UnPretty

UnPretty - Chapter 2

Dr. Gavin Tesch loved stormy days. He liked how they made the world slow down and reflect if only for a little while. Because of his hectic medical practice and the fact that he was still recovering from a costly divorce in many ways, he cherished all the peace, rest, and relaxation he could get, whenever and wherever possible.

"Ahh...this is the life," Dr. Tesch said contentedly as he sat in one of the oversized rocking chairs on the wrap around porch of his blue ranch styled house.

He smoked his favorite wooden pipe and listened to the rain dancing on the tin roof of his nearby barn as he reflected on the fact that he'd made it to fifty-nine as of yesterday with his mind and his health still intact. He was considerably less wealthy as a result of his greedy ex-wife Rosetta, but definitely much happier.

Dr. Tesch would rather be a million dollars poorer than stay married to an immature spiteful woman who even took the ice out of the ice trays before leaving him. Their thirty-year age gap proved to be a bridge too far to cross.

I should've known not to marry a woman that young. Besides, the peace and tranquility of bachelorhood suits me better, Dr. Tesch thought with a satisfied smile.

Two minutes later, his moment of peace suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces...almost in slow motion and then heartbreakingly fast. Too fast.

"Oh my God, noooo!" Dr. Tesch shouted, jumping to his feet as he saw a small red car dart around the sharp corner of Broderick Road at a maddening pace and then collide with a black sedan approaching from the opposite direction. The sight and sounds of metal hitting metal would surely haunt him in his dreams.

Recognizing that sedan as belonging to one of his pregnant patients, Dr. Tesch hastily dipped his pipe into the brown coffee mug on the windowsill to extinguish its ambers and avoid an unnecessary fire. Then he ran inside to retrieve his black medical bag and a couple of blue thermal blankets from the left wing of his house that served as a health clinic for their rural community. His strides were as long as his legs. His big feet pounded the hardwood floors.

C'mon, old man. You can get there. Faster! Dr. Tesch coached himself, grateful for his enduring health even more and his history of being an avid jogger.

Jumping into his black Ford pickup truck a few minutes later with the necessary supplies, he sped toward the scene of the accident. He made a quick call from his truck to the next county for a medical unit to be sent as soon as possible.

I guess Rosetta wasn't all bad, Dr. Tesch thought, grateful that he let her talk him into getting one of those newly minted mobile phones. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to multi-task like this on the way to the accident site.

Dr. Tesch's worst fears were confirmed when he parked and quickly accessed the situation. Both Madeline and the mocha-skinned driver of the other vehicle sustained severe injuries. Blood was everywhere. Most unfortunate of all was the fact that they were both pregnant and both going into premature labor...in the pouring rain.

Dr. Tesch wished he could say, 'I don't know nothing about birthing no babies' like Butterfly McQueen declared in Gone with the Wind. But that would be a bold-faced lie. Not only was he skilled in the field of obstetrics, he personally helped deliver most of the babies in Quail Springs over the last twenty years.

However, Dr. Tesch never had to work with two laboring mothers at the same time...alone. Now he almost regretted sending Nurse Brennan home early so she could avoid today's inclement weather and spend more time with her family. Almost, as in he knew it was the right thing to do for his most valuable employee despite the current inconvenience.

Okay, God, it's just me and You, Dr. Tesch prayed as he began to do what he could to help the two women in need.

First things first – Get them out of those crushed soda cans called cars.

Dr. Tesch could only credit God with the incredible strength that was displayed as he snatched doors open and gently pulled the women free. Laying them next to one another on the side of the road with a canopy from the back of his truck shielding them from most of the rain, he went about the monumental task of leading them through their deliveries.

The younger woman was built more solidly than petite Madeline, yet she suffered the most obvious physical injuries due to her severed right foot. Worse, she was delivering at an alarmingly fast rate. It was as if the baby needed to exit her body just as quickly as she needed to release it before things became even direr. Soon a healthy looking, mahogany-skinned little girl with strong lungs was born. He promptly wrapped her in one of the blankets and laid her upon her mother's bosom.

Madeline was a different story. Her bronze skin was pale and losing color by the moment. She not only drifted in and out of consciousness during certain parts of her labor, but also had complications with her delivery.

Dr. Tesch's quick thinking and medical expertise proved invaluable in that moment. Thus he was able to successfully help guide the baby through the birth canal. Unfortunately, Madeline's little girl was not as healthy as the other woman's child. He had to immediately perform infant CPR upon her when the dreadfully quiet, pale-faced babe started to turn colors from going precious minutes in her mother's womb without the proper amount of oxygen.

"Don't die, Phoebe," Madeline cried during a period of consciousness as Dr. Tesch bent anxiously over the child. "Please don't die, Phoebe," she uttered again in a softer tone, speaking the predetermined name for her little girl as she slowly drifted back into the darkness of her head injury.

* * *

Peaches watched in surreal awe as the salt and pepper haired man moved with precision while assisting her and the driver of the other vehicle. He had to be some type of doctor based on the black medical bag alone. His thoroughness, expertise, and calming bedside manner confirmed it.

Although Peaches was relieved that such competent help was sent to them, she was guilt-ridden about why it had to be sent to them at all. The accident was all her fault. So was the other little girl's current distress.

Lord, please don't let Phoebe die. I am so sorry for causing such pain. I'm so sorry for everything, Lord. Please forgive me, Peaches prayed as the doctor continued to work on the sickly and nonresponsive infant beside her. Her own child quieted down and wrapped tiny fingers around her thumb and squeezed.

Peaches drew comfort from that simple act of connection even as she felt her own life ebbing away like the setting sun. She was losing too much blood too fast as a result of her premature delivery and her missing foot.

Feeling a sense of urgency and fearful that the other child was not going to make it, Peaches called the doctor over to her with more strength than she felt. His eyes looked tired and anxious despite his calm demeanor. His creamy White skin was flushed with vivid patches of pink from exertion.

Peaches felt that she'd made such a mess of her life, of everybody's life around her that she wanted...no, needed to do something to try to make things right.

By the time additional help arrived and the long night was finally over, one of the mothers and one of the infants were dead. As for Dr. Tesch, he was a changed man forever.