Lukey Dukey

I was at the county courthouse in Butler when Kathy called. She was in labor and since this was her third baby she knew the definition of labor. I figured I better get moving quickly.

I flew (drove really fast) to Reynolds and picked up my very pregnant wife and away we went. I really wondered if we would make it. Her water broke before we got to to the hospital so I was getting really nervous. We hit the five o’clock traffic that Monday afternoon in Macon so I had to drive on a couple of sidewalks to get through. Had to do what I had to do.

When we got to the hospital, we found out her doctor was out of town and someone else would be covering for him. They rushed us in the little room and the nurse checked her and said it would not be long. I was videoing it all by now - just waiting to see if we would have another little boy or a little girl.

I was even videoing the doctor who would be delivering the baby. He was sitting at the nurse’s station talking about the recent Georgia football game. Georgia had barely edged Baylor 17-14 that weekend in Athens.

About that time things started moving quickly. They wheeled Kathy out of the examining room and were heading in a hurry to the delivery room. I hurriedly put on the scrubs they required me to wear as we went in the delivery room.

Another girl in labor was being wheeled in another delivery room at the same time. I heard one of the nurses say that it looked like she was going to be delivering our baby because Dr. G had gone with the other girl.

I noticed when they got us set up in the delivery room that the heart beat I had been hearing seemed to be slower than what is was in the other room. The nurse had a concerned look on her face when she told me she would figure out what was going on.

I asked her when the doctor was coming.

The heartbeat was getting slower by now. The nurse sent an assistant to get Dr. G. She came back in a minute or two and said Dr. G couldn’t come right now.

I told them I would go get Dr. G.

The heart beat was getting slower and slower.

The nurse really looked worried and yelled, “Get Dr. G in here now!”

Dr G then came in and immediately determined he needed to do an emergency c-section. As he was making the incision they asked me to leave.

I’ll never forget the expression on Kathy’s face when she looked up at me.

I walked out of the room and sat in a chair. I heard the code alarms go off and emergency teams were running in from everywhere.

I was wondering how in the world something so wonderful could turn so bad that quickly.

For the record, the baby did make it. They had to do some work to get him going but he made it.

We named him Luke.

Today is his 21st birthday.

He gave us all kind of trouble 21 years ago getting him into the world. But he has not given us one ounce of trouble since.

In fact he has turned into quite a young man.

And it is an honor to call him my son.

Happy Birthday Lukey Dukey. You make your dad really proud.