A Dance of Life

24

Someone screaming in the middle of the night forces me awake. I run out of my room to find Richard carrying Jocelyn down the stairs. She's covered in blood and holding her belly in pain. I'm frozen in fear, unsure what to do.

"Where- where's Rachel?" I ask, choking out the first thing that comes to my mind.

"She's with Nicole upstairs," Richard shouts over his wife's wails.

He lays her on the ground and I come to their level. "What are you doing? Aren't we going to take her to the hospital?" I ask him.

"I- I can't remember where I kept my keys," he says, holding his bloodied hands to his face.

Jocelyn is rocking herself in his arms as she cries out in pain, over and over.

I kneel before them and try to calm Richard down, "You have to think, Richard. Where was the last place you saw them?"

"I don't know, I don't know," he moans, shifting into panic mode.

I slap him, shocking both of us into action. "I'm so sorry," I stutter as he stares at me.

He cocks his head to the side and bites his lip, "No, thank you. Can you please stay with her?"

"Uhh, I don't-"

He tries to get up but she lets out another cry and holds his arm, stopping him from standing. She shakes her head up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Where are they? Where are the keys?" I say, interrupting them.

"Um, my drawer; the second one on the left. They should be right on top."

I rush off before he finishes his sentence and take the stairs two at a time, praying I don't trip.

You're a ballerina, not some klutz; you're not going to fall. You can do this, I reassure myself.

I hear Nicole coaxing a crying Rachel as I sprint past her room. I enter the master bedroom and freeze again. There's blood all over the bed and the sheets, pillows strewn on the floor.

Come on, Annelise, don't get distracted.

I take a deep breath and follow Richard's instructions. The slap must have helped because they're exactly where he said. I grab them and go back to the hallway. Nicole is waiting for me outside Rachel's bedroom door.

"What's going on, Annelise?"

"Don't worry, I'm taking them to the hospital right now," I tell her, slowing my pace, "Are you and Rachel coming?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Nicole, you need to make a decision asap; we don't have time. Just grab her and let's go."

I don't wait for her to reply and run down the stairs. "Let's go," I shout to Richard who's holding a now silent Jocelyn in his arms. He looks up at me with terror in his eyes. "Unless you want another slap, Richard, you're going to get up and carry your wife into the car. Now come on!"

I unlock the car and open the back door for them. I get into the driver's seat and honk the horn long and hard, signaling to Nicole that we're leaving. A split second from leaving, she runs out of the house with Rachel wrapped up in a blanket in her arms. I reach across the car and open the door, beckoning for her to quickly enter.

I back out of the driveway and speed down the street. Fortunately for us, it's night time so there aren't a lot of cars on the street.

"She's going to be fine. She probably just fainted so check her pulse," I bark at Richard.