BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — It was July 19, about a week away from Lauren Griffith's due date.
After putting their older son Blake to bed, she and her husband Rob settled in to relax in their Broadview Heights home.
"We were kind of on the final approach to delivery," Rob said. "We cooked dinner ourselves. We cleaned up after dinner."
It was business as usual, until it wasn't.
"She's walking around, she's having some pains," Rob remembered, "and I said, 'You know, do you think that this could be happening?' And she said, 'I don't know. I don't think so.'"
Here's the thing: It was happening.
"I just said, 'I don't think I'm going to make it [to the hospital]," Lauren told us.
She did make it upstairs to their master bathroom. Rob called 911.
"What's going on?" the dispatcher asked.
"My wife, I believe, is going into labor," Rob answered back. "Her water broke.
On the line was Chagrin Valley dispatcher Megan Gallagher. Her soothing voice guiding the frightened couple on what to do.
"Can you have her lay on her back and try to relax?" Megan said to Rob and Lauren.
Listening to the call, you would think Megan had more than 3 1/2 years experience. Yet here she was, the first time ever helping to deliver a baby, sounding like a seasoned vet on the job.
"Just take deep breaths," Megan told the couple.
Then, just six minutes into the call:
"Tell her to go ahead and push," Megan coached. "She's pushing!" Rob said.
Moments later, their beautiful son Everett was born.
"Oh my gosh! There it is!" Rob said excitedly. "It's a boy! It's a boy!"
"Congrats!" Megan replied.
Lauren said later that she was in awe of Megan's guidance.
"It's not lost on us how scary that was and how many things could have gone wrong," Lauren admitted. "She, you know, kept my husband calm, which ultimately helped keep me calm. And at the end of it, she helped us deliver this healthy baby boy."
We also asked Rob how much Megan helped him, but just as he answered, Megan appeared at their back door — a beautiful reunion all three had dreamed of.
"You're kidding me, no she's not!" Rob said to us in disbelief when we told him Megan was there.
The couple embraced Megan, and there were a few tears among those shocked faces.
"Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening," Rob said.
"We kept saying we would love to meet her, and here you are," Lauren said to Megan.
Yet besides the surprise, there was a common theme: love and gratitude.
"It's so rewarding," Megan said. "I have the most rewarding job, and I love it."
"This is unbelievable," Rob added. "I will never forget this moment. This is unbelievable."
Megan received the Stork Pin, an award specifically for dispatchers who aide in the delivery of a baby. She is not finished, though, as she says she wants to get her Lifesaver Pin for helping to revive a patient.
Editor's Note: The following video is from an unrelated story:
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