That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Sixty Four:

I kind of stare at the ground in shock as another grasp of pain twists at my innards. Amanda starts to freak out. She throws her arms into the air and rushes toward the van while Kylie latches onto my arm. "Come on," she says, urging me toward the van. "We need to get you to the hospital!"

"But I don't have my luggage," I say as I'm forced into the back seat.

Kylie ignores me. She climbs in beside me and closes the side-door. My back slams against the back of the seat as Amanda peels backward out of the parking spot and slams on the gas pedal. The van lurches across the parking lot and turns onto the main road. I hastily buckle my seatbelt, eyes wide with fear. My hand grips the oh-shit bar tight. "Please don't kill us," I gasp at her.

Amanda ignores me as well.

"Hey, it's Kylie," I hear my friend beside me say, and look over. She has her cellphone pressed against her ear. "Don't freak out but Alice has just gone into labor...Yeah, we are taking her to the hospital now. We'll meet you there."

I skewer her with a suspicious look as she lowers the phone. "Your mother," she explains.

I nod and then look out the window, watching the world zip by. Another contraction tears through my innards, and I almost rip the oh-shit bar from its spot. I grit my teeth and tilt my head back. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"Don't you dare have this baby in my van," I hear Amanda say in the front seat.

"Shut up," I hiss back at her.

Kylie holds my hand tight. "Her contractions aren't close enough together yet. We should get to the hospital before it happens." Then she pauses and frowns. "Then again, she is moving kind of fast."

Amanda speeds a little faster. It doesn't take much longer before we reach the hospital.

Amanda pulls a maneuver that I'm not entirely sure is legal and then parks the van right in front of the hospital doors. As I un-buckle my seatbelt, Kylie wrenches the side-door open and runs inside. Amanda helps me out and, much to her dismay, I almost dislocate her shoulder as another contraction shatters me.

Several nurses rush outside with a wheelchair. Kylie hustles along behind them, her cellphone pressed against her ear again. I'm gently forced into the chair and then rolled into the hospital. I grimace and shift around in the seat. It's so old and thin that it's uncomfortable.

A nurse attempts to take in my information while another checks my vitals. I'm pushed past a waiting room full of grumpy looking people and down a bleached white hallway. The stench of burnt green beans hits me like a freight train.

"Your mom will be here soon," Kylie says from somewhere behind me. The chair is turned down another hallway, and another contraction twists through my abdomen.

A nurse pauses and attempts to stop Amanda and Kylie. "I'm afraid only family is allowed beyond this point. You two will have to wait..."

I attempt to stand from the chair, which causes the nurse behind me to somewhat freak out. As pain ripples through my body, I grab one of them by the collar and hiss, "Both of them are family. Both come inside."

The nurses share a strained look. Neither seems up to arguing with me. My wheelchair is turned into a small room, which houses a single white bed and several machines. A nurse helps me stand while the other readies a hospital gown. I am changed, helped onto the bed, and positioned just as another contraction comes. This one is stronger, and much more painful. I let rip a bundle of heated words that even a sailor would be proud of.