My body went numb.
There was blood on the couch, bright and terrifying.
Oh, God! What’s happening?
My pulse raced violently, and my heartbeat thrashed in my ears so loudly that it drowned out everything else for a second. Fear crashed through me so fast that I could barely catch my breath.
I had felt a dull ache in my stomach that morning. The pregnancy book had said mild cramps were normal, so I tried to stay calm and keep myself busy. But by midmorning, the cramps had intensified, and I had called out for Geeta. A scream tore out of me as the agony surged, and Lucas came running, grabbing my hand, his small face filled with fear.
The memory faded as I returned to the present.
“Stay with Lucas,” Cole yelled at Geeta. He dialled a number on his cell phone with quick, urgent movements. “Jack, Jiya isgoing into labour,” he yelled into the phone. “I’m taking her to the hospital. Come to her house now.”
I tried to get up, but I did not have the strength. My body felt weak, shaky, and overtaken by pain.Please, God, please let Emma be fine. Please give me strength.
Just then, Cole’s strong arms slipped beneath me, lifting me effortlessly.
“Geeta, get me towels and meet me at the car. Hurry!”
Everything happened so quickly after that. He carried me toward the car while I fought another wave of pain. Towels were placed on the car seat by Geeta seconds later, and Cole gently lowered me onto the seat. He closed the door, rushed around to the driver’s side, and sped toward the hospital.
Every few seconds, he glanced back at me, his voice controlled even though I could hear the strain in it.
“Breathe with me, Jiya… hee-hee-hoo, hee-hee-hoo, hee-hee-hoo.”
I tried my best to copy his breathing and held the towel tighter between my legs. The pain kept me fully awake, but my head swirled with frightening thoughts.
I wished Caleb was with me. Just the thought of him dulled my senses with longing and sadness.
My chin trembled.
My lips quivered.
My whole body shook.
Horns blared every few seconds as Cole sped through the streets, but I did not care about any of it. All I cared about was getting to the hospital. I tried to focus on my breathing and prayed the bleeding would lessen or stop. I needed to get to the hospital, and I needed to get there fast. Through the panic and the pain, I was deeply grateful that Cole was with me.
“Stay with me, Jiya. Just keep your eyes open and breathe,” he said.
I was trying my best not to panic, but this was the first time I was ever going to deliver a baby, and terrifying thoughts kept forcing their way into my mind.What happens if we do not make it to the hospital on time? What if I deliver in the car? What happens if I deliver and something is wrong with Emma?
My skin was clammy, cold with fear and sweat, and I whimpered when another brutal contraction tore through me.
“I’m almost there,” Cole screamed over the sound of the road and my breathing. “Just hang in there, Jiya. Breathe, just breathe.”
“I’m trying. Dear God, it hurts,” I said, panting and forcing air into my lungs between cries.Please help me, God! This hurts so bad. Please let Emma be all right.
Cole pulled into the emergency section of the hospital and jumped out of the car.
Two nurses rushed forward with a stretcher, their faces alert and focused.
Sweating, shaking, and panting, I felt Cole gently lift me from the seat and place me on the stretcher.
“I’m right here! I’m right here!” he said, holding my face in his hands.
His touch calmed me, even while my pulse quickened at the intimacy of it. Maybe it was just the moment. My emotions were all over the place. I was hormonal, in agony, terrified, and exhausted. Having someone with me right then, especially Cole, whom I had come to trust and care for as a friend, made me feel better.
It made me feel safe.
