Choosing Sarah

Chapter 8

The next morning, Grant left for work before Sarah got up. She wished she could have seen him, but maybe he still wanted to think about things. Or maybe he was trying to put it out of his mind. Either way, she had work to catch up on so that occupied her mind until she took a nap in the afternoon.

When she woke up, she started to prepare dinner. She was just setting the table when the phone rang. It was Grant.

"Hi, Sarah," Grant said. "I've got a crisis I need to deal with at work, so don't wait up for me."

"Oh," she replied. "Okay."

She could tell Grant was not alone because he was using his businesslike tone of voice. Sarah told him that she hoped everything would be okay before they hung up.

Sarah ate dinner alone and then cleaned up the kitchen. She was lonely without Grant there to talk to. Things were still up in the air between them. Sarah didn't like that feeling. She felt unsettled all evening. She tried to watch a movie, but she couldn't concentrate. She wanted to talk to Grant but he wasn't available. She wished she had someone else to talk to, but she led a pretty solitary life and didn't have many friends.

Sarah finally went to bed and tried to sleep. She was plagued by vivid dreams that made no sense and something didn't feel right.

Suddenly, Sarah woke up in the middle of the night and put her hand on her belly. She couldn't feel the baby move. As a matter of fact, the baby hadn't kicked for hours. That was strange. She couldn't remember the last time the baby kicked. Had it been that morning? She had to know if something was wrong. She rubbed her belly, praying that the baby would kick. The longer she waited, the more panicky she got.

Finally, Sarah got out of bed and rushed to Grant's room. He was sleeping on his stomach and she touched his shoulder to nudge him awake.

"What is it?" he said sleepily, sitting up in bed.

"There's something wrong with the baby," Sarah said rapidly. "She hasn't kicked for hours."

"Maybe she's sleeping," Grant said calmly.

"No, she always moves at night. Please take me to the hospital," Sarah said urgently. "I want someone to check on her. Please."

"Okay, okay," Grant replied. "Go get dressed. And maybe pack a bag in case they want you to stay overnight."

"Thanks, Grant," she said, before rushing out of his bedroom.

She quickly got dressed and put some toiletries and things into an overnight bag. She could barely think straight.

When she was ready to go, she found Grant in the foyer, dressed and ready to drive her. He quickly helped her into his truck and they drove to the hospital. They were quiet as Grant drove. All Sarah wanted was to hear her baby's heartbeat. Then she could relax.

There was very little traffic, so they got to the hospital quickly. Sarah went straight to the Emergency Room. Grant carried her bag.

Sarah tried not to panic as she told the nurse what was happening. The nurse asked her to wait for a bit. Sarah couldn't sit down. She paced back and forth in agitation. Grant could only look on helplessly as the panic of her situation started to affect him.

The nurse finally called Sarah's name and Sarah beckoned Grant to come with her.

"Is he the father?" the nurse asked. Grant started to shake his head, but Sarah stopped him with a pleading look.

"Yes, he is," Sarah said, grabbing Grant's hand. "Can he come in with me?"

"Of course," the nurse said, leading Sarah into the treatment area. Sarah didn't want to let go of Grant's hand.