“What kind of distress?” I asked, my thumb tracing the edge of my wedding ring again.
“The oxygen saturation levels are fluctuating,” Dr. Patel said, looking directly at Anna. “We are going to perform an emergency Caesarean section.”
Anna reached out, her hand finding mine, her fingers cold and trembling against my palm.
“Is Caleb going to be alright?” Anna asked, her sentences hurried and soft.
“We are taking every precaution to ensure both boys are safe,” Dr. Patel said, signaling the surgical nurses to begin the preparation.
“I am coming into the operating room,” Eleanor announced, her voice leaving no room for negotiation.
“Only one family member is permitted in the sterile field,” Dr. Patel said, her glasses slipping slightly down her nose.
“I funded the new neonatal wing of this hospital, Doctor,” Eleanor said, tapping her leather handbag against her hip. “I will be in that room.”
The surgeon did not argue, turning instead to prep for the procedure, while the nurses handed Eleanor a paper scrub suit.
I watched Eleanor’s face, wondering why a grandmother’s presence in a surgical suite was so vital to her.
