Convincing You I'm Me

Chapter 36: Flash Back (Isla)

"Get. The. Car. Keys."

"On it."

A few seconds later, he returned with the car keys and he helped me to my feet, almost pushing me through the door. 

As he locked the house and we moved toward his car, I felt the first contraction. It was bearable, like a period pain, it wasn't too bad, but it made me pause at the car, leaning over while I clenched my teeth together. 

It lasted around a minute, replaced with a light, bouncy twitch. Jason waited patiently, then held the car door open, moving me inside it. I was breathlessly panting, just wanting this to all be over before it had even begun.

It was going to be a long night.

+ + +

Two hours later, and I was crying with my back pressed against the wall of the hospital room. My midwife kept on coming in every twenty minutes to check my progress, but there wasn't any damn progress. I wasn't ready yet, I had to endure the pain for what could be hours and hours. And the pain, was unlike anything I could describe. It was equivalent to having a years worth of period pain at one time, and that was just an hour ago, when the full force hadn't hit. I was now at the point where if I wasn't in labor, I would have mistaken it for dying. Worse than dying. Worse than anything. Anything.

Jason was sat in a chair next to the bed, he kept rolling his head back with his mouth open, and I wasn't having that.

"Hello!" I yelled at him for the hundredth time, he snapped his eyes open. "If I have to stay awake through this then you sure as hell have to."

"You're such a wuss," he said. "Try get hitting by a car."

"Don't," I pointed my finger at him, just as another contraction hit. "Don't go there."

I placed my hand against the wall, holding my hip as I tried to hold in a scream. I couldn't do it, I let it out. A deafening squeal emerged from my lips and it lasted a long time. When it was finally over and I was back to just regular, excruciating pain, I turned to see a male doctor standing at the door with a clipboard.

"Finally," I gasped. "Give me drugs. I need drugs. I'll take anything, including anesthetic. Just knock me out."

"Please knock her out." Jason mumbled. 

I glared at him and he swallowed fearfully.

The doctor glanced down at his clipboard. "It states in your birth plan that you requested a drug-free labor."

"I don't care," I screeched. "Throw that away. I'm re-writing it."

"I'm afraid all we have available is gas and air."

"We're in a hospital!" I yelled at him. I didn't know why I was yelling, I didn't want to. I started crying afterward. "I need drugs. One of those. . . epidural things."

"I'm sorry," he said. "But an epidural has to be administrated by an anesthetist, and we currently don't have one on shift."

"Then call one!"

"Gas and air is an extremely effective pain relief and will-"

I turned side ways in anger. "Jason, get him out of here before I punch him."

"She doesn't mean that." Jason said for me, getting to his feet. 

"It's okay," the doctor said. "As you can imagine, I hear it a lot."

"She'll take gas and air, thank you."

I watched as Jason patted his shoulder and the doctor nodded, exiting the room. I felt so guilty for the way I had spoken to him, but I couldn't help it. I was turning into a completely different person because of the pain.

Jason widened his eyes at me. "Remind me to never knock you up again."

"Gladly." I laughed. "You're getting a vasectomy."

"Seriously, I'm fine with that."

"Good."

"Good."

"Great."

"Great."

I met his eyes and he smiled at me, I smiled back, just for a second, then I randomly burst out into more tears. 

It was going to be a very long night.