WHOPPERS, CHEVRON and STARBUCK’S……OH MY!!!!! CALL 9-1-1 In the wee hours of a blissful, July morning, I lay deep in slumber. I am tired but refreshed. My beautiful and faithful wife of over nine years is pregnant with our third child. The months have passed by—each day a testimony to the miracle of Ashlee’s impending maternity. I am at peace and think about all that the coming days will require of me as I balance the imbalance of newborn demands while parenting my older two boys—Morgan (7) and Carsten (5). They are excited for “Baby Landon” and wonder how their unseen brother ever came to be. I tell them about a “bird”—NO BEES!!! The Stork Story will do for now! Our little family of four will soon become five. Happiness and gratitude seem to pervade every thought and feeling, but, this was not always the case. In October of 2012, Ashlee and I were comfortable and grateful for our little family. We felt then, as we do now, that we were a family—complete but hoping for one more baby. Ashlee believed (against all medical advice) that there was one more child to join our little brood. We had wanted one more child but were told that Ashlee would never be able to conceive again. We spent many months and hundreds of dollars researching her condition and getting expensive tests from a fertility doctor in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the end, Ashlee was told that she never would be able to conceive again. Over next three years (beginning in 2009), Ashlee educated herself. She read thousands of pages from dozens of books. In the innermost, sacred conscience of a woman is a connection with deity that precludes all science and terrestrial education. It is in that place that my sweet wife Ashlee communicated with the heavens. It is not my story to tell. It is hers. I will simply say this: Ashlee was told that we would be having another child. Truth be known, I did not want another child. I was in my early forties and did not want to be a mid-life father to a newborn. God had another plan and He needed the loving obedience of my wife to persuade my faithful support. Ashlee and I learned of her pregnancy on November 3, 2013. The pregnancy test was as positive as my wife’s attitude. While she was incredibly grateful, I was a Zacharias of sorts! I murmured silently and did not believe my wife’s announcement. I did not want to believe and, frankly, should have been struck dumb! Trust me! Ashlee would have welcomed the silence. After a couple weeks of sleepless, restless nights and a very powerful priesthood blessing, I relented. It was a light switch process. It was that fast…..about as fast as Landon’s arrival to planet earth! July 8, 2013. It is 630 am and my wife is awakened by cramps and the early stages of labor. The contractions are far enough apart that we simply need to execute our game plan. Neighbor to watch the boys?......CHECK! Go bag in the van?......CHECK! Insurance cards?.....CHECK! Ashlee finally wakes me up at 650 am and said, “I think we’re going to have a baby today!” I think to myself, “Alrighty then! Operation Landon is underway!” The boys are starting to wake up and wonder what all the fuss is about. They rub their eyes and hold tight to their “babies” (their word for baby blankets). My sons take in the moment half awake but full of excitement. The little, moving bump in momma’s belly is about to make his entrance. Little did any of us know how grand a spectacle it would be. I hurried upstairs and took a shower. While I am showering, Ashlee’s contractions go from 8 minutes apart to 3 minutes apart! YIKES!!!! She bursts into the bathroom and frantically says, “WE GOTTA GO NOW!” “Yes mam,” I say. I really do not care to upset the woman I love any more than labor is! I get dressed quickly. I head downstairs and meet with Norma. She is our beloved friend and neighbor who adopted our sons as her own grandchildren. She has been a part of their lives ever since they were born. Norma watches the boys while we head off to American Fork. Ashlee and I get in the van. It is 710 am. I am driving. She is climbing the sides of the car and deep in labor yoga! I am driving as fast as the law will allow…..maybe more, but, I can neither confirm nor deny actual speeds! I got one word for ya……BLUR! As we turn onto Highway 6 heading north, Ashlee begins to really squirm and appears controlled by forces that turn her into human origami! She is bent, twisted and apparently a little uncomfortable! “Hurry!” she says. Again…….BLUR! As we pass through one light and then another, we are in a downhill slalom. We move in and out of cars with speedy precision! The cars are like flags on a snowy slope! I am bound to get a gold medal—more likely a ticket! By this time, the window is down and my wife is morphing into a spider-monkey! We fly past McDonald’s! She is groaning at this time. One foot is out the door determined to peel the mirror right off the roof post! The other foot is on the dash. At one point, her left foot was trying to push the windshield onto the I-15 north bound ramp. We cruise past the Jiffy Lube and then it happens! SPLASH!!!! Yup, Ashlee’s water breaks. A little shout out to my forward-thinking wife. She had placed towels and blankets all over the front, passenger seat just in case her water broke. Well, “just in case” happens! Ashlee continues to contort and bend her body as if controlled by some invisible puppeteer. Within two hundred feet of the Jiffy Lube, Ashlee calmly says, “CALL 9-1-1, NOW!!!!! He’s coming out!” “Judas Priest! This is really happening,” I say to myself. I look over to my right and stare right at the local Burger King as I try to clear my right lane, turn, and get the van stopped. I remember staring at the crown on the restaurant sign. I call dispatch. “Hello! My name is Drew Fegan……Sergeant Fegan with the Utah County Sheriff’s Department. I am with my wife……31 year old female…..conscious and breathing…..10-85 BRAVO (patient condition)! She is going to have a baby…..the baby is crowning (“crowning” in front of the local Burger King. I just can’t avoid mentioning the coincidence)…..our 20 (location) is the Chevron gas station by the I-15 north bound on-ramp.” The dispatcher begins to ask me many questions. Now I want you to picture this! I am driving a van with a woman who is removing her clothes while trying to manage the discomfort of the whole birthing process. She is half-naked with her legs placed onto a side mirror and the front windshield. She is constantly arching her back and lifting her entire pelvis level to the windshield! YOU DO THE MATH!!!! Drivers heading south are getting one helluva show on their morning commute! I am able to turn safely past Burger King as I make a hard left into the Chevron parking lot. At first, I was content to just park in the front of the gas station and solicit the help of anyone present. My wife looks at me with that Medusa-like stare and I cower! Within seconds, I am now navigating a course through the gas pumps and people. It’s like a damn video game! Sheesh! The entire time I am doing this I am STILL talking to the woman from dispatch as my wife climbs the side of the van! By this time Ashlee is groaning and breathing audibly. I stop the van. We are facing south. The van is parallel to the on-ramp and Starbuck’s across the street. I throw the van into park and run around to the passenger side of the van. I open the door and have to remove the necessary clothing to allow the process to occur. Imagine the poor soul pumping gas—looking over to see a man forcibly removing a woman’s pants! YIKES! He could see my wife struggling and appeared as though he were going to intervene. I looked down to see my son’s head. Meanwhile, the poor dispatcher is trying to get my attention as I worry whether or not the guy pumping gas is going to come beat me up! It does not look good! To make matters worse, my wife is completely without her dignity now as people driving by are doing double-takes! Some people are rubbing their eyes while others are throwing their coffee out the window and swearing off the hard stuff. The dispatcher is able to summons my attention and asks about the baby. “His head is OUT! His head is OUT!” I say. “Good. Can you tell if he is breathing? Check to see if he is breathing?” she says. I reach for a towel from our go-bag (first aid, birthing kit). I wipe the vernix (baby goop) from his eyes, nose and mouth. I finger sweep his mouth. Landon bites me and makes his very first sound, “Wha-aaaa!” “Yup! He’s breathing,” I tell her. Seconds after that, my wife gave it one more push and he was out from shoulders to toes! “Give me my baby!” Ashlee says. I lay Landon on his mother and she holds him snug. Landon was crowning at 713 am. Ashlee was holding him at 715 am. I start to hear the sounds of approaching police cars and an ambulance. I look over to my right and police cars are moving through the intersection with lights and sirens a blazing! The ambulance soon followed! People in the Chevron are now starting to get a sense of the whole episode and are relieved that they do not have to testify against me! Several of the officers are my associates from local law enforcement. They recognize me and asked if I am responding to the call from my scanner. “No! It’s my wife. She had a baby.” I say. “You missed the show!” I look at Officers Byers and Rudd and say, “You got my wife? Good! I am gonna take pictures!” Within a few seconds the paramedics showed up. The female paramedics (two of them) quickly intervene and take care of my wife. They kick all the male personnel out of the area after they determine Ashlee and Landon to be stable. Meanwhile, I am snapping pictures and taking in the moment. THAT……JUST HAPPENED! I delivered my son in a Chevron parking lot. I was the first human being to ever hold him. I was the first human being to ever touch him. His mother (a nurse) and his father (police officer) were duly qualified to deal with this moment. Our loving Father in Heaven gave us a very private, sacred experience with plenty of comedy. My God has a sense of humor! We must drive by that gas station 20 times a week. Every time we do, we look over to that spot in the parking lot where our baby LANDed-ON the front seat of our van!
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 18:48:35 +0000
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