Page 106 of Together

“Yeah,” she agrees in a whisper. “Okay. Yeah,” she rallies and throws her shoulders back, walking toward the door. “I’m ready now. Let’s do this.”

Once again, I guide her to the bathroom. “Change first. We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Oh! Right. Duh. Yeah, we’ve got plenty of time.”

* * *

We were wrong.

We didn’t have plenty of time.

Not even enough time to drive the fifteen minutes it takes to get to the hospital because her labor is progressing too fast. I have no idea how things changed so quickly but she went from walking to the bathroom to full-blown contractions in five minutes time. I was on the phone with her parents, letting them know it would be a while when I heard her yell my name.

“Holy shit!” she groans. “That frog thing really works, huh?”

“Are you actually having him? Right now?” I shout, panic setting in.

“Uh, yeah! What the hell do you think is happening?”

“Well, I thought we had time!”

“We clearly don’t! I’m freaking out so you’re not allowed to, okay? Only one of us is allowed to be dumb right now.”

I try to get her to the car but the labor pains have increased ten-fold. She screams out my name and I wish with all my might that I could somehow take the pain away from her.

Each new contraction doesn’t give her a moment to breathe before the next one hits her just as hard. She might be handling it like a champ, doing her breathing exercises while I cradle her from behind. But when the contractions begin to hit her less than a minute apart, I decide enough’s enough. I call for an ambulance because I’m not equipped to drive her to the hospital while she’s this far along in active labor.

“I’m going to suggest something that neither of us want to do but this is where we’re at in life right now. I’m not looking forward to it, either, but I think you have to get into the bathtub.”

“Why would I do a thing like that?” she asks through a low voice.

“Because there’s a very good chance that you’re about to give birth in our house and I would prefer that to happen in the tub rather than on our floor.”

“I amnotgiving birth at home. I need drugs. And doctors. And nurses. And a lot of sanitization! This isn’t happening. No. I’m willing it to go away,” she says, determined. She pushes against me, trying to stand up but there’s no point.

“Come on. Let’s go! No time to waste!”

Luckily the doorbell rings, interrupting her objections.

After making sure she’s settled, I rush to the door and let the medics in. They look a little familiar but I can’t place them, not that it matters.

“She’s back here. She’s… decided that she’s not having a baby at the moment and will wait until she can be at the hospital.”

The woman gives me a knowing look and the guy grunts, “Great.”

“Pretty much.”

When we get to our room, she’s on her hands and knees, crawling toward the bedroom door.

“Ash?”

She looks up. “Oh hey! See? I’m on my way. Just maybe help me get up and I’ll be right with you.”

“Medics are here to help,” I tell her.

“Hi there. I’m Ashley.”

“We’ve met,” the woman says, getting on her haunches in front of Ashley. “Sarah, you may not remember me, though.”

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