yellow (remus lupin.)

forty five.

FORTY FIVE.

Laying in the bed of a London hospital, Cara was alone and frightened. In the deepest agony she had ever felt, her tears were falling free and fast.

She hadn't expected to go into labour just under a week early, and neither had anyone else judging by the hospital turn out. Remus was in an order meeting, whilst Tonks and Stass were on a date night. Unable to get hold of any of them, she had to take herself to hospital during the early contractions. Nurses took pity on her as they saw her alone, and gave her special attention on the ward.

One of the nurses, a blue haired and tattooed older looking midwife called Sarah, had popped her head around the door to check she was okay. Seeing Cara's frightened state, she offered a hand for her to squeeze and a shoulder to cry on.

"Sweetheart." She sympathised, brushing some hair out of her eyes. "Do you think you can walk?"

Cara nodded profusely, wiping away some tears.

"Come and use the ward phone to get hold of someone. You shouldn't have to do this alone."

Helping her through to reception, Cara threw herself on Sarah with thanks as she picked up the receiver. Punching in the number to Stass's flat, she crossed every finger possible that their date was over and that they were back home.

"Hello?" The line crackled as her best friend answered.

"You're home." She sighed in relief. "Look Stass, can you get to the Whittington hospital? It's not far from the flat."

"Oh my god, yes, are you okay?" Stass panicked down the phone.

"Yeah, just in labour." Cara joked. "Bring Remus, he's in a order meeting."

"Okay, we'll be there in fifteen minutes maximum. God, I love you."

"I love you too."

Hanging up the phone, Sarah escorted her back to her room on the ward, helping her back to seated on the edge of the bed.

The feeling of her body cramping every few minutes was getting increasingly closer. She had never felt pain like it nor would ever want to experience it ever again. It was as if her muscles were being bathed in acid, worse than any spell that could ever be cursed.

With her hand on the small of Cara's back, Sarah was surely a fairy godmother of some sort. She knew exactly what to do and how to put her at ease.

"When I had my first, my husband was at work. I couldn't get hold of him for love nor money, so in the end got a cab to hospital and left him a note on the fridge door. By the time he'd gotten home and gotten to hospital, I still hadn't pushed the thing out."

Cara laughed her way through the next contraction at Sarah's story, the husband reminding her of Remus.

"I've had to send my best friend round to my boyfriend's work to get him here."

"At times like this, boyfriends and husbands are about as useful as a teapot made of chocolate." Sarah smiled. "Do you know what you're having?"

"We wanted a surprise." She explained, clutching onto the midwife's hand.

"I did that too. After nine months of wanting a surprise, we forgot to think of any names."

"This baby has a middle name for a boy, but nothing else."

Agony filled her body once more, and Sarah coached her through every second of it.

"Why a middle name, if you don't mind me asking?" Sarah enquired once Cara had made it through the other side of her contraction.