Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“She’s going to be okay,” she tells him, and I have to blink away my own tears. “It’s fine. She’s going to make you an uncle again.”
“But she shouldn’t be walking,” he says, and then Zara speaks up.
“Matthew,” she says, looking at him. “Can you carry me?”
He doesn’t say anything. He just walks to her and picks her up like she’s as light as a feather. “It’s going to be okay,” he says, and she just nods and tries to keep her tears at bay but fails when she wraps her arms around his shoulders and tucks her head into his neck. “It’s going to be okay, baby girl. I’ve got you,” he whispers. She sobs out, and one of her hands go to hold her stomach.
“Son,” my father starts, “not going to lie, but you need to pick up the pace right about now. Those contractions are about two minutes apart.” Matthew almost runs to the car, and when we all get in, we hear the horn go off, and you know someone just scored. My father zooms out of the parking garage, and we make our way over to the hospital.
“Someone needs to get my bag,” she says. “It’s in my car.”
“The car that is at home.” Allison says. “We will get you the bag.”
“I have one,” I tell everyone. “At my house. I had one ready in case.” Everyone looks at me, even Zara. “What? It was a backup.”
She has five more contractions by the time we get to the hospital, and Matthew doesn’t even wait for the car to come to a stop before he jumps out and goes inside for a wheelchair. Zara starts to get out of the car when a big one rips through her, and she almost collapses. Matthew and Dad catch her. She screams so loud I’m surprised security doesn’t come out. She finally sits down, and another one hits, and now she groans. My father kisses her and then goes to park the car. We all run in, and everyone is asking for the maternity ward. I swear if anyone was looking at us flying through the lobby with Matthew pushing the wheelchair, they would stop and laugh.
We get into the elevator, and then she looks over at me and then at everyone else. “I don’t feel so good.”
“That’s normal,” Karrie says, and she just shakes her head. “If you’re going to barf, then barf.”
“It’s not that. It’s my stomach.” We don’t have time to answer as the elevator door opens. Matthew’s phone lights up, and we see it’s Max.
“Where are you?” he asks, and you can hear him pacing.
“Just got to the hospital. Where is he?”
“One minute left and it’s done,” Max says, and then Zara screams out again. “Text me the room number.”
We get to the nurses’ station, and the nurse rushes around the desk and Zara sobs. “Something is wrong. It doesn’t feel right,” she says, sobbing. “I know something is wrong.”
“Hey,” I say to her, getting down next to her, my own tears coming out. “You are going to be okay,” I tell her, and she just shakes her head. “I promise you everything is okay.”
“How about we get her to the room and get her undressed?” The nurse pushes the wheelchair now, and we walk into the room. “Can you guys get her undressed, and you”—she looks at Matthew—“are you the dad?”
He looks at her with almost disgust. “That’s my sister,” he says, and the lady laughs, and his phone rings again. “It’s Dad.”
“Okay,” she says to him. “You go get Dad.” Then she turns to us. “Undress her and I’ll get the doctor.” Matthew runs out of the room, and Karrie and Allison try to get her up and start to take off her top. I grab her tights and pull them down, and I stop midway and look over at my mother.
“Is that blood?” Zara asks. “Why is there blood?”
“It’s fine.” I swallow down my fear. “I remember Allison had this also. It’s like the plug or something.”
“Yeah,” Allison says while Karrie now runs out of the room. “Can we hurry up and get you in the bed?”
“Before another contraction comes,” my mother says, and she wipes away the tears dripping out of her eyes now. The nurse comes back in, rushing with Karrie behind her, and she sees the blood trickling out of Zara onto the bed’s white sheets.
The nurse runs over to the button in the back of the bed and presses it. “We need an ultrasound machine in room three ten,” she says, and now she pushes everyone around Zara away as she puts on the monitor on her stomach. “This will get the baby’s heartbeat and tell us how strong the contractions are.”
“What’s wrong with my baby?” Zara asks right before the contraction rips through her again and this time, more blood comes out. The sound of the baby’s heartbeat fills the room, and I don’t know about everyone else, but I sigh out in relief. And from the look on the nurse’s face, she’s happy also.