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“I can climb back in through the window and assess her situation. Try to make her more comfortable.”
Her suggestion wasn’t off. “I’ll help you get inside, then I’ll call for help.”
“Was Haley able to reach Aaron?”
“She contacted him, and he told us he wasn’t far away. Although, he knows the road we were driving on, not our precise location. Nor does he know about the accident, because it happened after we talked.”
Mia nodded in thought. She still seemed dizzy, but her eyes were sharper. As much as possible, considering her situation. “Don’t tell Zach yet. He can’t leave the kids and the others. He’ll just worry without being able to do a thing.”
“I’ll try Aaron and call the closest hospital. If she’s in labor, we need to act fast. And we need to tell Ben.”
She nodded and flinched in pain, palming her head. I helped her walk back to the driver’s door and boosted her up to get in through the window. Mia ended up getting cuts on her legs and arms from the points of the glass she wasn’t able to punch out, yet she was too numb to feel the pain.
I pulled out a switch knife from my pocket to slash the airbag and handed it to her so she could do the same to Izzie’s. Then I kicked off one of my boots and jabbed the glass from the inside out, clearing the whole window if Mia needed to get out again. She settled inside, kneeling on her seat, and touched Izzie’s face and neck, trying to see what kind of injuries she had. From the state of the car, Mia took the brunt of the crash, and even with the top dented, it didn’t reach Izzie’s head. The only—huge—problem seemed to be her getting into labor.
“Izzie? Honey, how are you feeling?” Mia held one of her hands, trying to calm her.
When Isabella tried to move, I warned, “No, no. You shouldn’t do anything more forceful until we get medical assistance. I’m about to get us some help; we just wanna make you comfortable first.”
“I’m scared,” she whimpered. “And it hurts. So much.”
Mia brushed away Izzie’s tears and asked in a soothing voice, “What hurts? Can you describe it to us?”
“My stomach, I guess. It seems to be a contraction.” She breathed heavily, seeming rightfully agitated.
“We’re gonna start monitoring it until someone comes, okay?” I suggested. “Mia, do you have a watch?” When she nodded, I instructed, “Time her next contractions. We need to know how long they last and how far apart they are. Maybe she should lie down. Can you move the seat back without moving her neck or head?”
“I think so.” She perused around her car. “We should immobilize her,” she mumbled. Picking up her hoodie from her seat, she turned to me. “Are you wearing a belt?”
“What are you planning?” I asked, already unhooking the accessory.
“I’ll hold her head to the seat with your belt and stabilize her torso with my jacket. That way, I can lean her back without moving her body too much.” Grabbing the makeshift security apparel, she slid to the back seat as swiftly as she could without disturbing Izzie and settled next to Gabe’s car seat. She slashed her coat with my knife to tear off the hood.
Mia placed the torn piece on Izzie’s forehead, then looped my belt around her head and the seat rest, mindful of not hurting her or restricting too much. She rolled the rest of the sweatshirt into a snake form and pressed it against Izzie’s chest, tying the sleeves behind the seat, which she leaned back carefully.
“You’re both settled?” At Mia’s confirmation, I promised, “I’ll get us some help and be right back. I couldn’t get any signal, so I’m running to where I parked my car.”
“I need Ben.” Izzie sobbed, holding her stomach. Mia was still in the back seat, brushing Izzie’s face lightly, cleaning the flood of tears.
“We’ll get him.” I hoped my promise wasn’t empty. “If anything weird happens, scream.” I stared at Mia. “Are you prepared?” Meaning,Are you armed?
She nodded. “Be careful.”
I ran back to the side of the road, all the while checking my phone for any signal. I reached my car, which seemed to be the only vehicle ever to have passed that road. No living being. No other cars. And much to my dismay, no signal.
I tried calling Ben, Aaron, and any hospital around, with zero luck. I texted them, explaining what happened, but the message wasn’t sent. I paced around the side of the road, vomiting every bad word I could remember. I wasn’t sure if I should drive away to get help or go back to them.
When I heard a faint yet keen scream, I knew the answer. I grabbed some snacks, bottles of water, and a blankie from my car—the perks of being a father—and darted back.
I reached the car and peered inside the broken window. When Mia faced me with worried but hopeful eyes, I felt like a monster for shattering it. I shook my head slightly, indicating I wasn’t able to reach anyone, and she breathed heavily.
“Thirty-one seconds. Twelve minutes apart,” she said quietly.Damn it. It was reaching a point I wasn’t ready to entertain.
“I brought a couple of things from my car.” I dropped them on the driver’s seat from the broken window.
“Did you talk to Ben?” Izzie was breathing heavily.
“I texted him.” I hated leaving my answer so vague, but I couldn’t tell her we were alone right when she needed all the professional—and emotional—help she could get.
