St. John hesitated and lasered in on fierce brown eyes glaring at him from the bed.
"I thought she was unconscious." He turned around to Dr Phillips.
Dr. Phillips stretched her neck to see around him "She's out like a light in the same position she's been in for several minutes."
St. John whipped around and focused on closed eyelids distorted by the respiratory mask smooshing her nose and mouth. He searched the eyes in the room.
Dr Brown peeked up from tapping the screen of the paper thin device in his right hand. Two respiratory therapists in maroon scrubs peered towards the door from their position next to the shockingly white tower they had wheeled to the patient's bedside. A maternity nurse positioned to monitor the baby swiveled her head. A neonatal nurse stood at attention next to a mobile baby bed with clear tent on top and boatload of emergency equipment underneath. The oversized room glowed with shadowless yellow light.
"Dr Brown, You saw that, right? Her eyes were open when I came through the door... Before they put the mask back on."
"Dr Jackson. Good to see you. I'm not sure what you saw, but this patient has been in this position since well before you stepped in the door. I assume Phillips got you up to speed. We are seeing some improvement in lung function with the treatment, but it may be a moot point for the mother. ...organs have to be near the point of exhaustion. Her heart has done the work equivalent to running a marathon through mud with a full bag of kangaroos on her back tonight."
"How many kangaroos will... nevermind...You're neonatal, right?"
"I'm also trained as a cardiac surgeon as you know.' Dr Brown said.
"Tonight, you're neonatal. Cardiac surgeon is on the way," St. John said.
"Er... Yes...but" Dr Brown said.
"Can you ladies pause for a minute?" St John focused on the respiratory therapists. "I need to assess both of my patients. I'll be quick."
"Yes, doctor. Ok if we leave her mask on while you do that?" The therapist closest to him said. She stood eye to eye with him. Her complexion born of Polynesian sun. She took control of the interchange with her glare, then receded to the corner with her companion.
St. John huddled in to brush the patient's clammy forehead while searching the rainbow of lines, blips, and digits on the array of screens staged around her bed. The screens told the story he already knew. Mother or son... Not both.
"Eunice." He said.
"Yes."
"Please go locate her sister. I would like to speak with her before we do what we have to do. Hurry."
"Yes." Nurse Givens vanished.
St. John swiveled away from the screens to gaze at the patient. He noticed his maternity nurse kept a gentle hand on the patient just below the continuous ultrasound monitor strapped to her belly. Her eyes trained on the patient's pelvis for emerging baby parts.
Locked onto Nora's face, St. John traced his hand down her cheek, traced a vein along her arm and gripped her hand. Current flooded through them. "Hi Nora," St John said.
"Her sister is waiting for you, doctor. I put her in family room A." Nurse Givens burst through the door.
"Thanks." St John pried his glove out of Nora's hand and slipped it onto her belly. The baby kicked and shifted. "... And a time to be born." St. John said.