"...yeah... yeah. I would." Poor Cheese Sandwich wiped the wetness from his eyes.
"Alright. Follow me." Doctor Care always grinned with pride after a successful birth. She led Cheese down to Pinkie's room.
It was very quiet now. They entered the room silently. Pinkie Pie laid on the bed, on her back. Her eyes were wide. Blank. Devoid of... anything, really. She looked disturbed. The beep of the heart monitor kept going. This time, it wasn't freaking Cheese out. This time, it was Pinkie being tormented by the endless loop of electronic noise.
Two nurses were cleaning Pinkie pie up, as well as the area. There was... a lot of blood, but it was cleaned up by then. Next to the bed was a small plastic cart. Inside, wrapped in a blanket, was their little girl. Nine months' worth of emotional turmoil and pain led to this... this little, dusty colored, warm foal...
It was all worth it when Cheese Sandwich saw his first born daughter in that plastic hospital cart.
He was speechless... she was perfect. Her color was... confusing. Stone gray, a little frizzy mane and tail of maroon. No matter. Her maternal family had gray coats, it's just genetics. But wow... that was his foal. He was a dad. The tiny foal turned over as she slept.
"Go on. Hold her! Gently, of course." Doctor Care tapped Cheese's shoulder. Cheese couldn't stop smiling... one of the two nurses gently picked up the foal, and carefully put her in Cheese's arms. The tiny little pony was so warm. Fast asleep... Again, he started to cry. But this time, those tears were of pride. Of love.
"...I love her so much already..." He put his snout to the baby pony's nose. The foal didn't really notice. Doctor Care and her nurses watched in glee. "She's the absolute cutest foal I've ever seen... right, Pinkie?"
Pinkie. Cheese almost forgot about her for a minute. Pinkie Pie laid there like a dead slug in the bed. "Pinkie?" Cheese looked at her. She couldn't speak... or, there was nothing to speak of. She watched the line of the heart monitor spike every second. How can the monitor still go if she didn't even feel alive? She felt weak. She couldn't even sit up on her own. The nurse had to move the bed using the elevation remote.
"...Doc? Is she okay?" Cheese's anxiety began to creep up on him again. Doctor Care gave an... understanding look as she approached closer to him.
"You see, Cheese... A good percentage of new mothers suffer from postpartum depression. It seems your wife will be experiencing it harshly. Even moreso with her... underlying mental illness." She was referring to Pinkie's bipolar II disorder. That was an entire can of worms on its own. Doctor Care looked a little stressed, which is unusual for a mare with so much medical experience as her. "How about we go outside while the nurses prep the baby for the nursery?" Cheese nodded, gently placing his foal into a nurse's arms. Doctor Care tried to remain collected as she led Cheese outside the hall.
"Cheese Sandwich, as a medical professional, I must always be honest with my patients. No matter the cost." Doctor Care put her hoof to her forehead. "I am... genuinely concerned for your wife's mental state. Pinkie Pie has gone through a lot in the last few hours... things you will never experience. And hopefully will never witness. The combination of postpartum depression, her bipolar disorder, genuine discomfort... I believe we may need to admit her to our psychiatric ward for the next few days... possibly weeks." It pained Doctor Care to even suggest that.
Cheese nearly couldn't believe what he just heard. He began to get cold and clammy.
"W- psychiatric ward? Weeks? I-I don't know about that-" He adjusted the collar of his shirt, nervously.
"She is completely catatonic. This could last for up to a year, Cheese. And knowing her history..." This always made the both of them uncomfortable to talk about. Both of them winced. "...her history of self harm attempts... at this time, those urges are at an all time high for her. We need to monitor her. And the foal. Postpartum can make a mother do things she never thought of doing." Doctor Care looked at her patient's husband with great worry.
Cheese Sandwich looked down to his hooves. In the reflection of the floor tile, he saw a stallion. A tired, overworked, stressed stallion. He breathed in.
"...alright. Whatever is best for my Pinkie." He knew he would miss her greatly, but she needed safety. He trusted Doctor Care with his life, his wife's life, and his foal's life.