By the time they lifted me into the vehicle, blood had soaked through my skirt, and everything around me started to blur. My body felt heavy, like I was sinking into nothingness.
Through the haze, I heard a nurse asking for my phone password. After unlocking it, she called my emergency contact, Gabriel, six times. The seventh attempt finally went through.
“Aria, there’s an emergency at the company! We’re in an urgent meeting right now. I’ll call you back later, okay? Be good.” His voice was clipped, distracted.
Then the line went dead. But I could still hear Lily’s frantic voice in the background.
I ignored the nurse’s concerned look as I wiped the blood from my hands onto my clothes. With shaking fingers, I took the phone back and dialed my mom.
“Mom,” I said, trying to sound calm despite the pain seizing me. “I’m… going into labor.”
“Don’t panic. Listen to me.” I forced the words out. “Go home, grab my ID and hospital bag, then take a taxi to Provincial Hospital.”
“…Just do what the doctors say. I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry.”
When I hung up, the contractions hit harder, and I cried out, my body wracked with pain. Sweat poured down my face, and the world around me started to spin.
As my consciousness started to fade, I clutched the emergency doctor’s hand, my grip weak but desperate.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Save my baby. I can’t lose this child.”
This was my last plea, my final prayer.
