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)
“Are you having another cramp?” I ask her, and she lies and shakes her head.
We walk to the suite—at a snail’s pace, I might add—and I’m rushing to get there for someone else to see her but when we walk into the box, Zara is all smiles, and she literally doesn’t even show anything. “See,” she whispers. “It was a false alarm.”
“How many false alarms are there before the full-blown let’s evacuate the building?” I ask her and look around to see if I can ask anyone else the question, but my father comes over.
“There she is,” he says, grabbing me around my shoulders and pulling me in to kiss my head. “My beautiful girl,” he says, and then my mother comes over, and the whole time, I watch Zara. I see the times she closes her eyes, and then her eyes find me as soon as they open. My heart starts to speed up a bit, and when the second period ends, she comes over to me.
“Don’t freak out,” she says softly. “But the cramps are back.” I sit up now and look over to see if I can get Alison to look at me when Zara grabs my hand and groans. “That one hurt.”
“It’s okay,” I say to her, and I see the pain and fear in her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” I tell her, and I swear I can feel her fear. “It’s going to be okay.”
The horn starts, and we know that the third period is about to start. “Oh my God,” she says and then looks at me and then looks down.
“Holy shit, did your water just break?” I ask, and then I look around and see Allison watching us. “Her water just broke,” I say louder than I planned to. So much for keeping my calm. Everything and everyone spring into action. My father comes over with a chair, and my mother comes over and grabs her other hand.
“We need to call an ambulance,” Matthew says, grabbing his hair in both hands. “Get the ambulance.”
“No!” everyone yells at him.
“She can’t have the baby here in the middle of the suite,” he says, and Karrie goes over to him. “Babe, she’s going to have a baby,” he tells her and grabs her close to him and kisses her head.
“Okay, we need a plan,” Allison says, then looks at Zara. “How long have you been having contractions?”
“Um …” She starts to talk and then stops to groan. My hand goes to her stomach, and it feels rock hard.
“She was having them in the car on our way here,” I tell Allison.
“Yesterday,” Zara says. “I mean, I wasn’t sure, and then, well, in the car, they came more regularly.”
“How is your back?” my mother asks her, and I look at her confused.
“It’s been killing me for two days,” she answers and then stops for another contraction.
Allison starts, “Okay, Karrie, can you get the kids and make plans to get them home?” Karrie nods at her. “Mom and Dad are going to take you to the hospital.”
“But you’re coming, right?” Zara says to me, and I just nod my head. “You have to come with me.”
“Um, hello, favorite aunt right here,” I say and then look at Allison and Karrie. “Sorry.” They look at me.
“Now you,” Allison says to Matthew. “You are going to calmly go get Max, who is downstairs with the team, and tell him that you need to speak to him.”
“I can do that,” Matthew says at the same time Karrie says, “He’s not going to be able to.”
“What the hell is going on in here?” Max finally says when he comes into the room. “Why is there water all over the floor?” he says, and then he looks at Matthew. “We need an ambulance, and someone needs to get Evan.”
“No!” Zara yells. “It’s fine. I’m going to go with Mom and Dad and Zoe.” She then stops and looks at me, and I breathe in and out and she mimics me. “It’s twenty minutes, give or take, and by the time they put me in a room, he’ll be there.”
“Okay,” Allison says. “Mom, Dad, and Zoe are going with Zara,” she says. “Karrie, Matthew, and I will follow you. Max is going to bring Evan there.”
“We came in one car,” Matthew says. “Fuck, no more carpooling.”
“Okay, so we are all going with Mom and Dad,” Allison says and looks at Max. “And then you bring Evan as soon as he gets off the ice.”
“Got it,” Max says, and then we walk out with me holding one of Zara’s hands and my mother holding the other hand. Zara has to stop on the way there, and Matthew looks like he’s going to lose his mind.
“Can I just carry her?” he says to Karrie. “She’s in pain, and it’s …” Karrie has to stop him, and I see the fear and pain in his eyes when she holds his face in her hands.