The Army Wife

Lisa sought out the care of a midwife.  She had delivered he previous babies on US Army bases around the world and in the US,  all with midwives.  She knew, since she was "by herself" that a midwife was what she needed for this birth as well.  As time went by, I saw Lisa for her OB checks in my office.  She sometimes came in with a female friend, sometimes just with her 3 small children in tow.  They were very well behaved kids, and loved listening to their new sibling's heart beat as their Mother's pregnancy progressed.  One time, Lisa mentioned that her husband, an Army Officer, was stationed in Afghanistan, and would not be home for about 9 more months--he would miss the birth of their fourth, and final baby.  But he had missed the birth of the other three as well, so she was "prepared" to do it alone...again.  She got a little teary when she described how much her husband, a career military man, was going to miss--how much he had already missed--and how much she was missing him during this pregnancy.
My heart ached for her.  Three children already and her husband halfway around the world--it seemed so unfair for him to miss this one.  I pondered what I could do, if anything, to remedy this situation.  I was sharing the situation with my cousin, whose husband had been in the Army during the Vietnam war, and she told me that it might be possible for the Red Cross to help me reach the father-to-be when the baby was born.  An idea was born at that moment.
As time went by, I made some inquiries with the Red Cross, and with the Army.  A plan was hatched, but I wasn't sure we could pull it off, so I said nothing to Lisa.
Then, early one morning, I got a call from Lisa.  She was in labor, and so I headed to the hospital to meet her and see how things were progressing.  When I arrived, Lisa was in active labor, her children were being cared for by friends, and she was by herself.  I checked her, and her cervix was 6 cm dilated--clearly in active labor.  I went out to the desk and explained to the nursing staff what I was trying to do--reach her husband in Afghanistan in time for him to "hear" his baby born.
I started my phone calls, and with the help of the Red Cross, and lots of Army personnel, we were able to reach halfway round the world, to her husband, just in time for him hear his baby cry for the first time, and share this birth with his wife.
There was no face time or Skype back then, so it was the best we could do.  But it felt so good that day, to share that experience with that family.  And a tiny way to say thanks for all the sacrifices our service men and women and their families make for us.