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“I don’t know. But...” I bend over at a mock contraction. Well, if she’s taken everything she knows about pregnancy and birth from the TV shows... “Shit!”
“Sky?” she asks in alarm.
“The stress is making this worse, Lily,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Are you going to have the baby now?” Her voice rises.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I...” I look up at Jem and slide to the floor. “Let Jem call an ambulance.”
Lily’s face covers with a huge smile. “No need. I can deliver babies.”
I tighten my arms around my belly. “What?”
“I’m a nurse.”
Omigod, what next?“No. You’re not a nurse.”
Lily flashes the knife in my direction again, towering over me sitting on the floor. “Are you saying I’m lying? Why do you always tell people I’m lying?”
“Okay, okay, you know what you’re doing,” I say and grimace. “But I’ll need a doctor too. Baby’s early.”
“If you’re going to help, you need to give me the knife, Lily,” says Jem softly.
“Do you think I’m stupid? Why would I do that? You’ll hurt me,” she snaps. “We need to focus on Sky. I think she needs to lie down.”
Oh god, this can’t be happening to me. I rest my head against the wall and look up at her, the welling tears escaping. “Lily, please,” I whisper. “I’m scared, and I want to go to hospital.”
My distress catches her off guard, and she lowers the knife. “Sky, let me help.”
Jem launches himself at Lily and seizes her around the waist with one arm, extending her arm outwards so she can’t touch him with the knife. She screams at him, and her knuckles whiten as her grip on the knife holds.
“Let it go,” he shouts and claws at her fingers. “You crazy bitch!”
Lily writhes against him as he holds her backwards against his chest, useless against his strength. I crawl forward and reach for my bag near his feet. Lily kicks out at my hand and misses, foot colliding with my stomach instead. The pain radiates through and knocks the breath from me.
“Sky! I’m sorry! I didn’t meant to.”
Jem wrests the knife from Lily’s hand, and it falls to the floor, where he kicks it into the kitchen. “Sky?”
“Please do something,” I say through tears. “Jem. Please.”
He tightens his arm around Lily and shakes his head. “What do I do? I can’t hurt her. She’s already threatened me with an assault charge.”
“Just fucking do something,” I shout. I want to run, hide, lie down, and deal with the emotional and physical assault on my body.
I want Dylan.
“Lock her in a room or something.”
“No!” she shrieks. “You need my help. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Jem!”
The two struggle with each other, Jem’s reluctance to be physically harsh obvious. His past media profile demonised him, and despite his new life, I understand his fear of her threats.
Gritting my teeth, I pull myself to my feet and grab the knife, taking my turn in pointing it. “If you’ve hurt me or my baby, Dylan will crucify you!” The pain in my back spreads around my side as my stomach tightens too, and I fail at hiding my wincing reaction.
“Are you really in labour, Sky?” asks Jem.
