The Surrogate

A dream achieved

Mark knows he's going to get a hefty speeding fine when they reach the gated entrance to Seb's drive at 4.45pm but right now that's the least of his worries. Updates from Hayley have been worrying, things are moving quicker than anyone had expected and it looks like there's no chance of getting Holly to hospital in time for the birth. Not only that, but just over half an hour ago, the battery on Seb's phone died and they've been effectively cut off with neither Holly or Hayley having Mark's number. Seb has taken sole responsibility for what he calls a stupid oversight in them not having his second trainer's number and has been internally kicking himself for the rest of the journey home

Exchanges between Seb, Hayley and Holly have been fraught, the birth plan has literally gone up in flames no one seems to know what to do for the best. It's not the peaceful, calm birth that he'd hoped for, now it feels like everything is going way too fast, it's chaotic and panic is the only word fitting right now, especially since they've not been able to make contact with each other.

He's literally got no fingernails left, they're bitten down to the quick, he's feeling nerves and anxiety like he's never felt before. All he can think of is - what if something goes wrong? What if there's complications that endangers the life not only of his daughter but also of Holly too?

Having been void of any information since his phone died, it's a relief to finally pull up outside his house and he's out of the car before it's fully stopped moving.

Mark isn't long following behind, he's no expert on births and babies but if he can help them then he will.

"Holly!" Seb lets out an anguished yell of her name the second he opens the front door. Downstairs seems eerily quiet, worryingly so.

"We're up here!" Hayley calls back, "in the bathroom!"

He pelts up the stairs and dashes into the bedroom and then the en-suite, skidding to a halt at the sight of the two women sat on the floor - and in particular Holly.

Warring just a soft black bra, she's sitting on white towels with one large bath sheet draped over her lap, keeping her lower half covered while her legs are parted. It's a warm, muggy, summer's afternoon and her face is flushed, beads of sweat visible on her forehead as she pants her way through her latest contraction. Her eyes dart up to meet his and she instantly looks worried.

"Seb, I'm so sorry," she exclaims as her pain subsides, "I know this isn't what we'd planned or what you'd hoped for, I've made such a mess of everything."

Hayley gets up and makes room for him and he gets down on the floor by her side. Taking hold of her hand and stroking her cheek, he knows he can't be angry. Yes, this isn't how this was supposed to go but its happening and soon he'll have his daughter in his arms. "It's ok, everything will be fine. Did you phone for an ambulance?"

She looks alarmed and immediately looks to Hayley, "I thought you was going to."

Seb feels his stomach drop and he looks desperately to his ex who shakes her head and meekly says, "no, I thought you'd done it."

"So neither of you have phoned for help?" His mouth begins to go dry, there's a new life about to enter the world and neither of them have thought to call for medical assistance. This is not an ideal situation to be in and for him, that's putting it mildly.

"I'll call them now," Hayley scrambles from the room like a scolded cat, leaving Seb and Holly alone.

"You're timing the contractions? How far apart are they? How long are they lasting?" he launches into the questions, needing to get up to speed as quickly as he can, just as he would if he was at the race circuit.

"They're every few minutes, I don't know, I just know it's all moving so quickly. I'm so sorry, I wish I'd called you last night. Now it looks like your daughters going to be born on your bathroom floor," she closes her eyes, there's another contraction beginning and she starts to breathe her way through it, using techniques she's learnt over her time as a surrogate to cope with the pain.