The Du Page Affair Ch. 14

This is an original work by Zeb_Carter and is protected under (c) copyright by U.S. copyright law. It is only being submitted at Literotica.Com and any submission to any other site has not been authorized by the Author.

The window reverberated with the beat of the rain as the sky thundered above. Winds tore at the newly sprouted trees ripping the new leaves from the delicate branches. I stood watching the storm wondering about the people who were stuck outside. I was just glad that I didn't have to be out in this weather. I have in the past been caught outside in such a storm and can tell you now that it was no picnic.

We were making one of our trips to the outlying survivor camps in the zone. I was with John and Susan. Rudy and Sunshine were with us but after the initial downpour they didn't seem to mind the rain and the wind. Neither did John or Susan really. I was soaked to the bone, chills running up my spine as water cascaded down my neck.

When we arrived at the camp there was some shelter as it was situated in a low lying area where some buildings had been spared by the blasts. Once inside we were able to warm up and dry off. The dogs shook themselves and went and lay in front of the fireplace. A couple of children brought towels and started to dry the dogs. The people here were good friends of ours and they took great care of us when we could make it to their camp.

Today we were here because the matriarch had fallen ill. She was getting on in years, her age was catching up with her. The stress of the last year or so had also taken its toll on her health. Being in charge is not an easy thing on a person. John was much older that her and still looked young. But he didn't have all that much to worry about except when we were out and about. And even then it wasn't much of a worry, we all had invisible shields around us, to protect us from anyone who would want to harm us.

Were we invulnerable? No. John had been hurt several times. The shields weren't infallible there were ways to get to whomever was inside. It did stop hard, fast moving items, like bullets and shrapnel. It was slow moving things like a knife wielded by someone up close that he didn't see or electricity. I guess I shouldn't be saying these things, it may give someone ideas.

As Susan and I examined the matriarch, John talked to her husband. The dogs were enjoying the children drying them off and the other women in the house stood by to get us anything we thought we might need. As I was really just helping Susan I noticed a young lady sitting in a corner. Her belly was bulging with child. Moving over to her I took her pulse and temperature. She didn't look good at all, she was having a hard time breathing and looked to be in pain.

"How far along are you?"

"Thirty-one weeks," she got out between grimaces.

"Is this your first?"

"Yes."

"Has nobody checked on you or told you what to expect?"

"No, they don't like me. I'm not married to the father."

"What? Never mind. John," I shouted, "get over here now."

"What is it Doc?"

"This girl is in labor. Get me some warm water and some clean cloths."

John went back to the matriarch's husband where an argument ensued. It would appear they didn't want to help this young lady and her baby. John was telling him what he could do with his high moral standing and shouted at him to get the things I requested.

I continued pulling things I knew I would need from my backpack and placing them on a sterile cloth I had with me.

"Am I having my baby?" She sounded so upset that it was coming already.

"Yes dear, you are going to have your baby. Who here doesn't want you to have this baby?

"Parker Williams."

"Who's he?"

"Him, the husband of our leader, he didn't want me here either but Mother Jenkins said I could stay and when it was time she would call the doctor."

"Alright dear we're going to take care of you."

"Thank you. Parker said he wanted my baby dead."

"Why would he say that?"

"He said he didn't want a little brat around here to remind him of the mistake he made."

"Did he force you to have sex with him?"

"Yes, it was horrible."

"Does Mother Jenkins know that?"

"No, he told me to never tell who the father was."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because I was hoping I could come with you when you leave." She screamed as a contraction started.

She was a little early but the baby should survive. Susan came over to have a look at her, shook her head and went back to the Matriarch. They had some words then the woman got up from her sick bed and bounded over to where we were.

"She is having her child?"

"Yes."

"Good. Child the doctors will take care of you. I knew that no-good husband of mine wouldn't call the doctors for you so I feinted sickness to get them here." She said smiling.

Her husband was standing beside her when she said that and roared his displeasure.

"You will be sorry for doing this," he told her. She turned to him with a look that would have killed an ordinary man.

"You are here by banished from this camp. You will no longer be welcome here, do you understand?"

"Why you..." He never finished as John grabbed his raised hand and threw him across the room. He rose, pulling a gun from his waistband. John just stood there laughing at him. There was a sudden hazing between Parker and the rest of us.

John slowly approached him. Several shots were fired but the sound was muffled by the haze. As John reached Parker, John extended his arm and snatched the gun from him. The haze disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. John put the gun in his waistband and pulled a set of handcuffs from his pocket. Parker tried to struggle but it was no use. He was subdued as John pushed him to the floor.

"What do you plan on doing with him?" John asked Mother Jenkins.

"Me, he's been banished."

"Why?"

"Why because of what he did to this poor girl and for standing up to me."

"Is standing up to you a bad thing?"

"Not really, but he raped this young lady." The young lady chose that instant to scream in pain.

"Why don't you two go across the room and discuss what will happen to him quietly," I told them. Turning back to the girl I took her hand and tried to comfort her. Susan had her legs spread and was examining her.

"She's about nine centimeters."

"Any minute now..."

"Yes, I could feel the head, so the baby is in the right position."

Susan signaled to one of the ladies standing around. She came forward with the towels she was holding and Susan took one and spread it out under the girl.

"What's you name sweetheart?" I asked the girl.

"Bethany."

"And how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Okay Bethany when the next contraction comes I want you to push."

"I'll try but it hurts so bad."

"I know Beth, all I ask is that you try."

"I will."

I signaled the woman holding the towels and she brought them over to me. I took a small soft one and wiped the sweat off of Bethany's forehead. The poor girl was going to have a bad time delivering this baby. She wasn't really built for having children. Her hip were narrow as was her pelvic opening. I truly hoped we didn't have to perform a cesarean.

The next couple of hours were pure agony for Beth. The baby refused to move forward into the birth canal. She was completely dilated and ready to deliver, but the baby did not want to be born. Except for a couple of women the house we were in had been deserted. The Matriarch was still beside Beth helping her through her pain with each contraction. Susan was sweating up a storm worrying about the baby. I was exhausted, my throat raw with talking to Beth trying to keep her calm.

"It looks bad, Chelle."

"I know. What do you thing we should do? Cesarean?"

"It may be her only chance. Get the kit out of my bag, would you?" Susan asked, pointing to her bag on the table.

I got up off my knees and could barely walk to the table. I sat down on the bench and opened Susan's pack. I found the kit marked C-Section pulling it out. I also pulled the kit marked G-Surgery just in case.

"Do we move her to the table or keep her where she is?" I asked.

Susan looked around, then getting up, her legs were cramped up too, walked shakily to the bench I was still sitting on.

"We better move her to the table," Susan said looking around the room. "We'll be able to work better standing up then all hunched over on the floor. The light will be better too."

"Mother Jenkins, could you have your women folk move, gently as they can, Beth up to this table?"

"Of course, Doctor. Ladies, you heard her, gently was you can." The six young ladies in the room stooped down grabbing a fist full of sheet that was under Beth and gently and swiftly picked her up and moved her to the table. Then they moved the table under the only light in the room for better visibility.

I broke open the kit and pulled out the disinfectant and some sterile gauze. I handed them to one of the women. "Swab her entire stomach, down to the crotch and up to the sternum." She shook her head in understanding as she moved off.

I then pulled the disinfectant for Susan and me to use on our hands. I handed Susan a pack and placed mine down on in front of me on the bench. I then pulled out two pair of sterile gloves. I opened both setting them down in front of us. I then opened my disinfectant pack and scrubbed my hands and arms. The disinfectant left them a dark green but they were clean.

I then pulled on my surgical gloves as did Susan. I then took the C-Section kit over to the table. I took the sterile cover out and placed it over Beth's stomach. I then took the sterile cloth and laid it out on the table next to Beth's leg.

"Beth we are going to have to put you to sleep for this operation. You will be just fine and when you wake up you will have a new baby to take care of."

"Okay," she said, exhausted by the pains of contraction.

Susan took the syringe loaded with Pentothal and injected it into Beth's vein in her arm. I then handed her the syringe of morphine which she injected into Beth's vein. Beth was out within a matter of minutes. I took the scalpel and started the incision in Beth's belly. Susan grabbed a sponge and dabbed the small amount of blood up.

I had not become a surgeon because I just couldn't bring myself to cut into people. Even though I had taken, it was mandatory, a surgical rotation as an intern, I had elected for internal medicine and pediatrics and had become a primary care physician.

As the incisions I made went deeper and deeper and Susan was pulling the tissue aside, I could see the uterine wall. I made a small incision in Beth's uterus. Not deep enough to have nicked the baby. I slowly made the incision deeper and larger until I could see the baby wrapped in the placenta. It was moving and I could see the artery in its neck pulsing with its heartbeat.

Pulling the baby, placenta and all, out of the uterus, I placed it on Beth stomach. Susan handed me a clamp which I secured to the umbilical cord, then another an inch further up. Taking my scalpel I cut the cord between the two clamps. Susan handed me a clean sterile cloth and a bottle of sterile water. I started to clean the baby's ankles. Once they were clean, I picked up the baby and gently whacked it on the behind. It immediately started to cry, clearing its lungs of the mucous.

"It's a boy," I told everyone, although they could see for themselves.

I handed the baby, along with the cloth and water, to one of the woman. She took the baby over by the fire and finished cleaning the child before wrapping him up in warm cloth and placing him in a makeshift cradle by the fireplace.

I tuned back to Beth as Susan handed me the suture and began to sew her back together. It took me another hour to stitch her up. I was really exhausted by then. But Beth was doing well and breathing normally. Now it was time to watch for infection and to ease her pain. As I took off my gloves Susan kissed me on the cheek to the dismay of those in the room.

"Well done Doctor."

"Thank you Doctor."