Rebel Yell

Chapter 23

The birth

Andy's POV

Jessie was on her way down the stairs following slowly behind Sammi. All of a sudden, she dropped to her knees, grasping on to the railing. I flew over to her.

"Are you alright? Is it time?" I asked her.

"No, just the usual. Although this one was a bit stronger." she said, out of breath. There was something about the way she was acting today that was off, but I didn't want to push for information. Once the contraction ended, we all gathered into the cars to go shopping at the mall. We were going to get the last of what we needed for the baby.

After a long day of shopping, Jessie ran into the house and was laying on the couch when we walked in. Normally, she would fight me on bringing things in, and I would never let her. But today was different. Something was really wrong. Everyone but Jessie gathered in the kitchen, deciding to pick out something to eat. Jessie walked in, grabbing a bagel from the fridge and went to sit down next to Sammi.

"So do you guys have a name picked out for her yet?" Jake asked.

"Not yet. We're down to 3 names, and we decided to wait to see her before we named her." Jessie said, trying to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Sammi asked.

"To get a drink..." she answered. I knew she didn't want to bother anyone, but she needed to learn to depend on people more often, especially now.

"Let me get it. You need to be resting." I said from across the room.

"It's fine. I need to walk, Andy. I can't just sit around all the time." she said, sounding slightly annoyed that I offered. I know she's rebellious, but I think she's just afraid to admit she needs help. She walked over to the cabinet, pulling out a plastic glass-looking cup and grabbed the bottle of apple juice out of the fridge. She stood there, sipping on her drink when everyone decided to pile into the living room. There was a loud splash, and we all froze in our tracks. Jessie mumbled something inaudible and I began to piece everything together. I turned around, hoping she just spilled her drink. It couldn't be time yet. But it was. Her cup was empty on the ground, shattered into pieces. It was glass. She dropped to the floor, obviously in agony.

"Jesus, Jessie!" I screamed, dashing over to her. In seconds, Jake was on the phone with my parents, Ash ran over, kicking the glass away from her, Sammi was hunting for a phone to call an ambulance, but she couldn't find one that was charged, and CC and I ran to help Jessie up and into a chair to sit.

"Alright, we're all calm. We can do this. I'm just going to call..." I started.

"Get the car!" she yelled, interrupting me. I ran and grabbed the keys, Ashley and CC helping her try and walk to the car. Another contraction hit, and CC picked her up, Ash ran to the door as CC rushed her out to the car. He placed her in the back seat, allowing her to lay down. Ash took my spot as the driver as I got in the back with her, allowing her to lay her head on my lap.

She was in a lot of pain, and Ash sped toward the hospital, arriving in minutes. I was afraid, to tell the truth. When we pulled up to the hospital, I carefully picked Jessie up, running through the automatic doors and up to the patient registration.

"She's in labor!" I was loud, but I didn't care. My wife was in pain and there was nothing I could do about it. The nurse ran for a wheelchair as everyone else rushed through the doors, meeting us here. My parents came in moments later, and began talking to Jessie. I only heard one thing.

"How long have you been in labor?" my mom asked.

"Earlier today, before we went to the mall, I was on my way down the stairs, and I had a contraction, but it was much stronger than usual. I think that was when I went into labor. It was only about a minute before Sammi called you that my water broke. I'm fine, just in a lot of pain." she explained. So I was right, something was wrong earlier. She was in labor before we left for the mall. Just then, the nurse brought us all up to the 4th floor to the maternity ward. I was allowed in the room, but everyone else had to stay in the waiting room. Jessie was stripped down and made to put on a hospital gown.