blessing. “The good news is that your membranes are still intact, so no rupture there. Which means your labor’s not advanced, which is also good news. But your cervix is dilated two centimeters, so we’re going to have to do something about that.”
“Like what? And what do you mean, labor’s not advancing? Dilating means labor, right?”
Cameron’s voice had gone a little shrill, and who could blame her? Gabby knew she had to help her stay calm—the situation was scary, yes, but with luck it could be managed. “Dilation means early labor, yes, but it can be slowed or sometimes completely stopped with medication. I’m going to get an IV set up to give you a mag sulfate drip right away, and also keep you hydrated with saline and lots of water to drink. We’ll do a urinalysis to make sure there’s no infection, just to be safe. Then we’ll give you steroid injections to help baby’s lungs develop in case she decides she just can’t wait to get here. Please, try not to worry, okay? We’ll be doing all we can to keep her healthy.”
“I want to see Dr. Crane. When is she coming?”
Gabby had learned long ago to not be insulted by that demand, which she got from a lot of patients and their husbands. And when it came right down to it, she wanted the obstetrician to get there, too, in case the situation got worse instead of better. “I’ll find out.” She patted Cameron’s shoulder and smiled. “Try to relax. Easy to say, I know, but you don’t want your blood pressure all out of whack and make things tougher for baby, do you?”
“Could you get me something to drink before you leave? My breath’s been so short for what seems like hours, and I’m beyond parched.” She wrapped her fingers around her throat, little gasping sounds coming from her mouth that this time sounded a little forced. “I’d love some artesian sparkling water with a squeeze of lime. You have that, of course, don’t you?”
Gabby wanted to say it was more important to get going on the medications she needed first, before wetting her whistle, but figured it would be just as fast to get what Cameron wanted as to point that out.
The small stainless-steel refrigerator in every room was kept well stocked, and Gabby ran the lime wedge around the rim of the crystal glass like a Hollywood Hills nurse who’d been a former bartender had taught her to. Cameron grabbed it like she’d been walking miles through the desert, and Gabby was glad after all that she’d taken a moment to get it for her.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” Gabby hurried out to find Stephanie, passing through the halls and out past the beautiful fountain in the center of the glass atrium that made the place feel like a luxury hotel, and breathed in the calming scents of lavender and sandalwood. Except at that moment it didn’t do much to slow the current surge of adrenaline that had replaced all her prior fatigue.
“Is the doc on the way to see Cameron, Stephanie? Who is it?”
“Well, as I was about to see who’s on call, James phoned. He told me Cameron contacted him while she was on the helicopter to tell him to send her own doctor, because she’s convinced Dr. Crane is our best. But she’s out of town, so James asked a good friend of his who’s in L.A. visiting to come see her. A Dr. Rafael Moreno.”
“What?” Gabby stared at her, not comprehending. “Some friend of his? What do you mean?”
“I guess he’s some world-renowned OB, and not only that but the prince of some Mediterranean principality, if you can imagine. Isn’t that exciting?” Stephanie’s eyes were shining, which seemed ridiculous to Gabby since the woman saw superstars in this hospital all the time. “Said he has privileges in hospitals all over the world, including here in California, and thinks Cameron would appreciate the status of having a prince taking care of her.”
Gabby gaped. What in the world? A prince OB? Just visiting the U.S.? That was who James thought was the best person to care for this very demanding and famous patient?
She loved working at The Hollywood Hills Clinic but just might have to point out to James Rothsberg that, exclusive and prestigious or not, the number one focus at this hospital still had to be on premier medical care and not the royalty status of some doctor from another country he happened to be besties with. And, yes, she knew James had founded this hospital with that philosophy, demanding every patient receive the best medical care available, but had to wonder about this particular decision.
“Well, send him in as soon as he gets here, please.” She headed back to the room, pondering if she should call James right then to talk to him about the seriousness of Cameron’s situation and ask about this doctor and his qualifications—if he was really “world renowned,” or just famous for being royal.
“The doctor’s on the way, Cameron,” she said as she got the items she needed. “I’m going to start your IV now.” For the moment, she had to ignore the last of the mess in the room she hadn’t finished cleaning up yet until the doctor arrived and she was certain Cameron had been stabilized.
“It’d better be Dr. Crane,” Cameron said, looking away at the wall with a dramatic wince and yelp as Gabby got the IV needle placed in her arm. “She already knows all about me and my past health scares and situation and I only want to see her.”
“I know you do.” Gabby tried to find reassurance in the fact that Cameron’s voice had become the petulant one she often used when she felt normal. At least she wasn’t getting real contractions yet or freaking out. Gabby conjured her own acting skills and infused her voice with enthusiasm, bracing herself for the woman to get upset at the news her doctor was unavailable. “Unfortunately Dr. Crane is out of town. But this doctor is a personal friend of James Rothsberg and is not only an excellent OB but apparently a prince too.”
“A prince?” Surprise lit Cameron’s face before it relaxed into a pleased smile, thank heavens, instead of outrage. “Well, how nice. If Dr. Crane can’t be here, at least a prince will understand how important my baby is to the world.”
Because a prince and a self-absorbed actress’s baby were more important to the world than most other human beings? Emotions crowded Gabby’s chest—disbelief that Cameron obviously genuinely believed that. Annoyance with that attitude. And deeply buried pain. Because every person’s baby was the most important child on earth to them.
She swallowed before she spoke. “I’m not sure when Dr. Moreno is going to get here, and we shouldn’t wait to get your mag sulfate drip started. Is your belly still hard and tight? Still feeling crampy?”
“Well, yes. But not too bad. I think we should wait for this prince-doctor.” She picked up the television remote, clicked to a movie channel, and beamed the famous megawatt smile she normally reserved for the cameras. “Oh, look, it’s one of mine! I loved this one!”
“Cameron.” Gabby worked to keep her patience. “Giving you the sulfate drip certainly isn’t going to hurt, regardless of what Dr. Moreno has to say, and timing can be critical. Up to three courses of steroids are recommended for the baby’s lung health, but have to be given at least twenty-four hours apart, and the sooner we give the first one, the sooner we can give the second one.”
“I admit I’m still nervous. I know you’re good at what you do. If you think you need to start it now, then let’s do it.” Cameron’s smile disappeared, and Gabby’s frustration with her patient evaporated when she saw the tension etched on her face. Probably her wanting to wait and watch the movie, all smiles, was some coping mechanism, telling herself everything was fine now that she was here at the clinic. Deluding oneself was all too easy to do, as Gabby knew firsthand.
She patted Cameron’s arm, then gave it a gentle squeeze.
