Salvation (The Keepers of Hell Book 2) Read Online Free

the third time they changed that monitor thingy in his head.”
         Elisabeth’s head snapped up. “They changed it three times?”
         The mother nodded. Elizabeth ground her teeth together as she placed her hand under the sheets to begin her exam. She felt around and realized that this woman was progressing much faster than the nurses thought. “Listen, Mrs. Grand,” Elizabeth said softly. “I am getting that you are nine centimeters. Almost ten. It’s show time. Are you ready to go?”
         The soon to be mom smiled. “Yes. Let’s do this,” she said.
         “Ok, I am going to step outside and get a few people. This is a big production, you know,” Elizabeth said with a wide grin even though she could clearly see the baby’s heart rate falling on the monitor. “I’ll be back in less than a minute.”
         Elizabeth stepped outside the room and closed the door behind her. Julie was walking in her direction. “Julie,” Elizabeth snapped. “Did you put three internal monitors on that baby’s head?”
         “Yes,” she answered. “They keep malfunctioning.”
         Elizabeth rolled her eyes so hard she was sure she saw her own brain. “One might malfunction. One. Not two and definitely not three,” she barked at the nurse. “And I just checked her. She is nine, nearly ten. Get the team and get in there now!”
         Elizabeth hated to take that tone with the nurses, but she hated putting a newborn at risk even more. She was pissed off way beyond reasonable measures. She took a few deep breaths before going back into the room with the mother and her unborn child.
         When she was calm enough, which only took a few seconds; she went back into the room. “Mrs. Grand,” she said gently, “Your baby’s heart rate is too low,” she said.
         She saw the undeniable fear cross the woman’s face. “Don’t you worry,” Elizabeth continued, “I am going to get him out as quickly as possible. Everything is going to be ok.”
         Elizabeth heard the team of nurses coming in the door. She tried to be as gentle as possible with the mother while barking orders at her team. The nurse from the nursery wheeled in the bassinet, along with all the baby supplies needed. Elizabeth pulled at the handle directly above the bed to pull the light down from the ceiling. She moved quickly with the nurses to get the mom’s feet in the stirrups and the end of the bed dropped down.
         “Everybody ready?” she asked.
         A chorus of yesses rang out, including the mother. “All right, let’s do this,” Elizabeth said. “Push for us. Push now.”
         The mother grabbed the back of her own knees and beared down as hard as she could. Elizabeth couldn’t see the baby’s head yet. “Again,” she demanded and the mother obeyed. Ten pushes later and the baby was still in the same position. “Call the OR,” she told one of the nurses in a whisper.
         “Mrs. Grand,” Elizabeth said gently, “The baby isn’t coming down like he should. His heart rate is too low and I am afraid that he is going to be hurt if we don’t get him out now.”
         “Oh God,” the mother cried out. “Do something!”
         “I am,” Elizabeth told her. “We are taking you to the OR for an emergency C-Section.”
         “Surgery?” the mother asked desperately.
         Elizabeth pulled her gloves off and moved around the bed. She took the mother’s hand into her own. “Listen. He is in trouble. Once we get you in there, I can have the baby out in less than sixty seconds, but we have to move now. So I am asking you, will you give me permission to operate and save your baby?”
         The mother had tears in her eyes and it was a long second later before she nodded her approval.
         “Let’s go then,” Elizabeth told her with a smile. “Let’s go have a baby.”
         The team transferred the patient from the bed to a