A stitch in time - 3

Caroline immediately placed her palm over her bump and then placed her ear. When she lifted her head up, she saw his one hand pumping the Ambu bag and the other pulling the woman's t-shirt down---which they had lifted for injecting the needle---to cover up her chest.

A part of her was amazed to see how much he cared about a woman's modesty even under those circumstances.

Caroline immediately pulled open her jacket and covered that woman as she lifted her skirt, trying to check the status of her opening. She was oozing blood and amniotic fluid but wasn't dilated at all. So immediately she put on her surgical gloves and poured some rubbing alcohol on her hands.

She had to deliver the baby. Any more delay could be fatal.

As she picked the scalpel, she heard Morpheous instructing a man, "Keep squeezing this after every four seconds. It's very important to maintain the rhythm" and then he rushed towards her kit and wore a pair of surgical gloves himself and disinfected them exactly the way Caroline did.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Erm… Will assist you here."

Caroline's jaws hardened, but she had no time to argue. She indeed needed a helping hand even though that was of a shrink. A C-section out in the open was not going to be easy.

Browsing through her kit, she quickly injected some potent painkillers as she didn't have a local anaesthesia with her. Taking a deep breath she wiped the woman's belly with rubbing alcohol first and then with Betadine.

Although for a moment she hesitated, but her hands never trembled. Picking up the scalpel, she made an incision.

Blood oozed out from the opening but Morpheous quickly dabbed around with the available gauze pads. Just a scalpel wasn't enough, but her skilled hands were doing everything possible to reach her sac quickly.

A couple of minutes later when she was just about to cut open the sac, the woman started to twitch.

"She is feeling the pain!" Caroline muttered. "Inject another painkiller."

"One moment!" he said and went back near her chest and placed his hand over the point where her ribs were broken.

"What are you doing? Give her another painkiller stat," she asked, gulping the barrage of irate words inside.

But he picked up the other syringe which Caroline had used to drain out air and did the same process again.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Her tension pneumothorax was building up," he replied patiently and pulled the needle out, and Caroline could see that her twitching stopped instantly.

She couldn't believe that a Chinese practitioner could do what even her residents trembled while doing and that too, faster than her. But without wasting any more of her time, she cut open the sac next and found the baby in perfect health.

A boy.

"The baby is fine! It seems he is fine!" she almost cried in joy, and Morpheous immediately started wiping all the blood fluid for better visibility for her.

After a struggle for a couple of minutes, she pulled the baby out and wrapped him in a small surgical cloth after cutting the umbilical cord. She checked for his pulse and then gently started to tap on his back.

"Uaaannnnnnn!"

The cry of the baby ushered joy not only in her heart but in everyone who stood there and witnessed the miracle.

Quickly scanning the crowd, she called for a woman and asked for help to hold the baby so that she could stitch up that woman.

Handing over the baby carefully to her, as she turned back, she saw Morpheous's adept hands stitching up her incision as if he was a surgeon with years and years of experience. His hands moved fast, and he was neatly tying her up.

"How even?"

Caroline bent down and picked up the gauze, and started cleaning alongside. She didn't want to question and argue with him. Not when there were so many people witnessing the whole thing.

"That should work till she gets back to the hospital!" he said and looked up at Caroline, who was staring at him with disbelief. She was unable to connect the dots. Everything about him was mysterious. She couldn't stop thinking of the strange mix that was Morpheous: a shrink, a runner, a homeless guy. Nothing was fitting the bill.

People cheered and clapped around them. A news reporter who witnessed the miraculous save even recorded the whole thing on his phone.

And about 10 minutes later, somehow when the traffic was cleared up, the ambulance reached the spot.

Flashing her hospital tag, Caroline took control of everything and immediately put her on a C-line and started injecting all the required medicines and pain reducers.

The attending nurse took control of the Ambu bag and cleared the space inside for them to sit. Caroline immediately climbed in and turned towards Morpheous, who was standing outside the ambulance, holding the baby.

"Sir, you can give the baby to me now," asked the attendant, holding a clean blue towel.

"No, he is coming with us to the hospital. They might need our statements later," she said, looking at him. Her face devoid of any emotions.

"OK!" Morpheous replied, his eyes fixed briefly for a second before he climbed in and sat opposite her. He held that baby dearly in his arms and closed his eyes. If she wasn't wrong, a faint smile had etched on his face.

Just when the ambulance was about to start, the reporter interrupted and asked,

"May I have the honor of knowing your names?"

"I am Dr. Caroline Young from Seattle High."

"And sir you are?"

Morpheous stared at him blankly for a moment, probably not knowing what was appropriate, but she spoke instead. 

"He is Morpheous. My assistant!"