A local woman missing- Mary Kubica

anesthesiologist is called, but he’s not immediately available. What
Shelby wants is immediate relief, but she has to wait.
“What the fuck is taking so long?” Jason asks. He paces the room.
I ask him to calm down. I tell him quietly that he’s not helping
anything by getting upset. He needs to be a calming presence, for
Shelby’s sake.
The epidural comes. Jason is asked to leave for the placement of
it. This makes him irate. I go with him. In the hall, I try to explain that
it’s a sterile procedure, a catheter being inserted directly into
Shelby’s epidural space. It’s also a liability. Fathers are notorious for
passing out at the sight of needles. It takes longer than expected
because Shelby won’t hold still. This sends Jason off the deep end. I
have to physically restrain him to keep him from going back into the
labor room.
The epidural slows Shelby’s progression. What was quick is now
slow.
The relief, though, is immediate. She nearly goes numb from the
waist down. I sit on the edge of the hospital bed beside her. I push
the hair from her eyes. I offer her ice chips and a massage. She
declines both, preferring sleep. Sleep is a good idea. She needs her
rest.
As she sleeps, Jason Tebow talks to me. He’s cynical, hostile. He
swears a lot. But maybe he’s not the monster my imagination made
him out to be. There’s a softer side to him. He’s tender toward
Shelby. It’s endearing. I can see that, though he has a temper, he
loves her dearly.
As she sleeps, Jason moves to the edge of the bed. He watches
her. He strokes her head. He holds her hand. He tells me, “My father
was never around. He left when I was five, got remarried, had
another kid. For a few years, I’d get a present at Christmas and on
my birthday. After that, nothing.” The look on his face is melancholic.
“I’m going to do better for my kid,” he promises.
“I’m sure you will,” I say. He reaches out, touches Shelby’s
abdomen.
“I’d give my kid the world if I could.”
I tell him, “I believe you would.”
“Can I tell you something?” he asks.