Page 100 of On Thin Ice

“Ally, go to the hospital now. Can someone take you?”

“Um, I’ll call Cora. She lives in the building and told me to reach out. Fuck. Contractions freaking hurt.” I gasped.

“It will all be worth it. Now go call Cora and text or call if you need anything from me. Do you need me to call anyone?” she asked.

“No, I’ll text the rest of my family. I’m so glad you called. I needed to hear your voice. I miss you, Darc,” I said.

“Don’t make me cry. I freaking miss you, too. And as soon as you’re ready for me, I’ll be there with gifts and food that I haven’t cooked.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Everything hurts,” I said.

“Hang up and call Cora. I mean it.”

“Love you, Darc.”

“Love you, Ally.”

After I ended the call, I tapped on Cora’s name. She’d given me her number shortly after I’d moved to Denver.

“Hey there, Mama. How’s it going?” she asked.

I sucked in a breath as another contraction hit. They were definitely getting closer. “Could you take me to the hospital? Um, I think I’m in labor right now.”

“Oh shit. Yeah. Are you home? I’ll be right down.” She squealed a little. “This is so exciting. You’re going to be just fine.”

“Uh, thanks. I’m already packed and ready.” I slowly moved to the front closet where I’d stashed my go bag.

“On my way. Of course, they would be on a plane right now. But Dom will be back hopefully before the baby shows up. Need me to call Nate?”

“No, no. Just come get me.” I rifled through my bag to make sure nothing was forgotten on my list. I needed my charger, my water bottle, and the baby’s going-home clothes and blanket. Everything was there, and I was ready.

And not ready. Was this really happening now? I had a feeling that my life as a planner was about to go off the rails.

“Almost there.” Cora’s voice came through the phone as I slipped on my shoes. Thank god for slip-on shoes.

I needed to text Dom, but instead, I opened the door for Cora.

“Ready? What can I take?” she asked, beaming as I handed her my bag. “And Joy was at my place, so she’s tagging along. You know, in case you give birth in the car.”

“Seriously, Cora. Don’t even joke about that. Yes, I’ve helped deliver a few babies in the last two years, but I’d prefer the hospital setting for that,” Joy said, giving me a wink. “We got you, Mama.”

A sense of calm fell over me, knowing that I’d have an ER resident in the car with me just in case.

“Is today your day off?” I asked.

She waved her hand at me and then put her arm around my waist as we walked down the hallway to the elevator. “Doesn’t matter. I was hanging out with Cora, and now we’re going to my hospital so you can have a baby.”

“Thank you,” I said to both of them as we took the elevator down to the parking garage. Then Joy was helping me into the back seat and climbing in next to me.

“How far apart are your contractions?” she asked.

“Um, just about five minutes for the last thirty, maybe. They’re speeding up, but this is early, so I wasn’t expecting it to be actual labor,” I said.

“Babies run the show on delivery day,” she said with a smile, patting my hand.

We made the short drive to the hospital, and as soon as we pulled up to the front, Joy was out and grabbing a wheelchair. She then grabbed my bag and wheeled me in as Cora left to go park the car.

Before I knew it, Joy was pushing me up to the desk on the labor and delivery floor. She greeted a few of the nurses and rattled off my information.

---