Back in Time

25

"Right." I turned to the door as Bonnie went to get Lizzie and Josie. Bonnie was so calm about this, and that helped me feel a lot better.

As Bonnie strapped the girls in their seats, I put a towel on the passenger seat and sat in the car. There was a tiny amount of pain, but it was constant and almost unnoticeable. Bonnie checked that we had the pram in the back before jumping in and starting the car.

I pulled out my phone and called Damon as she started driving. There was a wave of pain that washed through me and I gritted my teeth to keep silent. My contractions must be starting. Damon answered just as it was ending.

"How's my favourite wife?" He greeted me.

"I would hope I'm your only wife." I cringed and rested a hand on my stomach. "I need you to stay calm okay?"
"Perfectly calm." Damon agreed. "What's going on?"
"My water broke. Bonnie's driving me to the hospital." I said, and I heard a sharp intake of breath. "Can you come?"
"There in a minute." Damon promised. "I love you Elena."
"I love you too." I said, and I hung up.

We drove in silence to the hospital, which was only a few minutes away. Bonnie pulled up in the ER parking lot, and she ran around to grab the pram. I helped her strap the twins in and then grabbed my baby bag.

Bonnie pushing the pram, we walked towards the doors where there was a security guard. He nodded in greeting as we approached.

"How can I help you?" He asked in a friendly tone.

"I think I'm going into labour." I told him.

The guard nodded and called for a wheelchair and a doctor into his radio. I bent over as another contraction washed through me. The security guard held me up, telling me that I was okay. I nodded and straightened up.

Then I saw someone drive into the parking lot, and I recognised Damon's car. He jumped out and reached us just as the doors opened. Two female nurses came out, one pushing a wheelchair. I recognised one of them immediately.

"Hi Meredith." I smiled. She had dated Alaric for a while, and they were still friends.

"Hello Elena." Meredith smiled at me. "Looks like these babies want out." I laughed as she took one of my arms and helped me into the wheelchair. "This is Doctor Anna Kimbray. She's just going to get you all ready, and then I'll be back when you're ready to give birth, okay?"
"Sounds good." I gasped as pain shot through my stomach.

"I need to call Ric so he can come get the girls." Bonnie said. "I'll find you as soon as I can, okay?" I nodded.

"I already let everyone else know, and they're on their way." Damon said. "Stefan, Caroline, Jeremy, maybe Klaus and Enzo, but probably not." He chuckled, but we could all see how tense he was.

"Put her in a single room." Meredith was telling Doctor Kimbray. "Let her visitors in when they arrive, but they better behave or you have my permission to kick them out." Doctor Kimbray nodded, unsure if she was joking. "See you soon Elena." Meredith was gone before I could reply.

"I can push her." Damon volunteered.

"This way." Doctor Kimbray led us into the hospital and through the corridors. We went up an elevator to the second floor and then around a few corners before being directed into a room.

It was small, just large enough for a single bed, a few medical machines, and a few chairs. There was space on one side, and Damon wheeled me in next to the bed. I tried to stand but he gave me a warning look and picked me up, gently resting me down on the bed.

He stepped back as Doctor Kimbray pulled up an IV line. I accidentally grabbed the rail of the bed as another contraction hit. My hand caught on something, maybe a loose screw, and I bit my lip as it dragged a small cut into my hand.

I looked down at my hand and my eyes widened slightly when it didn't heal. I waited, and nothing happened. Looking up at Damon, I saw the panic in his eyes as he saw my face.

"I need to talk to Klaus." I told him. "I'll explain soon, but he has answers that I need." Damon hesitated. "I'll be fine for a minute."

Eventually, Damon nodded and left the room. I sighed and rested my head back on the pillows. The bed was slightly raised at the end, so I was sitting up a bit. Doctor Kimbray pulled a white hospital gown studded with blue dots out of a wrapper and put it on the bed.

"Do you want help getting this on?" She asked. I bit my lip, considering. Based on my recent incident with the cut, I had a sneaking suspicion that something was going on.

"Yes please." I nodded. She helped me lift my shirt over my head and then slipped the gown over my head. I unbuttoned my jeans and she folded them up and put my clothes in a bag. Slightly embarrassed, I took off my underwear and then paused.

"You can keep your bra on." Doctor Kimbray said, tucking my underwear in the bag. She saw the look on my face. "It's okay honey, I get it. It's a bit embarrassing." I laughed and nodded. "Don't worry. I've done this a lot."

"Thank you Doctor Kimbray." I smiled.

"Please, call me Anna." She said. "I might be with you for a while. Let's skip the formalities." I grinned.

"Okay." I said.

"I need you to time the space between your contractions. It'll give me an estimate of how long it will take until you're ready." Anna closed the door and put some gloves on. "I need to check how dilated you are."

I just nodded. This woman was going to be around my naked body for god knows how long, and at this point I gave up. I either had to get comfortable with it, or I was going to be uncomfortable for a very long time.

"Okay, you're only dilated just under a centimeter." Anna stood up and threw her gloves away. "This might take a while."

"How long after the first baby will it be before the second is born?" I asked.

"It varies from a few minutes to a few hours." Anna patted my shoulder. "We won't know until it's time. Do you want pain meds?"

I paused, thinking it over. I needed to talk to Klaus before I did anything. This wasn't what I had expected. My heart thudded, backing up my earlier thought. I shook my head.

"Can I make a decision about that soon?" I asked. "I need to talk to someone first."
"Sure, I'll be back in ten minutes." Anna said. "I'll get them for you just in case."
She left the room, leaving me alone. I let my legs fall back to the bed. A contraction hit, and I glanced at the clock as soon as it was over. The door opened and someone came in. I didn't take my eyes off the clock.