The nurses prepared to transfer Sophie upstairs to her post
partum room. Triage needed her bed right away for the next
laboring mother. She had her belongings tucked in around her on
the gurney—the clothes she had worn into triage, her boots, her
jacket, her pocketbook, and the Kong.
Carol walked toward her, closely tailed by Adam. Once he
saw Sophie, he ran to her. He pulled her to him in a strong hug.
“Oh my God, Soph. What happened? I’m so sorry I wasn’t
here. What happened?”
One of the nurses pushed Sophie’s gurney out the door and
toward the elevator, apologizing for the rush. Adam kept up as
he held on to the gurney side rail. They rode the elevator to the
fourth floor. Sophie told him everything that had happened.
“Adam, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I keep
trying to figure it out.” She picked at her thumbnail. “I have no
idea what I did!”
“Soph, relax. You didn’t do anything. I’m just glad you and
Danny are both okay.”
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“Shh! None of this is your fault.”
They arrived at Sophie’s assigned room, where Adam and the
nurse helped her off the gurney and into bed.
“So where is he? Where’s Danny now?” Adam asked.
“He’s in the neonatal intensive care unit,” the nurse replied.
“Can we go see him?” Sophie asked.
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THE VERY BEST OF CARE
“It’ll be a couple of hours before they have him settled. They’ll
be running a lot of tests on him, starting IVs, doing X-rays—and
a whole lot more.” The nurse was putting Sophie’s few belongings
away in the closet. “They don’t let parents in until they have the
baby stabilized and they’re done admitting him. He may be little,
but there’s a lot that goes into saving babies like Danny.”
Sophie and Adam squeezed each other’s hands.
“I really need to see him,” Sophie said.
“It’ll have to be a quick five minutes. Tomorrow you’ll have
more time to be with him.”
Adam pushed Sophie in her wheelchair and followed the
nurse down the hall. She led them through the automatic doors
and into the NICU. Stopping at a sink, the nurse showed them
how to scrub their hands. They proceeded through the unit,
Sophie rolling in her wheelchair, Adam pushing her from behind.
Monitor lights displayed over each baby’s incubator. The nurses’
voices were low and the lights dim, casting a comfortable calm
around the babies. They got to Danny’s incubator. Taped to the
outside of it was a blue card with his name, Sophie’s name, and
his date of birth written on it. By the incubator’s small soft light,
Sophie and Adam finally saw their son. He lay still and quiet,
making an occasional reflexive twitch with his feet. He was tiny.
Sophie smiled as tears filled her eyes. “He’s beautiful.”
The nurse told them to go ahead, put their hands into the
incubator and touch Danny, that he’d like to know his parents
were there. Adam and Sophie followed her direction. They
caressed the inside of his arms and watched him respond by
clenching his fist. His eyes remained closed.
“Wow,” Adam said. “This is our family.”
After their allotted five minutes, they left the NICU and
returned to Sophie’s room. Adam called a neighbor and asked
him to let Blu out, adding that he’d be home in the morning to
feed him. Adam squeezed onto the hospital bed next to Sophie.
16
JULIE HATCH
He spooned her as she nestled herself into him. They drifted off
for a few hours of sleep.
The next morning, Adam woke Sophie with an armful of flow
ers, her favorite mocha latte, and a blue balloon that read
Congratulations! He had gone home, fed Blu, and changed
his clothes. He wore his typical skinny black jeans, button-down
shirt, blue high-tops, and NY Knicks athletic jacket. He’d skipped
shaving, and his dark hair had gone uncombed, giving him the
casual Sunday-morning look that Sophie so adored.
She thanked Adam for the coffee, then struggled to an
upright sitting position.
He propped a pillow behind her and pulled a chair next to
her bed.
“Soph, I love you so much. We’re going to be the greatest
parents this side of the Hudson.” He moved to sit next to her on
the bed and wrapped his arms around her.
She laid her head on his chest, content as he stroked her hair.
Everything’s going to be okay, she thought to herself.
They talked about Danny as Sophie ate her breakfast.
“The nurses said he weighs barely two pounds. He looks too
small to even be alive,” Sophie said. “I can’t even believe it.” They
were new parents—fourteen weeks ahead of plan. Now what?
The nurse came in and helped Sophie into the bathroom.
When she was done, Adam turned to look at her as she gingerly
walked over to him. Her loose dark curls hung down almost to
her waist. Her fair skin accentuated her naturally pink lips.
“God, you’re gorgeous.”
He leaned in and kissed her.
Sophie answered, “I sure don’t feel gorgeous.”
“You’re already glowing in the radiance of motherhood.”
“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes but allowed herself a modest
smile.
17
THE VERY BEST OF CARE
She felt a dull ache between her legs and reached out for
Adam’s arm. He slowly walked her to the wheelchair.
There was a knock at the door, and Dr. Wagner poked his
head in. “Okay if I come in?”
“Sure,” Sophie called out. “Adam, this is Dr. Wagner, the
doctor who delivered Danny.”
Sophie sized up the man who had delivered her son. He had
an engaging smile. His dark hair was slicked back, and his brown
eyes peered from behind frameless eyeglasses. He wore a well
groomed mustache and beard and was dressed in fresh scrubs
covered by his long white lab coat.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Young. Allow me to introduce myself to
you, Mr. Young. I’m Dr. Mitchell Wagner.” He pulled his hands
from his pockets and shook Adam’s hand. “And allow me to rein
troduce myself to you, Mrs. Young, in a better manner than how
we met yesterday.” He chuckled, as if there was something funny
about yesterday’s fiasco. “I’m the chief of high-risk obstetrics here
at Metro.”
He pulled up a chair and got comfortable.
“First off, let me tell you I’m sorry that you delivered your
baby so early. We tried to keep it from happening, but some
things we have no control over.”
Sophie and Adam glanced at each other.
“You are in one of the greatest maternity hospitals with the
best NICU in the city. You can be assured your son will get the
very best of care.” He spent time explaining prematurity and
what Danny’s twenty-six-week gestational age meant in terms of
length of time in the NICU and what they could expect in the
weeks to come. As he spoke, Dr. Wagner fidgeted with some
thing in his right pocket. The clicking sound reminded Sophie
of marbles that she and her sister used to play with when they
were kids.
He patiently answered all their questions and didn’t rush out
18
JULIE HATCH
the door like so many doctors did. Sophie took a deep breath,
relaxing into his reassurances.
Adam stood as Dr. Wagner got up to leave. They shook hands
again.
“Thank you, Doctor, for everything you’ve done for my wife
and child.”
“Yes, thank you, Dr. Wagner. We feel so lucky to be here—if
this had to happen, we’re glad it happened here,” added Sophie.
“But I do have one more question. Why do you think I went
into preterm labor? Everything had been going along perfectly for
almost six months. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Your premature labor was what we call idiopathic,” he
explained.
Adam and Sophie looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“It was just something that happened, something that was
out of your control. I know you’re in shock right now, but that’ll
pass. You’re okay, your baby is okay, and now you need to focus
your attention on him. Soon, you’ll all be home together as a
family.”
Sophie looked at him, willing herself to believe him
