Code 3 Delivery
I’m at the beach on Maryland’s eastern shore as I write this week’s column with my wife, daughter, Samantha, and her boyfriend, Aaron. We’ll be celebrating both Samantha and Aaron’s birthdays this week. Miraculously, they were both born on the same date and year! I guess the stars were aligned, mixed with destiny, on the night they met a few years ago.
Anyway, it’s only natural to talk about the birth of Samantha whenever her birthday comes around. I know I’ve mentioned before about hearing the news my wife, and I had been waiting to hear for years while hunting in West Virginia, but I’ve never told you about the day Samantha was actually born.
Tank's daughter, Samantha, with her boyfriend, Aaron, celebrating their birthdays.
Early Appearance
It was early July in Central Maryland. This means high humidity of over 90% and temperatures, usually in the low to mid-90s. While the temperatures and humidity may not sound too bad, spending hours on a police motorcycle exaggerates the heat and humidity (humature, they call it). Not to mention having to contend with the heat pouring off the motorcycle’s engine.
I’m not complaining, but after 8 hours, my shirt and hair would be soaking wet, feeling like I was really put through the wringer. Driving home in my air-conditioned cruiser was a luxury I greatly appreciated and looked forward to.
I was working daywork from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., which meant I was up at 0400 hrs. and showered, dressed and out the door before 0500 hrs. By the time quitting time rolled around, my eyelids would start to get pretty heavy with the sun glaring through the windshield as I sat comfortably in a bucket seat with the air conditioning cooling me down during the drive home. Once home, I’d peel off my soggy uniform and take a quick nap.
Camille was 35 weeks pregnant at this point and happened to be working from home because she wasn’t feeling well. This should have tipped us off for things to come.
Wake-Up Call
After sleeping for what seemed like two minutes, I heard Camille yelling my name. I could tell it was something urgent. She was bleeding! We needed to get to the hospital ASAP! Camille has never liked my driving, but I knew the cruiser was the fastest way of getting to the hospital. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to ride in a police cruiser with the lights and siren and me behind the wheel. I guess it was kind of a stupid question when she screamed “YES!” at me.
My cruiser at the time was a 1990-something Chevy Caprice equipped with the LT1 Corvette engine. Our department ordered them with a special computer chip to keep the maximum speed down to the low 120s mph. Don’t ask how I know, but let’s just say we had fun working midnights in them. I guess the statute of limitations has expired by now, so let’s hope it’s safe to tell the rest of the story …
The hospital was 45 minutes away on a good day, with no traffic. It was now almost 1700 and at the peak of rush hour. There’s an old saying, “It ain’t no fun being Sheriff if you don’t get to shoot your gun every now and then.” This was my Sheriff moment. I got Camille in the cruiser and teared out of our driveway, headed for the hospital.
For the first time ever, she never complained about my driving. It was a wild ride for sure, and I won’t bore you with the details, but we made the trip in just under a half hour. This included a stint on the dreaded Capital beltway, with stand-still traffic. Let’s just say I made good use of the shoulder during my emergency run. We got to the hospital safe and sound, and no accidents were caused by me.
Camille was rushed in for an emergency C-section. The placenta had torn from her uterus, but thankfully the delivery went without a hitch. Camille spent two days in the ICU with a magnesium sulfate IV. It was a scary time, and as they say, ignorance is bliss sometimes, as we didn’t fully understand how serious her condition was. Go figure?!
Samantha and Tank, home safe and sound.
Lingering Effects
Everything turned out great. Both Camille and Samantha were discharged a couple of days later, no worse for the wear. The only permanent result from this incident is that 26 years later, I’m still not allowed to drive my wife in the car, and … Samantha has a penchant for wanting to drive fast.
