"Come on, Michaela! The baby is almost here just a few more pushes and we’ll have our baby. …One more...come on!"
Michaela suddenly had the energy to push. She didn’t want to leave her family. She was determined to have her baby born alive. Sully’s encouragement was all she needed. Soon, the baby was born. “It’s a boy!” Andrew said
“Is he okay?” Michaela asked in a weak voice. Just then, they baby took his first breath and let out a loud cry.
When she heard her baby cry, Michaela felt ten times better. She truly thought that he might have a chance.
After delivering the afterbirth, Michaela was moved up to one of the recovery rooms. Colleen remained downstairs with the baby, to check him over, while Andrew examined Michaela to make sure she was ok. Sully had gone to tell the crowd that had gathered when they heard about Michaela what was going on. Colleen brought the baby upstairs to her ma. She felt horrible at what she had to say. “Ma, we need to talk.”
Michaela was crying. She knew that her son was not healthy. He looked pale and was breathing abnormally. “I know…he won’t make it…Colleen...I don’t need to know any …more.”
“Ma, please…I think it might help.”
Michaela simply nodded. She had to know what was wrong with him, even if it did hurt.
“His lungs aren’t fully developed, and…” she hated to go on “and he has a hole in his heart.. there’s nothing we can do ma.” Colleen felt horrible seeing her brother lying there in their ma’s arms. She was a doctor and there was nothing she could do. No body could do anything to help him.
Michaela didn’t want to believe it at first, but when she listened to her baby’s heartbeat, she knew her daughter was right.
“Colleen, please get Sully, he needs to be here…he needs to know.”
When Sully got back to his wife’s side, Colleen and Andrew left them alone. Michaela explained everything to Sully. That their baby was dying. She explained that if he stopped breathing, they shouldn’t try to bring him back.
“What do you mean?” he cried “We have to Michaela. We have to keep him alive!”
“Please Sully.. don’t do this…” she was crying, having to give up was so hard, but she knew it was right “Sully please hear me out…He has a hole in his heart. If we keep reviving him every time he stops breathing…that is if we can revive him…Sully, he’ll suffer his whole life. He will be in pain until his heart finally just gives out…and that will probably happen before he turns one.” She hated having to tell Sully this, that they had to let their son die. But she couldn’t stand to watch him suffer. When Sully heard this, he knew she was right. He didn’t want his baby to die, but that was the best thing for him. He couldn’t be selfish and cause his son pain, just to ease his own. Sully informed Andrew and Colleen of their plan and then he and Michaela sat together, cherishing every minute they had with their baby.
“Sully, we have to name him.”
“We haven’t even started to think of names.” He said
“Sully…can we call him Byron?”
Sully never wanted a child to suffer with that name, but under the circumstances, he thought it perfect. Michaela loved his name, and always wanted to name their son after him. He was touched and agreed with his wife that this was the perfect name. “I think..that is a wonderful name. What about a middle name?”
“You pick.” She said, knowing he never wanted to name their child after himself, she was deeply touched.
He though about it for a minute “How about William?”
She smiled “After your brother. Byron William. It’s beautiful Sully.”
Byron died shortly after that. Both Michaela and Sully were devastated to have lost another child, but they found comfort in thinking of their other children. They fell asleep in each others arms, sad and hurt, yet thankful for the little time they had with Byron.
Sully woke to a wet feeling on his legs. He was a little disoriented, but when he cleared his eyes, he saw that the bed was covered in blood. Quickly realizing that he was fine and Michaela was the one bleeding, he called for Andrew then tried to wake his wife “Michaela…wake up! Please Michaela you’ve gotta live! You can’t leave me! Not now!”
Andrew arrived at the door and was shocked by the sight before him. Sully was shaking Michaela, begging her to wake up, and they were both covered in blood. “Colleen! Get up here now!” Andrew rushed to Michaela to figure out what was wrong.
As Andrew checked on his wife, Sully simply stood by, watching her life fade away, and cried. Colleen appeared out of breath as she entered the room and saw the horrific site. Andrew noticed her and shouted out instructions. “Colleen, we have to do surgery now. We can’t move her. Bring everything up here now! We have to work fast. Sully it might be best if you went outside.”
Sully arrived, solemn faced, outside the clinic door. The large crowd had become a small group of their closest friends (instead of the entire town) when they found out the baby had been born. They all now waited for news of his health. They all feared the worst when they saw Sully. Dorothy was the first to ask “Sully, is the baby…?” She just couldn’t say it. All Sully did was nod as the tears rolled down his face.
“And ma…she’s alright aint she?” asked a very worried Brian.
Sully realized why he was not in the clinic and felt horrible, having to tell everyone “I don’t know… what’s wrong…. She was fine….just sleepin….” Sully shook through the words as his friends and family prayed that Michaela was alright.
“Maybe someone should take the kids away” he suggested as he realized what he was about to say. Susanna took them to her house, knowing this was bad was all she needed right now. Someone would fill her in later. The kids didn’t need to hear anything bad about their ma.
Sully continued “When I woke up…there was blood…all over…I tried to wake her, but I couldn’t…Andrew said he had to do surgery… God please let her be alright…”
Everyone was crying by then. The ever strong doctor was now so helpless. “Let’s join hands and offer a prayer” said the Reverend. And that is how they stayed until they heard the door to the clinic open. Everyone jumped up, hoping that Michaela was ok.
Andrew finally spoke. Not know if he should reveal everything, he hesitated, but looking at all those faces let him know that these people needed every detail. He told them as simply as he could “We had to do a hysterectomy…we had to remove her uterus. It was torn from the birth and tore from her body. She lost a lot of blood and is very weak….”
“Is she gonna live?” asked Sully, worried about what the answer would be.
Andrew continued “Like I said she lost a lot of blood. She’s still unconscious. Right now we just need to hope that she wakes up soon. The longer she’s out the worse it is.”
Sully immediately ran up to is wife’s bed. He sat there for hours, holding her hand, praying that she would be alright.
When she woke up, Michaela felt a horrible pain in her belly “Sully…” she called weakly. Sully sat straight up, not believing what he heard. He looked at his wife. She was awake! “Andrew! Colleen!”
“Sully, please don’t shout.” Michaela begged She felt the pain again “Sully, what happened? Why does it hurt so bad? It didn’t hurt like this before we went to sleep.”
Just then Colleen and Andrew arrived at the doorway. They were so relieved that their partner was awake. Andrew checked her and concluded that she would be fine. “You have to stay in bed for at least two weeks until your body heals” he told her.
“But …why?” she asked, still very weak and in pain “What…. happened?”
Andrew explained everything and then left her with Sully. He and Colleen went to tell everyone that Dr. Mike was going to be ok.
Sully and Dr. Mike were both upset at the thought of not being able to have more children, but together they talked through it.
“Sully, did you arrange the funeral?” She asked.
“Michaela don’t think about that now. Just get better.”
She drifted off to sleep and Sully thanked God that she was alive.
The funeral was two days later. Sully stopped by the clinic before he headed to the church. He found Michaela sitting in bed, trying to dress.
“Michaela! What are you doin?!”
She was till weak, and couldn’t talk quickly “What…does it look…like? I’m getting…dressed for my baby’s…funeral.”
Sully knew she couldn’t get out of bed. “Michaela, you cant’. You’ve gotta stay in bed. Andrew said two WEEKS not two DAYS!”
“Please Sully…” she begged “I have to go. If I don’t…I’ll never get through this…please. I be ok, I promise.” She was crying then. How much it hurt to have to bury her baby. She wasn’t about to sit in bed while it happened. She had to be there.
“Michaela, you’re barely strong enough to have visitors, let alone leave the clinic! I just want you to be well.”
“No, Sully! I’m going! Now you can help me…. Or not…but I’m am…going!”
Sully knew he couldn’t stop her, so he helped her dress in one of the dresses she kept at the clinic. She had wanted black, but he dark blue would have to do. Sully went to explain things to the Reverend and Andrew. The reverend agreed to move the entire service to the gravesite, so Michaela wouldn’t have to move. Andrew helped him set up a chair and then help carry her to it.
Everyone was shocked to see Dr. Mike at the service. After all, Andrew had told them she had to stay in bed. But they understood. They wouldn’t have missed their child’s funeral either. At the same time, they were worried. She was very pale, and couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Being up was making her fell awful.
The Reverend began “Today we have gather to mourn the loss of Byron William Sully. Although he was with us for only a few short hours, Byron was and will always be part of our town. We all loved him and will remember the lesson he has taught~ No life should be taken for granted.
I have always said that the greatest loss in this world is the loss of a child. Many people in this town have gone through that loss. Dr. Mike and Sully have already lost three other children.
But A wise man once told me that when a child dies it is because their soul is not yet ready to come to Earth. Two of the Sully children have come back to us in Christopher and Melissa. We must believe that Byron and his twin will also come back to Earth one day. Let us pray for the soul of little Byron and also for his twin. And pray for the Sully family that they may find their way through the pain of this great loss.”
After reading a hymn , everyone took their turn of placing dirt on the grave. Everyone offered their condolences to Michaela and Sully before heading over to Grace’s for lunch. Sully thanked them all for coming, but all Michaela did was cry.
When everyone had gone, just the two of them remained. Michaela got up from her chair and laid on her son’s grave. She wept for him and for all the children she had lost. But eventually, she knew that she would be ok. Sully’s reassuring hand on her shoulder let her know that together, they would be alright. Sully noticed how pale she was when she stopped crying. He was worried. Being up was very bad for her. Her carried her back to the clinic and tucked her back in bed. She moaned in pain. He felt so bad. She was able to make peace with Byron’s death, but what would be the cost to her health?
It took an additional three weeks for Michaela to regain her strength. Getting out of bed so soon had taken its toll on her already fragile body. But with Sully by her side every day, she grew strong. They had suffered the greatest loss imaginable, but they would survive it.