia, but we want to make hundred percent sure.”

“What the hell does it mean?”

“Chase, this is not something any husband
wants to hear directly after his child’s birth, but … I believe it is better
for you to realize what the complications could be.  Postpartum preeclampsia
refers to the sudden onset of grand mal seizures after giving birth. The
condition can potentially cause serious damage to the central nervous system,
heart, and other major organs in the mother's body if it is not recognized and
treated promptly.  It usually only occurs after forty eight hours of giving
birth and the fact that it happened immediately after, definitely counts in our
favor.”

“Why did you not know about this
before the birth?”

Chase was as white as a sheet, as was
Lucy and Lauren.  Lucy held onto Chase’s arm.

“The causes of this condition that
occurs during pregnancy are still not well understood. The condition is
typically cured by childbirth, but it is set into motion during pregnancy but
doesn't cause symptoms until after delivery.  Mackenzie had no symptoms during
her pregnancy and there was no way for us to expect this to happen.”

“What … are the complications?”

“The worst … she could go into a coma,
caused by Postpartum preeclampsia, which is what happened to her and would make
treatment difficult.  Others include pulmonary edema, Stroke, Thromboembolism
or developing the HELLP syndrome, which is the destruction of red blood cells.”

Chase swayed and Lauren grabbed his
other arm.  He could not breathe and he wanted to break something.

“All … all of them are life
threatening!  Are you telling me she could die?”

“I need you to be prepared, Chase.  We
caught the condition immediately and if she responds to the treatment as I am
positive she would, it is possible that there would be no complications.  The
next forty eight hours are critical.  You need to be positive about this and be
strong for her.  She is going to need you to tell her everything will be fine. 
She will not believe us, but she will believe you.  You need to talk to her
about Carter and your life together.  Everything to get her through this.”

“She is not in a coma then?”

“She wasn’t when they took her for
tests, and I pray it stays that way.”

“Will she be able to see Carter?”

“Not while she is in Intensive care.”

“Where is she now?”

He spoke to the senior nurse and came
back to Chase, his mouth in a grim line.

“She was just taken to the intensive
care unit.  She is semi-comatose.  Which means she will respond to treatment
and you will play a big role here. All of you.”

“What do we do?”

“You have to talk to her, Chase.  Tell
her how important she is to you, to Carter.  How much she has to live for.  Semi-comatose
means she can hear, feel and her eyes and limbs might move, but not necessarily
react.  I have to warn you.  It will be difficult to see her like that.  But
the more you try and get through to her, the better the stimulation she needs
to get out of it.  Use the words ‘with you’ all the time, so she knows she is
loved and needed. Remind her of her own strengths. Use any pet names you have
for her, let her family talk to her on the phone, short thirty second calls
only and feed her any favorite foods she has.”

“I want to see her and Carter.  Where
is my son?”

“He is in the baby room in his own
crib.  We can go past there on the way to Intensive care. You can go and spend
time with him as often as you need.”

“How are you going to feed him? 
Mackenzie wanted to breastfeed.”

“I’m afraid that is not possible and
by the time she is better, she might not have any breast milk left.  The shock
her body endured probably already caused milk production to cede.  We will be
giving him formula.”

Stiles took them past the baby room. 
Chase was adamant and went inside to pick Carter up and held him close.  Tears
dripped on his tiny cheeks and his baby blue eyes opened and looked into his
father’s.

“Mommy is sick, my boy, but she is
going to get better.  I promise and then you will be in her arms!  Just hang in
there a little while, little buddy!  Daddy and Mommy loves you!  So, so much!”

Carter pursed his little lips and
frowned, his starfish shaped hands waving frantically around.  Chase leaned
down and kissed him on his forehead, still unable to curb his tears.  The
little baby closed his eyes and fell asleep in his father’s arms.

“You
know, hotcakes, I am not so sure we did the right thing to get four puppies. 
Aiden says they are naughty as hell.  His words, not mine, so don’t frown at
me, honey!”

It is the fifth day after Carter’s
birth and Chase has not left Mackenzie’s side, apart from going to feed Carter
every four hours.  He was adamant that if Mackenzie can’t do it, he would.  The
staff was very tolerant of him and he has even become very apt at changing
nappies.

It was becoming easier to talk to
Mackenzie.  The first two days was torture and his voice threatened to
disappear all the time, but he persevered and he now aimed to have a normal
discussion with her.

“Carter is a real charmer, honey.  He
can’t wait to see his Mommy again.  I swear his eyes are searching for you all
the time.  You are very important to him.  But not as important as you are to
me, hotcakes.  You have to break through this, honey.  I really need you with
me.  I can’t bring our son up alone.  You are the one that glues this family
together.”

His voice thickened and he bent down
to kiss her on her cheek.  Her eyes flickered and her hand tightened around
his.  Her eyes were on him, a direct stare, that told him she heard, but he was
not sure how much of what he said, she took in.  Her eyes were not vacant as
Wayne said semi-comatose patients normally were.  He had a strong belief that
hers was short term, which gave Chase hope.

His cell phone rang and it was Aiden.
He answered and chatted to him briefly on Mackenzie’s condition.  He remembered
Wayne said to let family talk to her and asked Aiden if he would just talk to
her to encourage her.  He was hesitant at first, too emotional about her
condition, but then agreed.

Chase put the phone on speaker and
held it against Mackenzie’s ear.

“Honey, Aiden wants to say hi.”

“Hi, sis.  Chase told me how sweet my
little nephew is.  I can’t wait to meet him and have you all back here on the
Island.  You must get better soon, sis.  You know how important you are to me. 
I can’t … I can’t be without  … you sis!  I really miss you and it is time to
come home!”

Chase stared at Mackenzie, his eyes
caught by hers, tears overflowing her eyes. Her hand cramped around his.  He
laid down next to her and pulled her hard against him and held her tight.

“Oh, my love.  I believe you will be
back with us soon.  Just believe with me … I know you are strong enough to beat
this.  We need to go home.  We need to take Carter home!”

The next day Stiles agreed to move
Mackenzie to a private room. She was past the critical forty eight hours and
all her vitals were stable.  She’s had no more seizures. The brain scans and
blood results were all clear.  Her reactions also indicated she was already
more aware.  A nurse was dedicated specifically to care for her.  Chase was
delighted.  It meant that she would be able to see Carter.

The first time he sat next to her and
drew her upright to place Carter on her lap, she actually sobbed.  Her hands
trembled and her fingers moved as if she wanted to hold on to him.  Her eyes
turned and she looked at him, again with a direct stare, but still, even being
so filled with emotion, nothing showed in her eyes.

Chase took her hand in his and placed
it on Carter’s cheek.  Her fingers moved ever so slightly over his cheek.  The
nurse brought his bottle and again, Chase folded her hand under his and they
fed him like that.  He talked to her non-stop during the whole process.

“He is a real fire starter, this
little boy of ours.  He drinks all his milk, he loves to bath … not that I have
tried to bath him myself, I am just too scared I will drop him.  You will have
to teach me once we are home, but at least I can change his nappy.  The nurses
says I am a pro already!”

It was as if there was a glitter in
her eyes from that point.  Stiles agreed to have Carter’s crib move into their
room, relatively sure it would speed up Mackenzie’s recovery.

Chase made sure he bought Mackenzie
ice cream every day.  It was the only time there was a flash of emotion in her
eyes, apart from when she saw Carter.  It seemed more pronounced when he fed
her the pistachio flavor, so he bought it every day.  The flash became more
prominent every time.

“Carter is eight days old today,
hotcakes. I brought your favorite ice cream flavor to celebrate.”

“Hm .. bmm.”

He opened the tin and picked up the
spoon and froze.  His muddled mind only then realized the rumble came from
her.  His eyes rose and his clashed with hers.  Hers spat sparks at him.

“Hotcakes?  Did you … oh lord!”

He threw the spoon down and took her
face between his hands and kissed her long and tenderly on her lips.  His smile
was so wide, it nearly spread right around his face.

“You know, honey.  With the amount of
ice cream you ate while expecting Carter, he is probably going to love it too. 
Maybe I should invest in some shares with one of the ice cream companies.”

He picked up the spoon and scooped out
a small amount and held it to her lips.  Her eyes flashed at him.

“Nn … hmm”

“It’s pistachio, hotcakes.”

He spooned it into her mouth and he
swore she glared at him.  Her fingers curled into fists and he gasped.

“Honey … Mackenzie … you …!”

“Mmo …”

“You want more?”

He was so eager he missed the angry
flash in her eyes and spooned another scoop in her mouth.  He scooped some more
on the spoon and stopped when this time her irritation was clear in her eyes.
Gone was the vacant look … his hotcakes was angry!

“I … f … yo … u … fo … rce … mm … ore
… of … thh … at … vvu …lgar … ice … crr … eam … in mmy … mmou … th … I wwill …
ssp … it … you!

Mackenzie sputtered and pointed her
finger at him.  Chase sat frozen for a moment just staring at her.  He jumped
up and went to the door where he screamed down the passage.

“She talked!”

He was back almost immediately and
drew her carefully in his arms. 

“Honey … thank the Lord!  I … you are
back!  I have even missed you fighting with me!”

“I … never … ffoughtt … wwitttth you.  Y
… ou … are thhe onne …”

“Okay, for now, let’s agree to
disagree.”

Doctor Stiles rushed in at that moment
and smiled just as broadly as Chase after he examined Mackenzie.  He
immediately arranged for a scan and more tests to make double sure.

The moment Mackenzie was back in the
bed, she looked at Chase with pleading eyes.  She did not need to ask.  He
gently lifted Carter from his crib and laid him in her arms.  She was still
weak and shook her head.

“Ssit be … hind me aaand … hold us. 
I’mmm scared I mmight … dropp him.

Chase placed Carter on the bed next to
her and positioned himself behind her.  The nurse walked over and gently placed
Carter in her arms.  Chase’s arms folded around her and covered her arms where
she cradled their son against her breast.  Tears trickled from her eyes.

“I … didnn’t get tto breastfffeed …
him, Chase. I … ffailed our sson.”

“No!  Don’t say that!  Don’t even
think that!  You are not to blame for what happened, my love.  There was no way
they could have known about this or prevented it from happening.”

“I … sstill ffeel …”

“Mackenzie, honey, you did not fail
our son!  You could never fail him. He is the luckiest boy in the world to have
you as his mother! Now stop having those negative thoughts.  You don’t want
Carter to pick up on them.  Look, hotcakes, he is looking at you.”

Mackenzie could not take her eyes off
her little boy.  He was so beautiful, so perfect.  She still remembered his
direct look when he was just born.  It was as if he looked into her soul.  She
still did not understand what had happened or why. All she knew was that she
felt trapped as if in a glass vacuum, where she could see and hear, but no one
could hear her.  Her sweet, wonderful husband never left her side and she would
always remember his resilience and determination to bring her back.

“Hhe is so bb … eautiffful.  Hee looks
lllike yyou.”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with you
there, hotcakes.  I’ll show you some baby pictures of me.  He is a mirror image
of me.”

“Hhopeffully hhe … won’t bbe as … vvainn
as his ffather.”

Chase chuckled and hugged her
tighter.  He kissed her softly in her neck and she felt wetness on his lips. 
She turned her head and their eyes met.  She smiled softly and shook her head.

“Nno mmore … tears, Bbabe.  I’mm goinnng
to bbe fine.  All be … cause of yyyou.”

“No hotcakes.  Because of us.  We, the
three of us, did this together.  Our little family.”

“Yess, our  … lllittle ff … ffammily.”

Mackenzie
was back in the private room and slept in her husband’s arms with hers wrapped
around him.  Both of them fell asleep almost instantaneously.  The nurses took
Carter to the baby room to allow them the much needed sleep, they both needed.

Mackenzie
woke before Chase and immediately felt refreshed and rested.  She had no
feeling of fuzzy or dizziness and her mind was clear. She lifted her hands and
they were steady, not even the slightest of tremor.  Where her thoughts were
still muddled the day before, now, she felt her usual self.

She slowly untangled her arms from
Chase and he sighed, turning on his back.  She stared at him with tenderness. 
The tired, warn look of the day before appeared slightly less pronounced.  She
knew he had had hardly any sleep over the past nine days, from the day she was
admitted into the hospital.  She sat up and swung her legs from the bed.  She
rose slowly and smiled when she could stand without feeling even slightly dizzy
or weak. She found her dressing gown and slippers and went searching for her
son.

The nurses nearly had a heart attack
when she walked out of the room and stormed towards her.

“Mrs. Paxton, you can’t be out of
bed!  Here, let us find a wheelchair.”

“Please, I am … oh wow!  I even talk
normally!  See … I am fine and I want to see my son.”

“Very well.  We will bring him to your
room, but please, until Doctor Stiles have given the go ahead, you have to
remain in bed!”

“Just as soon as I have my son.”

“Mrs. Paxton, please. We will bring
him to you.”

“Are you giving the nurses a hard
time, hotcakes?”

“Babe!  I feel wonderful!  See … I
even talk normal.  I am not fuzzy and my mind is one hundred percent clear.”

“Therefore you felt the urge to come
and fight with someone?”

“I am not fighting!  I only want to
see Carter.  Why did they take him out of the room?”

“We both needed sleep, honey.”

“Yes, but they could have left hi …
Chase!  Put me down!  I want to find Carter!”

“And they are already pushing his crib
into the room as we speak!  Morning, hotcakes.”

“Morning Babe.”

Chase shook his head and carried her
to her room and laid her down on the bed.  Carter was awake and exercising his
lungs loudly.  He was clearly hungry and had no compunction to inform them of
the fact.  Mackenzie’s eyes glittered like diamonds when Chase handed her their
little boy and the nurse his bottle.  She held him against her breast and
stroked his cheek.

“Morning, Mommy’s little boy.  Are you
very hungry?”

He stopped crying immediately and
stared at her, his arms waving wildly.  She held the bottle against his lips
and they latched around the rubber nipple immediately and suckled greedily. 
His eyes remained trained on her.

Chase took the first picture of mother
and child with his cell phone camera.  It was the most beautiful vision he has
ever seen.  He sat down next to them and Mackenzie smiled at him blindingly.

“We really do have a beautiful little
boy, don’t we, Babe?”

“Most beautiful indeed, my love.”

The next moment the room was overflowing
with people.  Everyone was there to share in the joy of Mackenzie’s recovery.

“So sis, what triggered your return to
us?”

“Oh … ice cream.”

“Ice cream?”

“Yes.  Here is a lesson for you, Babe
for our next baby.  Just because I craved and ate the most atrocious things,
does not mean I ever ate or even liked them before.  I hate … absolutely hate
pistachio ice cream!  He fed me pistachio ice cream every day until I wanted to
throw him with it!  If only my muscles would have worked!”

Chase smiled briefly, his mind stuck
on the next baby.  There was no way they were having any more children.  Ever!

Mackenzie noticed Chase withdrawing
almost immediately and frowned.  She almost instantaneously realized what it
was, but elected to let it go until they were alone.

Doctor Stiles arrived an hour later
and Chase ushered everyone home.