Fiona McIrish had never been in so much pain in her life. As a matter of fact, she believed she’d never felt this degree of pain before even when menstruating. This was sheer agony, like having one’s bottom lip pulled out ten feet then yanked over one’s head and stapled to the back of one’s neck; it was that excruciating. In fact, she felt that she could probably tolerate stepping on a stone-fish more than she could endure the birthing process that she was undergoing at this very moment. And she was alone.
Caeden had removed himself from the picture nine months earlier when she’d informed him of her pregnancy. In fact, he’d vanished so quickly, he’d left skid marks on the pavement and a smell of smoke in the air. His loss. The pain and devastation from the fact that he’d abandoned her had given way to pain unimaginable as Fiona had never been pregnant before.
And it was a long sixteen hours of labour having been brought by ambulance to the Sacred Spleen Hospital at four o’clock in the morning after rupture of the amniotic sac in the middle of the night. It was now eight o‘clock at night.
Doctor Ellis, a female obstetrician, smiled at her, “You’re ten centimeters dilated and the baby has moved into the birth canal. Your contractions should be coming between 2-3 minutes apart. We’ll get you to push as soon as I determine where your baby is situated.” She said snapping on a set of shoulder length medical examination gloves.
Fiona’s eyes widened.
“Now. I’m going to need you to relax...because I’m going to have to feel around in here.” Oh...god...Fiona winced as the doctor slipped her hand in to feel around for the baby’s head. “She’s in a good position...” The doctor looked up at her, her smiling face between Fiona’s own thighs and knees.
“I...hope...aaaaahhhh..” The last word was bitten off as another contraction hit replaced by a pained groan. Dimly in the back of her mind, she could hear the scream of yet another mother in another birthing room and the cry of a newborn.
The rest of the memory of childbirth was washed away in a sea of pain as the doctor exhorted her to “push...now...”
Fiona McIrish looked down at the perfect little human being that was laying in the crib labelled River Annette McIrish, River, because Fiona had always liked that name, Annette for Fiona’s mother. Beside her on the left hand side was another baby from an Asian family; her landlord’s family with whom she was sharing a room. The father, Yasunobu, was at the cribside looking down at that child with a smile playing about his lips. Fiona felt a pang of pain. At least that father had the guts to stay with the mother and support his offspring. I wish Caeden wasn’t so gutless as to have abandoned River and me. Fiona thought to herself, a flash of anger aimed at the absent Caeden. The baby was a cute little one and Fiona watched Yasunobu interact with his child.
Was it chance that the man’s baby, a son, was placed by her daughter’s natal crib? As Yasunobu placed his son back in his crib beside River’s crib, River started to fuss. As if by predetermined signal, Yasunobu’s baby rolled to one side to face her daughter...his newborn eyes still closed. The baby waved his hands in the air...as if reaching for her crying newborn infant...and gradually, River’s fussing subsided to a sniffle. Fiona was amazed as she looked over at her landlord whose eyebrows had nearly receded into his hairline which was a miracle in itself as the man kept his hair short.
“My son...like your baby...” was all Yasunobu said.
Fiona was dumbstruck. When she could speak, she nodded, “I guess so...” was her reply. They both quietly looked down upon their mutual children as the two babies laid in their crib.
Fiona had a feeling that she was going to see a lot of the little male baby over the following years and both she and Yasunobu stood together in silence contemplating a future that they had yet to take a single step down.
Fiona nodded to the doctor as the doctor gave her last minute care instructions on how to care for the remnants of the severed umbilical cord which would eventually shrivel up and fall off to form a belly button.
“Make sure that you’re gentle when you apply the vaseline to the site of the cord.” the doctor informed her as she wrapped the baby in a blanket placing a hood on the baby’s head to keep the baby who was still trying to regulate her own boby temperature out of the sun. Gus and Dorie Hart had offered to help her get River home. The baby fussed slightly as the blanket was wrapped around her.
Dorie mentioned to Fiona, “We still have the carseat from when Bebe came home, hitched to the back seat of the car...so at least we can help you get her home safely.” Child safety restraint in the seventies were the realm of choice of the parent. The parent could choose to place the child in a safety-restraint, or they could choose to hold the child, provided that they weren’t driving. Bebe was a year old already and was learning how to crawl and Dorie had her hands full. This, being 1970, meant that a lot of people believed in the goodness of the community and everyone pitched in to help. It was why Fiona and Dorie got along so well. They helped each other, Dorie would need Fiona to run and fetch groceries when Bebe was being particularly trying and Dorie would help Fiona with River and babysitting when Fiona returned to work from maternity leave.
Less so community oriented were the Altos who lived up in the posh neighbourhood with the large houses. The Altos aspired to West Vancouver eliteness with the mega-mansions, however they were small potatoes compared to the likes of the Landgraabs who were old Vancouver money but chose to live a less prestigious life in Sunset Valley. It was oft suspected that Nick Alto was somehow connected and few dared to cross him. Those who did often were taught a lesson at the hands of some of his friends.
Anyhow, what the Altos did was none of Fiona's business and she set to making sure that River was taken care of, fed, pampered, and kept clean. Yasunobu and her had had a discussion that she would do what she could to get some money together and eventually, she would purchase the home from the Chikamoris and that would be her place to live and where River would be able to grow up.
It was a possibility that she could never have thought was possible. And she was grateful for any help that she could possibly receive.
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