2.25 Just Breath
Cam was freaking out.
Not just your ordinary, internal terror but full on freaking out. As they walked up to the front desk to check in, he felt his hands shaking. His heart felt like it was constricting in his chest and he could barely squeeze out words. "My wife... Madeline McGinnis, she's checking in."
The attending nurse at the desk glanced up from her computer only raising an eyebrow at Cam's tense voice. Looking back at the keys, she typed a few things and then nodded. "Yes. Dr. Chang has already prepared the room." she put a form on the counter for Cam to sign and glancing over his shoulder pulled a folder from a file. "Adam, Dr. Chang's delivery arrived."
Cameron barely registered the name as he busily filled in the paperwork. The new nurse grabbed the folder from his coworker and walked around the desk to them. Seeing Madeline breathing through the pain, the new nurse frowned. "Can you walk..." he glanced at the folder in his hand. "...Mrs. McGinnis?"
The contraction eased and Madeline looked at the him. "Yes..." she cleared her throat. "Yes, I can walk."
The nurse smiled at her. "OK, good. We'll go at your pace. Just let me know if we need to stop or if I need to get you a wheelchair. I'll walk you down." he nodded and then turning, with a guiding hand around Madeline's shoulders started towards the back area.
"Thank you, Mr. McGinnis." Cam looked up at the nurse who was gently trying to the take the paperwork from him. His pen was frozen on his last signature on the final marked spot on the page.
"Uh, right." he lifted the pen and handed it back.
"You can follow your wife." she said as she pulled the paper towards herself.
"Right. Right." he said the words twice but it still took him a minute to turn and follow his wife.
Cam came across them relatively fast. As he did, he heard Adam asked Madeline a quesiton. "First baby?"
Madeline nodded her head bent as she concentrated on taking each step.
"How far along are your contractions...?"
Madeline answered. She must have answered but Cam wasn't listening. The terror was beginning to grip him again. The hallway seemed excruciatingly long. Cam was walking just behind them his terror growing with every step closer to the room. As Madeline and the nurse slipped behind two blue and silver doors, he stopped in the hallway. He just made out the short, bright red hair of Dr. Jaime Chang, their OBGYN, before the doors swung closed but Cam found that he couldn't walk any closer.
All he had to do was walk through the doors in front of him.
Madeline was waiting for him. Their little girl was coming...
To him it seemed as if every step suddenly seemed that much further. He was in full panic mode.
He still had time until he was a father. He still had so much to learn. What if... what if he was a horrible father? What if he did something wrong? Would his daughter grow to hate him? What does one even do with a little girl... as a father?
He suddenly regretted not sitting down with his dad. There was so much that he wasn't prepared for.
Inside the room, Madeline had changed into the hospital gown and laid down on the table. The giant metal tube that was part of the birthing process slid around her and she felt her own terror fill her.
"Alright, Madeline. Let's fire up this machine and see how we're coming along?" Dr. Chang said chipperly. "Your pregnancy has been moving along nicely so I'm sure this will all be very routine."
She nodded tensely. She hated hospitals.
She hated the smell of hospitals. They smelled like disinfectant and steel. There was always this oddly cloying and metallic feeling in your mouth every time you breathed. Given a choice she wouldn't be here.
She had almost asked Cam if they could just have a home birth but Cam had been adamant. Newcrest General Hospital was the best... She took a deep breath and looked to her right for Cam.
He wasn't there...
"Cam?" she glanced around, suddenly noticing that Cameron was no where to be seen.
The attending nurse, the one who had been nice enough to keep her distracted all the way down the hall glanced out into the hallway. As he did, he saw Cameron booking down a separate hallway running for the hills it seemed. It didn't seem prudent to tell his pregnant wife that though. "Ah... I'll just go find him."
Madeline felt herself tense even more and another contraction hit her. "Cameron James McGinnis!!"
Cam could hear her from down the hallway and he suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway... what was he doing....?
"Um... Mr. McGinnis?" The attending nurse walked slowly up behind him. "My name's Adam. What do you say we walk you over to the delivery room? Dr. Chang already has your wife prepped for the delivery but I think Madeline would really like you there."
Cam looked over at the the nurse. He was a younger boy, shorter then him with straight brown hair an kind brown eyes. "I..." he looked down at the floor. "I'm... just... so afraid."
Adam smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Cam's shoulder. "I know. Just breath... "
Cam looked over his shoulder. The urge to run still rushing through his system.
Adam stepped into his line of sight, hand still resting on his shoulder. "Madeline is scared too. All the good parents are nervous. It means you care... Right now though, it's your wife who needs to know you care. Best way to show her is to be there."
He nodded and walked docilely back to the room. He did care. He cared very much. He cared too much....
"OK, Madeline, push.... you're doing great." Dr. Chang said as they walked back in.
Madeline breathed deeply and Cam walked up to her side. She glanced at him, sweat on her forehead. "So... glad you could join us...Mr. McGinnis." she said just a bit sarcastically.
Cam felt the terror in his stomach tighten for a minute but with Madeline looking so stressed he pushed it aside. He wished he had a joke that could lighten the mood, but he wasn't the type to joke. That was Collin. All he had was himself.
Brushing her bangs back from her face, he smiled. "Sorry. I plead momentary insanity."
Madeline gritted her teeth and he looked over at Dr. Chang. But Dr. Chang was intently staring at the delivery machine's screens her eyes knitted in concentration. Cam looked back down at Madeline and then she relaxed breathing again. Concerned his eyes flew from Madeline to Dr. Chang. As they did an arm of the delivery machine swung away from Madeline and a small wriggling bundle was deposited into the hospital crib that he hadn't noticed when he walked in.
As the bundle was set down a small cry emanated from the crib. Adam walked over and bundled the baby up a little tighter as she protested.
"One healthy baby girl!" Dr. Chang declared and pushing a few buttons, the delivery machine contracted from around Madeline. Madeline went to sit up and Cam put a hand out to help her. She took it gratefully and looked towards Adam, the nurse.
Adam smiled at the two of them and then picking up the little girl walked over to place her in Madeline's arms. Madeline took her and smiled, glancing up at Cameron. "Well, Mr. McGinnis, better late then never." she looked down and moved the blanket a smile on her face. "Hello... Little one. This is your Daddy. He's a little late but... he's here. That's what matters."
Cam looked down at the small pale bundle in his wife's arms. She was lighter skinned like him and looking up at him he saw that she had pale blueish grey eyes not unlike his father's and Collin's. He smiled and gently put out a finger. His little girl fussed a bit and then her little hand latched onto his finger. "She's perfect."
Clutching his hand was the next generation in his family's legacy. All the terror melted away and he suddenly felt like it would all be OK. He might not have all the answers but he was pretty sure that his parents hadn't had all the answers either. He was here. He would be there for her every moment he needed to.
---
A/N: Hey Simmers. So this update is based purely on the screenshots captured from the when Madeline and Cam went to the hospital. Cam was completely beside himself. Running around the hospital in terror while Madeline went straight to the delivery room. I think that Cam might have been glitching a bit because even when he went to leave he was still "running" with terror instead of the normal walk or run animation. My poor precious boi. He is such a worrier. Thanks for reading!
Please leave feedback here or over on the thread in the forums. Thanks as always for taking the time to read!
Not just your ordinary, internal terror but full on freaking out. As they walked up to the front desk to check in, he felt his hands shaking. His heart felt like it was constricting in his chest and he could barely squeeze out words. "My wife... Madeline McGinnis, she's checking in."
The attending nurse at the desk glanced up from her computer only raising an eyebrow at Cam's tense voice. Looking back at the keys, she typed a few things and then nodded. "Yes. Dr. Chang has already prepared the room." she put a form on the counter for Cam to sign and glancing over his shoulder pulled a folder from a file. "Adam, Dr. Chang's delivery arrived."
Cameron barely registered the name as he busily filled in the paperwork. The new nurse grabbed the folder from his coworker and walked around the desk to them. Seeing Madeline breathing through the pain, the new nurse frowned. "Can you walk..." he glanced at the folder in his hand. "...Mrs. McGinnis?"
The contraction eased and Madeline looked at the him. "Yes..." she cleared her throat. "Yes, I can walk."
The nurse smiled at her. "OK, good. We'll go at your pace. Just let me know if we need to stop or if I need to get you a wheelchair. I'll walk you down." he nodded and then turning, with a guiding hand around Madeline's shoulders started towards the back area.
"Thank you, Mr. McGinnis." Cam looked up at the nurse who was gently trying to the take the paperwork from him. His pen was frozen on his last signature on the final marked spot on the page.
"Uh, right." he lifted the pen and handed it back.
"You can follow your wife." she said as she pulled the paper towards herself.
"Right. Right." he said the words twice but it still took him a minute to turn and follow his wife.
Cam came across them relatively fast. As he did, he heard Adam asked Madeline a quesiton. "First baby?"
Madeline nodded her head bent as she concentrated on taking each step.
"How far along are your contractions...?"
Madeline answered. She must have answered but Cam wasn't listening. The terror was beginning to grip him again. The hallway seemed excruciatingly long. Cam was walking just behind them his terror growing with every step closer to the room. As Madeline and the nurse slipped behind two blue and silver doors, he stopped in the hallway. He just made out the short, bright red hair of Dr. Jaime Chang, their OBGYN, before the doors swung closed but Cam found that he couldn't walk any closer.
All he had to do was walk through the doors in front of him.
Madeline was waiting for him. Their little girl was coming...
To him it seemed as if every step suddenly seemed that much further. He was in full panic mode.
He still had time until he was a father. He still had so much to learn. What if... what if he was a horrible father? What if he did something wrong? Would his daughter grow to hate him? What does one even do with a little girl... as a father?
He suddenly regretted not sitting down with his dad. There was so much that he wasn't prepared for.
Inside the room, Madeline had changed into the hospital gown and laid down on the table. The giant metal tube that was part of the birthing process slid around her and she felt her own terror fill her.
"Alright, Madeline. Let's fire up this machine and see how we're coming along?" Dr. Chang said chipperly. "Your pregnancy has been moving along nicely so I'm sure this will all be very routine."
She nodded tensely. She hated hospitals.
She hated the smell of hospitals. They smelled like disinfectant and steel. There was always this oddly cloying and metallic feeling in your mouth every time you breathed. Given a choice she wouldn't be here.
She had almost asked Cam if they could just have a home birth but Cam had been adamant. Newcrest General Hospital was the best... She took a deep breath and looked to her right for Cam.
He wasn't there...
"Cam?" she glanced around, suddenly noticing that Cameron was no where to be seen.
The attending nurse, the one who had been nice enough to keep her distracted all the way down the hall glanced out into the hallway. As he did, he saw Cameron booking down a separate hallway running for the hills it seemed. It didn't seem prudent to tell his pregnant wife that though. "Ah... I'll just go find him."
Madeline felt herself tense even more and another contraction hit her. "Cameron James McGinnis!!"
Cam could hear her from down the hallway and he suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway... what was he doing....?
"Um... Mr. McGinnis?" The attending nurse walked slowly up behind him. "My name's Adam. What do you say we walk you over to the delivery room? Dr. Chang already has your wife prepped for the delivery but I think Madeline would really like you there."
Cam looked over at the the nurse. He was a younger boy, shorter then him with straight brown hair an kind brown eyes. "I..." he looked down at the floor. "I'm... just... so afraid."
Adam smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Cam's shoulder. "I know. Just breath... "
Cam looked over his shoulder. The urge to run still rushing through his system.
Adam stepped into his line of sight, hand still resting on his shoulder. "Madeline is scared too. All the good parents are nervous. It means you care... Right now though, it's your wife who needs to know you care. Best way to show her is to be there."
He nodded and walked docilely back to the room. He did care. He cared very much. He cared too much....
"OK, Madeline, push.... you're doing great." Dr. Chang said as they walked back in.
Madeline breathed deeply and Cam walked up to her side. She glanced at him, sweat on her forehead. "So... glad you could join us...Mr. McGinnis." she said just a bit sarcastically.
Cam felt the terror in his stomach tighten for a minute but with Madeline looking so stressed he pushed it aside. He wished he had a joke that could lighten the mood, but he wasn't the type to joke. That was Collin. All he had was himself.
Brushing her bangs back from her face, he smiled. "Sorry. I plead momentary insanity."
Madeline gritted her teeth and he looked over at Dr. Chang. But Dr. Chang was intently staring at the delivery machine's screens her eyes knitted in concentration. Cam looked back down at Madeline and then she relaxed breathing again. Concerned his eyes flew from Madeline to Dr. Chang. As they did an arm of the delivery machine swung away from Madeline and a small wriggling bundle was deposited into the hospital crib that he hadn't noticed when he walked in.
As the bundle was set down a small cry emanated from the crib. Adam walked over and bundled the baby up a little tighter as she protested.
"One healthy baby girl!" Dr. Chang declared and pushing a few buttons, the delivery machine contracted from around Madeline. Madeline went to sit up and Cam put a hand out to help her. She took it gratefully and looked towards Adam, the nurse.
Adam smiled at the two of them and then picking up the little girl walked over to place her in Madeline's arms. Madeline took her and smiled, glancing up at Cameron. "Well, Mr. McGinnis, better late then never." she looked down and moved the blanket a smile on her face. "Hello... Little one. This is your Daddy. He's a little late but... he's here. That's what matters."
Cam looked down at the small pale bundle in his wife's arms. She was lighter skinned like him and looking up at him he saw that she had pale blueish grey eyes not unlike his father's and Collin's. He smiled and gently put out a finger. His little girl fussed a bit and then her little hand latched onto his finger. "She's perfect."
Clutching his hand was the next generation in his family's legacy. All the terror melted away and he suddenly felt like it would all be OK. He might not have all the answers but he was pretty sure that his parents hadn't had all the answers either. He was here. He would be there for her every moment he needed to.
---
A/N: Hey Simmers. So this update is based purely on the screenshots captured from the when Madeline and Cam went to the hospital. Cam was completely beside himself. Running around the hospital in terror while Madeline went straight to the delivery room. I think that Cam might have been glitching a bit because even when he went to leave he was still "running" with terror instead of the normal walk or run animation. My poor precious boi. He is such a worrier. Thanks for reading!
Please leave feedback here or over on the thread in the forums. Thanks as always for taking the time to read!
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