Page 49 of Acceptance
Her face scrunches up as she cries out in pain, and her eyes stare at him with pure panic. He runs up the steps, takes her free hand, and guides her to his pickup. “Okay, let’s get you to the hospital. You can use my phone to call your mom.”
“Kent?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared,” she admits as he all but lifts her into the passenger seat.
Taking her hand, he squeezes it. “It’s going to be okay.”
She cries out again, pulling her hand from his to grip her belly with both, and he knows they shouldn’t be this close together. “This does not feel good at all!” she screams.
“Gracie, how long ago did your water break?”
Her bottom lip trembles. “Hours ago.”
She stayed home alone rather than going to a neighbor’s to use their phone? For hours?
Kent shuts the door and runs to the driver’s side. He pulls out of the driveway as fast as he can but also being as careful as possible. There’s precious cargo in the cab with him, after all. “Your contractions are pretty close, babe. Too close.”
“I panicked and just sat there. I was hoping Mom would come home,” she says, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I didn’t think they’d leave me aloneall dayon my birthday!”
That one he has to give her, and he pulls out his phone. Ky’s phone goes right to voicemail. “Dude, your daughter’s in labor. I’m bringing her to the hospital, but it sounds like it won’t be long now before you become a grandpa.”
“He didn’t answer?”
“I think his phone’s off. What’s your mom’s number? I don’t have it saved.”
She takes the phone and screams, bracing herself against the dashboard as another contraction hits. “I don’t know!”
“You don’t know?”
“I’m a technology kid! I’ve never needed to learn phone numbers. They were just in my phone!”
Continuing to sob, she just stares at the phone in her hand as he pulls into the emergency parking lot. He jumps and runs to her side, opting to just carry her inside to save time.
“Come on, birthday girl, looks like we’re giving you a present in the form of a baby today.” Kent walks through the sliding doors as a nurse runs up to them. “She’s in labor.”
Gracie screams out again, her hands gripping his forearms as he sets her down on her feet. “Oh my God, get this baby out of me! He or she wants out. Now!”
“Okay, we’ll get you a wheelchair and take you back—”
“Ah!” she cries out again. “I have to push. It feels like I have to push.”
The nurse looks around in a semi-panic as she searches for a wheelchair, and Kent just picks Gracie up in his arms again. “Just lead me back to where she needs to go. It’ll be faster.”
His long legs quickly land them in a delivery room, and he sets Gracie down on the table. A doctor rushes in with a wide smile on her face.
“Okay, Gracie, it’s good to see you. Is this the father?”
“No!” Gracie cries as she pants with sweat dripping down her forehead. “Doctor, I need you to get this baby out of me or give me something. I don’t really care which right now, but this is not fun.”
“It’s never as fun giving birth as it is making the baby,” the doctor says and slips her hand under Gracie’s skirt. She looks up with wide eyes. “Well, I have good news. This baby is ready tocome out. I feel the head. The bad news is that we can’t give you anything for the pain because you’re too far along.”
“Mom was supposed to be here,” she says and begins to cry again. “She’s my birthing partner.”
“I can do it,” Kent says. “What do I do?”
“I’m Dr. Samuelson. What’s your name?”
