Daughter of the Moon

Chapter 7

32 weeks...

Ruby was all set to tell Graham the name of their daughter when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the middle of the night as she rose out of bed to use the washroom. She discovered early on during the journey to becoming a mother that one of the disadvantages was having someone constantly playing with your bladder as if it were some kind of toy. As Ruby slowly emerged out of bed, she felt a sharp blinding pain from within the walls of her womb. She had never experienced pain of this severity in her entire life, so she knew it had to mean something was wrong.

Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping that she would effectively get a hold of Graham's attention this time. But unfortunately, her attempt was unsuccessful once again. If there was anything she had learned about being with Graham for so long, it was that when he was asleep he would be out like a light and there was no waking him up unless it was a real emergency; and Ruby could not think of one that qualified more than their child's life being in jeopardy.

"Graham! Wake up!" Ruby screamed while simultaneously throwing one of her body pillows at his head the best that she could.

"What? Where's the fire?" Graham asked startled as he jumped out of bed and the cotton white comforter revealed his six pack abdominal muscles.

"Something doesn't feel right. I think she's coming" Ruby stuttered, an anxious look plastered on her face as she placed one of Graham's hands on her swollen belly.

As Graham's confused and concerned gaze transferred from his wife's stomach to the fearful look in her eyes, he suggested that what she was feeling was most likely braxton hicks contractions preparing her for the reality of child birth. But Ruby denied it. Based on what she had read on braxton hicks contractions a few weeks ago, they were not supposed to come closer and closer together and she wasn't even supposed to really feel them because some women didn't.

"Seriously, babe. We have to see Whale about this. Something could seriously be wrong" Ruby wept as she quickly place her head onto Graham's beating heart.

Graham could sense that Ruby was in a lot of pain and he knew better than to argue with her at this point in their relationship; especially considering the pregnancy was not the smoothest road that they had traveled down. So, the expectant couple swiftly made their way to Graham's police cruiser and made their way to the hospital to ensure that everything was safe.

As Ruby screamed in agonizing pain during the drive to the hospital, she began to wonder if her and Graham's daughter would actually be born tonight. She was not ready for this to happen. But at the same time, she knew that she had to be because the only other option was that the life she had spent month protecting within the walls of her expanding womb was not going to make it; and she wanted anything but that to happen. She had worked way too hard and deserved to have her daughter in her arms one way or the other; whether it be today, tomorrow or a week from now.

"I'm absolutely terrified about this" Ruby said through tightly shut eyes and gritted teeth and she squeezed Graham's hand with a greater intensity as the contractions got closer and closer. Another possibility she considered and feared to a great extent was that her daughter would be born in the cruiser on the way to the hospital.

But Graham was quick to assure her for the thousandth time that everything would be okay and that she would just have to think about her main goal; which was to get the baby here safe and sound or at least relieve her of the pain that she was experiencing. Graham could not imagine the kind of pain that she was experiencing at the moment and he would never know even if he wanted to because men were not built to bear children, unless of course they were seahorses.