Us Against the World

47. A New Chapter

"Y-Your...what...?" I'm not sure that I've heard correctly the first time. "Your water...now?"

"Well, the stain in my pants proves that," Chandini says dryly. She doesn't seem to be in any pain, which makes her statement (from my vast knowledge of TV shows) quite questionable. "Also, it's my body, sis. I'd know when my baby wants to come out?"

"O-Oh...right, yes!" I scramble for my phone. "Uh...what do I do? Do I call 911? Should we get the ambulance?"

"This is your first rodeo, huh?" Chandini smirks, her hands planted on her wobbly hips. "Chill, Meera. It's nothing to panic about. We can take the bus to the hospital."

"I don't understand how you're so calm about this," I snap back. "You have a literal baby coming out of you!"

"Well, not this very instant."

"Ugh!" I punch a random number in my phone, either Ezra's, Riya's, or Aceline's, since I've memorized them pretty well, and glare at my sister. "I swear, I should've sown that smart mouth of yours years ago."

"You would have failed even if you had tried," Chandini boasts. She crosses her hands, then grimaces and brushes her belly. "Ouch..."

"What's happening? W-What do I do? What do you need?" I all but shove the coffee table aside to grab her, but it's near impossible to carry her weight without leaning on the couch. Having her added weight on my side makes me feel like I've taken over Atlas's job for the weekend. 

"Hey, Meera!" Aceline chooses the best moment to barge through the door, waving her phone like a battle flag. "Did you see the news? Ezra's back on trial today. Has your cousin gotten the..." she trails into silence. "What are you doing?"

"Call 911!" I think I'm screaming. "Chandini's having her baby!"

"Don't call 911," Chandini sighs. "Just help me get to the bus station. The baby won't come out this very second."

"How are you sure?!"

"Her contractions don't seem to be intense, and there are long gaps in between," Aceline explains, lifting one of Chandini's arms around her neck. She dangles from us like a drunk woman, releasing the pressure of her body from her feet. "Let's go to the hospital in my car. I'll tell Felix to go with Ezra."

"Shouldn't you be going with him?" I sputter, even though my feet are already dragging me out the door. Shouldn't you be there too? An acidic voice spits at me, stinging my heart with guilt. What kind of a girlfriend are you?

"Meera." Aceline's stern voice drags me into reality. "Stop thinking like that. Ezra would be more upset if you missed out on the birth of your nephew than to watch Erika and Kaylee get trolled on live television." Inwardly, she cackles. "Damn, I hope your room has a TV in it, Chandini. I wanna see their stupid faces when they show the judge something stupid in court."

"I wanna see that too!" Chandini pipes up, then winces. "Ugh, I guess the kid doesn't want to, though."

"Oh, they will." Aceline relieved my shoulders of Chandini's weight to slide her into the backseat of the car. "They'll be seeing a lot of their Uncle Ezra on TV." She winks at me, and I'm pretty sure that my cheeks visibly brighten. Whenever anyone mentions my future with Ezra, it's like I have two suns on my face, and they only shine when I blush. 

We make it to the hospital at an average pace (even though I keep trying to persuade Aceline to go faster). The woman at the front desk mistakes me at first for the spouse of the person having the baby - which is weird and gross, since Chandini's obviously my sister - and sends Aceline a sympathetic smile before calling for a wheelchair. At this point, the carefree grin has faded from Chandini's expression, and her breaths become hard and labored.