Unexpected

FIFTY-NINE

"I think I'm going into labor... and no one's answering their phones and I need a ride to the hospital. Can you please come get me?" I felt my voice rush out the words in a jumble, and then I heard commotion on the other line. 

"Okay, I'm on my way, just get your bags and I'll be there soon, okay?" I nodded even though he couldn't hear me. "Okay." I hung up and waddled to my room, I grabbed the two bags I had packed and quickly grabbed a few other things, my phone charger, and my pillow. If I was going to be at the hospital, you best believe I'm going to be comfortable. 

It didn't take long for my dad to pick me up and get me in the car, he had the sirens turned on so we could bypass all the traffic. The whole ride he was asking if I was okay, how I was feeling, and if I needed anything. He was so concerned, it was cute. 

I was stressing the whole time, wondering where the hell my boyfriend was, I can't have these babies without him, that wouldn't be fair. So, as we pulled up to the hospital, I turned to my dad, "stop by the ER first." 

"What, why?" He asked quickly, sweat was beading on his forehead and I could tell he was freaking out. "I need to get Melissa and figure out where Scott is, he's not answering his phone." I bit my lip nervously, feeling my panic rise. The panic was quickly overshadowed by a tight contraction, taking my breath away with it. 

My dad stopped the car at the ER, "okay, lets run in and then we need to get you to Labor and Delivery, okay?" I nodded and hopped out the car, my contraction gone as quickly as it came. Walking into the ER, people sent me looks, but I ignored them and made my way to the nurses' station. 

A black woman with her hair messily pulled back sent me a small smile, I recognized her as Megan, one of Melissa's fellow nurses. As soon as I recognized her, I saw her own recognition click, and with it her smile dropped and was replaced by a sympathetic, worried look. 

"Hey, Megan, I'm looking for Melissa, do you know where--" My voice was cut off by the sound of someone screaming. The scream was agonizing and made my heart hurt with the amount of pain in the woman's cry. The woman was hurting deeply, and as she spoke, I recognized the voice. "What happened to my son!" 

Melissa?

My heart plummeted to my stomach and I felt everything around me go out of focus, my whole being felt as if it were out of my body and I was terrified by the agony in Melissa's voice. Why was she in so much pain? I processed her words slower than I normally would. 

What happened to my son. Oh my god, Scott. 

My dad attempted to grab me but, I was already moving toward Melissa's voice. It was easy to find her, she was the woman in pink scrubs, screaming and crying on the floor. My heart was beating at a rapid pace and I felt myself step closer to her. 

Melissa looked so broken as the doctor held onto her. Tears were streaming down her face and her shoulders were shaking as she cried. She looked horrible, but why? I took a breath, my heart beat was out of control. 

I turned my face to look in at the room in front of her, and nothing could prepare me for what I saw. My chest contracted and I felt a deep hole begin to form at the center of my being, the emptiness and pain was creeping and digging itself deep into me as I took in what was lying there. 

On a hospital bed, with his shirt torn open, and stickers on his chest with tubes in his arm. His skin was paler than it should be, and his chest wasn't rising and falling despite him looking like he was asleep. Oh god. 

My skin felt electric and on edge as I stumbled on my legs that were now jell-o, this can't be real. My mind screamed at it not to be real. How can this be real? It felt like my whole body was being set aflame and my mind was buzzing and my eyes lost focus and everything around me became a dull nothing.