what’s going on?” Chris hops to his feet and follows Mack.
“Cameron! I need you to take us to Saint Joseph’s. Now!” He snaps the command and from muscle memory, I scramble to my feet to fulfill my old Captain’s orders. “Lauren is having the baby!” Mack barks.
I’m instantly on my feet and pushing past the crowd. Shit! Isn’t this early? I didn’t think she was due yet. I don’t have time to ask questions though; Mack is already making his way to the exit.
I hope everything is going to be OK.
----
Chelsea
“ O h , shit! Chelsea? Is Mack coming? Is he on the way?” Lauren looks up at me from the stretcher she’s velcroed down to, straining her neck to lift her head.
“Yes, honey, he is. I promise you. He’ll be there. He’s meeting us at the hospital.” I reassure her for at least the fifth time.
With the ambulance lights flashing like a laser light show outside my townhouse, a few nosy neighbors are peering from their windows to see what the commotion is. Luckily, the early darkness of the November night is making it pretty hard to get any details.
No one can see from their windows that the white sheet they have pulled up over my sister to her waist for modesty is quickly staining maroon with blood. It’s spreading quickly, like a drop of ink in a glass of water, branching out and enveloping the sheet. Why the hell do they cover people in white sheets anyway? Aren’t 99.9% of the people needing an ambulance bleeding? You’d think they would go with black or some other color that doesn’t make something like a scraped knee look like a missing leg with the dramatic contrast.
“Ma’am, you’re going to feel a bump right now as we slide you into the ambulance, OK?” The paramedic with the 5 o’clock stubble and raccoon bags under his eyes tells Lauren as we reach the bumper of the ambulance.
“Yes.” She nods.
He and his partner ease Lauren into the back of the van and secure her gurney. “Are you coming with her?” Paramedic number two, with bronze kissed skin and a thick mustache addresses me.
“I am,” I hop into the back and sit squeezed between the edge of Lauren’s stretcher and the supplies digging into my kidneys behind me.
“Is mom coming, too? Did she answer? Mack is bringing Chris right? Chelsea, I’m not sure if I can feel her moving! Is my baby moving?” Lauren frantically tosses her head in an attempt to see one of the medics tending to her.
“Ma’am! I need you to relax. We’re getting you to the hospital and the doctors will be taking care of you soon. But right now, I need you to focus on breathing this in and staying positive. Understand?” Raccoon eyes slips an oxygen mask over my sister’s face and I can hear her muffled agreement, but her breaths are quick and shallow.
“Lauren, listen to me,” I grab her hand tightly and she wraps her fingers around my flesh like it’s tethering her to this world, “take some deep breaths like the man said. Please? I called Mack. He’s bringing Chris, don’t worry. I called mom and she’s meeting us there, too. Don’t worry about everyone else. The only thing you should be concentrating on right now is you.” I try to calm her, but Lauren’s eyes are two saucers peeking out from under the oxygen mask. I can see the fear in her eyes dancing like a wild man in the rain. I can’t blame her. I’m scared too. I just hope my face isn’t betraying me as I try to reassure her.
The siren screeching just above us is muted by the sound of my sister’s panic crackling in the air. Luckily, we pull into the hospital before she has a chance to fully start hyperventilating. My eyes travel down her body and immediately retreat from the blood soaked sheet covering her, in evidence that everything is not right.
Is she going to make it through this? Is the baby?
I grip her hand tightly and look down into Lauren’s brown eyes. Her tears are leaving trails down each side of her face as they travel back through her
“Cameron! I need you to take us to Saint Joseph’s. Now!” He snaps the command and from muscle memory, I scramble to my feet to fulfill my old Captain’s orders. “Lauren is having the baby!” Mack barks.
I’m instantly on my feet and pushing past the crowd. Shit! Isn’t this early? I didn’t think she was due yet. I don’t have time to ask questions though; Mack is already making his way to the exit.
I hope everything is going to be OK.
----
Chelsea
“ O h , shit! Chelsea? Is Mack coming? Is he on the way?” Lauren looks up at me from the stretcher she’s velcroed down to, straining her neck to lift her head.
“Yes, honey, he is. I promise you. He’ll be there. He’s meeting us at the hospital.” I reassure her for at least the fifth time.
With the ambulance lights flashing like a laser light show outside my townhouse, a few nosy neighbors are peering from their windows to see what the commotion is. Luckily, the early darkness of the November night is making it pretty hard to get any details.
No one can see from their windows that the white sheet they have pulled up over my sister to her waist for modesty is quickly staining maroon with blood. It’s spreading quickly, like a drop of ink in a glass of water, branching out and enveloping the sheet. Why the hell do they cover people in white sheets anyway? Aren’t 99.9% of the people needing an ambulance bleeding? You’d think they would go with black or some other color that doesn’t make something like a scraped knee look like a missing leg with the dramatic contrast.
“Ma’am, you’re going to feel a bump right now as we slide you into the ambulance, OK?” The paramedic with the 5 o’clock stubble and raccoon bags under his eyes tells Lauren as we reach the bumper of the ambulance.
“Yes.” She nods.
He and his partner ease Lauren into the back of the van and secure her gurney. “Are you coming with her?” Paramedic number two, with bronze kissed skin and a thick mustache addresses me.
“I am,” I hop into the back and sit squeezed between the edge of Lauren’s stretcher and the supplies digging into my kidneys behind me.
“Is mom coming, too? Did she answer? Mack is bringing Chris right? Chelsea, I’m not sure if I can feel her moving! Is my baby moving?” Lauren frantically tosses her head in an attempt to see one of the medics tending to her.
“Ma’am! I need you to relax. We’re getting you to the hospital and the doctors will be taking care of you soon. But right now, I need you to focus on breathing this in and staying positive. Understand?” Raccoon eyes slips an oxygen mask over my sister’s face and I can hear her muffled agreement, but her breaths are quick and shallow.
“Lauren, listen to me,” I grab her hand tightly and she wraps her fingers around my flesh like it’s tethering her to this world, “take some deep breaths like the man said. Please? I called Mack. He’s bringing Chris, don’t worry. I called mom and she’s meeting us there, too. Don’t worry about everyone else. The only thing you should be concentrating on right now is you.” I try to calm her, but Lauren’s eyes are two saucers peeking out from under the oxygen mask. I can see the fear in her eyes dancing like a wild man in the rain. I can’t blame her. I’m scared too. I just hope my face isn’t betraying me as I try to reassure her.
The siren screeching just above us is muted by the sound of my sister’s panic crackling in the air. Luckily, we pull into the hospital before she has a chance to fully start hyperventilating. My eyes travel down her body and immediately retreat from the blood soaked sheet covering her, in evidence that everything is not right.
Is she going to make it through this? Is the baby?
I grip her hand tightly and look down into Lauren’s brown eyes. Her tears are leaving trails down each side of her face as they travel back through her
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