"Hurry! It's hurting more!" Jasmine cried out while I looked through my review mirror for any police cars, and stepped on the gas when I didn't see any.
"I'm trying Jasmine, but I can't just ignore the speeding limits, if a policeman stops us, it'll end up taking longer." I tried to calm her down while zooming past other cars on the freeway.
"You try pushing out a baby out of your vagina!" She growled while Cassandra counted the breaths Jasmine was taking. I concentrated on not crashing us against a car or pole, trying to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
See, earlier, we had been having breakfast at Jasmine's, and breakfast became lunch, but while we were making lunch, the baby boy decided that he was done waiting around, and Jasmine's water broke. She had packed her own personal bag and another one full of baby essentials for when Matthew was born, and then called the hospital to let them know we were coming, to reserve a room. Jasmine wasn't complaining of painful contractions at the moment, but after an hour of packing and getting everything ready, they started becoming more prominent. Getting in my car, I began driving towards the nearest hospital, but with everything in the town being rebuilt and the town becoming bigger and bigger, the nearest hospital was about forty minutes away. Twenty minutes if I listened to Jasmine's screaming for me to step on it.
"Five more minutes!" I comforted Jasmine's panting and crying while entering the emergency entry to the hospital. "Alright, Jasmine, we're here, but be-"
"Oh, shut up! Call a doctor, both of you!" Jasmine cried while pushing Cassandra out of the car. I looked around to see nurses surrounding us as they helped Jasmine out.
"What's the matter?" A young man asked, helping Jasmine sit down in the wheelchair they provided.
"Is that a rhetorical question, or do I really have to answer?! And if I have to answer, I don't want you anywhere near me in that delivery room!" Jasmine barked out loud, gripping the handles on the chair as they rolled her in.
I watched as they rolled her in and sighed, "oh, she''s going to eat them alive." I joked when I felt a slap against my arm. "Ouch!" I hissed, turning to a very amused and happy Cassandra.
"Well, we're not done here! Come on, we still have to wait for them!" She squealed and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the entrance where Jasmine was heard crying and panting while we sat in the waiting room. Well, I sat, because Cassandra was pacing the room like a nervous lunatic, which granted, she was, but she didn't need to make the statement by making a hole in the floor. I, on the other hand, didn't say anything and patiently waited, checking the time every now and then. It was about three hours later than Cassandra started to annoy nurses by asking around what was happening to Jasmine, who was still unheard of.
"Cassandra, take a breath, I'm sure she's fine, she's probably surrounded by doctors as we speak." I stood beside her and patter her back, trying to calm her raging nerves, which, quite frankly, were making me nervous.
"I know, but we haven't heard from her or about her in three hours! It can't possibly take that long!" Cassandra huffed, wringing her hands together.
"Some births do, they all vary." I said soothingly, hiding my worry. Something could've happened to Jasmine or the baby while they were in there, but I wasn't going to tell Cassandra that, especially with her anxiety through the roof. "Just sit down and wait thirty more minutes, if they don't tell us anything in those couple of minutes, then we'll ask." I assured her and pulled her over to an empty chair.
"Family members of Jasmine Count?" Someone called, causing Cassandra to shove my hands off her and push past me, making me tumble back and falling into another seat.
"Yes, that's us!" Cassandra lied while pointing back at my seated self. "What's wrong? Did something happen to her or the baby?"
"No, on the contrary, everything went smoothly, we just had to wait until the medicine kicked in and then make sure she was dilated enough to start-"
"When can we see her?" Cassandra interrupted once again and I smiled politely at the doctor, ignoring the face-palm that I wanted to make from Cassandra's avidness.
"Right now, actually, but the baby is not with her though so if yo-"
"Why's that?" Cassandra frowned, looking down at the doctor's clipboard and I closed my eyes.
"Why don't we let the doctor finish what he has to say, and then ask questions, yes?" I snickered at Cassandra, who only narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
"Right, so the baby is perfectly fine, it's only that it's mandatory to keep the baby under supervision to make sure that he is alright." He explained as we nodded and he looked down at his clip board while I patted Cassandra's back, preventing her from opening her mouth again. "Ms. Count's room is right down that hall, fifth door on your left." He smiled politely before walking off.
"Geez, he couldn't have said that earlier?" She hurried off to the hallway, counting the doors down. I followed her silently until she knocked on a door, waiting for a response. "She didn't answer." Cassandra turned to me and I shrugged.
"Maybe we should wait." I suggested and Cassandra shook her head.
"We've waited for five hours already, let's just go." She pushed open the door and I watched her with shock.
"Cassandra! What if it's the wrong room?!" I hissed quietly as she walked deeper into the room, looking around before she finally smiled and waved me in.
"This is the room, shut the door behind you!" She smiled as I entered quietly, squinting to see my step in the dark room. "She's just asleep." Cassandra pointed towards the bed where Jasmine was clearly passed out. "I can't wait to see the baby!" She gushed as she walked over towards the baby bag on the couch and sat down, opening the bag.
"Shouldn't we leave? Give her some time to heal?" I questioned, looking around the room where the sun had already set and the moon shone brightly, the lights of the buildings scattered around, adding to the beauty of the growing town. "Talk about a view." I whispered, looking down towards the streets where everything seemed smaller.
"Someone's knocking." Cassandra frowned, walking over to answer the door, a nurse entering with a bundle in her arms, and I felt my heart beat quicken.
"No way." I whispered in awe as the nurse handed the baby to Cassandra and Cassandra slowly walked over to me, showing me the sleeping baby. "Look at him." I smiled down while running down the pads of my fingers gently down his soft cheek. "He's beautiful." I beamed, staring down at his tiny nose and pink mouth, his light brown hair tucked lightly under his blanket, his long lashes resting against his adorable cheeks.
"Want to hold him?" Cassandra offered, tilting the baby towards my arms and I shook my head.
"No, I've never held a baby before." I shook my head, grateful at her offering. I was also afriad that once I held him, I wouldn't want to let go, and I needed to create boundaries. He wasn't mine, and I need to set my feelings in order.
"Oh, it doesn't take much, just hold his head and support his back. Here." She thrusted him tenderly into my arms, adjusting my arms carefully while the baby continued to sleep peacefully. "See, there's nothing to it." She chuckled softly, rubbing on the baby's body carefully. "I always wanted children, to have grand children." She mumbled, looking down at the angel that slept peacefully.
"What happened?" I asked, continuing to look at the angel that slept without a care in the world.
"Just didn't find the right man." She murmured, sighing and leaning down to kiss the baby's head.
"And I told her that that excuse is pathetic." Jasmine called, out, bringing out our attention from Matthew back to her. "Is that him?" She smiled brightly as we nodded, and I couldn't help but to tighten my arms around the sleeping child. "Oh, let me see him!" She waved her arms over, propping herself up on the pillows.
"Are you sure? You just woke up." I commented, walking near her bed so that she could see the outline of Matthew's body.
"Yes, Ayva, come on, I wouldn't drop him, he's my baby." She giggled as I let her take him from me. Biting my bottom lip, I reminded myself that he wasn't mine, and I took a step back, letting them have their mother son moment. "Oh, isn't he just precious?" She cooed as Cassandra went to stand beside them.
"A real treasure!" Cassandra agreed and I moved to sit back on the couch by the corner.
I sat down and grabbed the baby bag, picking up his tiny clothes and tucked them securely inside the bag. He was a treasure, a marvelous gift that I couldn't have. I traced my pale pink nails across the bear design that was printed across one of his bibs, feeling the soft material.
"Oh, look, Ayva, he opened his eyes!" Jasmine gushed, pushing down his blanket. "Come, look!" She waved me over and I zipped the bag up before walking over.
"They're green." I whispered softly, his dark green eyes looking around the room, his lashes decorating his tiny features.
"Just like his momma's." Cassandra agreed and I looked at Jasmine's eyes, remembering that her's were a dark green as well. "Save for his hair, but that's okay." Cassandra sighed as a knock on the door interrupted our marveling.
"Mrs. Count," a nurse walked in, smiling brightly with a three men behind her. "Your husband just arrived! Took us while to verify your room number, but he's here now." She smiled as a blush crept up her cheeks and I looked at the men behind her.
"Oh, ma'am," I interjected, noticing the shocked look on Jasmine's face. "There must be a-"
"I'll leave you to enjoy the new baby." The nurse ignored me as she walked out, shutting the door behind us as the men came in deeper into the room, nearing the bed.
"No," I frowned, walking to the end, trying to prevent them from nearing the baby. "There must be a mistake, we aren-"
"Oh, but we simply want to see the baby, right, gentlemen?" He pulled out a gun and pointed it right at my head, making felt my blood go cold.