breaking away

Josie couldn't remember going to sleep, but when she did, she was certain she was on the Titantic. It was a rocky ride. Her back felt so bad, yet there was this good sensation too, that she couldn't quite decide where it was coming from, or what it was about, but she was OK. Yet, in the dream she kept thinking she was going to fall off the boat, but she could feel Ian's arms around her. She felt safe. She wasn't going to fall into the ocean.

But when she awoke, the bed was dripping, something. She squinted hard. "What the.." She was screaming. She could barely move. When Ian turned on the lights, it looked as if an alien of some kind had left a mess in Ian's bed. Actually, it was coming from her.

She didn't know what to think. What was going on?

"You're water broke." He informed her.

"Well, nobody said it would be like this!" She blinked just staring at her soggy self. Ian's pajama pants were wet too.

"We have to get to you to the hospital." He told her, but she didn't quite believe him. Before, she knew it, his parents were there too.

It was embarrassing, she first thought. She wanted a shower.

"No..no, we don't have time for that." Ian told his Mom to call Asa. He swiftly picked her up, but she could tell he wasn't sure if he could make it all the way down the stairs and out the front door with her. His parents made room. At least, no one was flying off the handle that he had a girl in his room.

Josie gritted a smile, sort of. But she was not smiling. This was just awful. What was she thinking? Being here with Ian. She'd always thought, they'd check her in to the hospital. She'd wait. Maybe go to sleep and there would be a baby.

Who was she kidding now? She sighed as an agony of angry wave of pain struck every nerve in her body. Even her neck hurt. Soon enough, Ian got her to the emergency room. It was three in the morning.

"Wow, I just can't believe this." She looked around as they wheeled her down the corridor. Ian told them on the way about how her water broke.

Some nurse asked her about her contractions.

"Contractions?" She looked bewildered. If only she'd taken all those birthing videos more seriously. "It ..just..hurts." She moaned as if it hurt now. But she had no idea how far apart the contractions were. "Can I have a shower?" She thought if she had one, she'd feel so much better, but they weren't listening. Instead they were hooking her up to so much stuff as they got her on the bed.

Someone asked Ian if he were the father.

"YES..yes..he is!" She screamed.

Ian shook her head, no.

"Please..please..don't make  him go. You have to be here. You have to!" She demanded. All the while some one was trying to stick a contraption in her arm for something to drip into her veins.

"Trust me, honey, you are going to want this." A stocky nurse told her. But Josie swelled in anguish. Josie didn't like needles. In fact, she hated hospitals. She looked up to see Asa who was there there with Derrick. Ian was gone.

"I hate you!" She couldn't help but want to spit on Derrick. His cologne was sickening. "Look what you did! Just  look!" He moved closer. She reached up and grabbed his collar as if to choke him. "Get away from me! Get me, Ian, right now!" She ordered.

Finally, calm set in and she turned away to relax. When she looked back, at least Ian was here. Not Derrick. It was a small satisfaction.

"What time is it?" She said almost dreamily as if she could handle anything now. Maybe she'd have the baby in her sleep. She was used to these waves of pain. Kind of.

"Its..It's going on six." Ian looked at his watch.

"SIX IN THE MORNING!" She tried to sit up. "Why  isn't this over?" She swelled a frown as she listened to the baby's heart monitor. "I want to go home. Maybe..maybe the baby's just not coming." She could live with that. Maybe they could do this a year from now. Maybe next time it would work. She couldn't possibly have the baby now.

But soon enough the nurse told her she was dilating.

"It won't be long now." She was all smiles. But the waiting continued.

"It better not be." Enough was enough. Josie wanted this over with, but Ian told her he needed to get Derrick and Asa in here. Evidently, his time was up.