Alaska

Chapter Forty-Two

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

It happened faster than Lexi anticipated.  After calling Patricia and Ann down to the living room and Patricia having a hysterical fit about how, "The couch is ruined!" Ashton immediately hurried up to the nursery to pack a hospital bag and they were all soon out the door and into Patricia's BMW.

Every four minutes, Lexi flinched in agony as a piercing pain accumulated and sent beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.  She tried to focus on her breathing as Violet and Ariel were instructing whilst Patricia drove with Ann in the passenger seat in a frenzy.  Ashton sat beside Lexi with his hand entwined round hers, soothingly.

Lexi couldn't believe it was happening.  She had been pregnant for over nine months yet it was now suddenly occurring to her that she was just about to have a real baby.  A human being.  A daughter.  Part of her.  In less than twenty-four hours she would have a daughter...  She was in labor!

When they got to the hospital, Ashton and Violet bounded through the doors to the reception and they ordered a nurse and a wheel chair to come outside and help Lexi although she insisted that she could walk herself up to the maternity ward.  It came as a relief to her though, when she was being rolled towards the elevators when another excruciating agony flashed in her lower belly again and she gritted her teeth in pain.  At least she wasn't standing for this one...

"Have you called her doctor?" Ashton questioned as they travelled up to the floor.

"Oh, right!" Patricia mumbled, fumbling inside her Lacoste crocodile skin handbag for her phone.

Ashton rolled his eyes and patted Lexi's shoulder, comfortingly.

A sudden thought hit Lexi as the slabs of the elevator slid open, revealing the sand coloured maternity ward with its scent of roses.  She wanted her sister to be here more than anything in the world, but she knew Angel wouldn't be able to get here within the time frame of the birth, so instead, the next person she cared about crossed her mind.

"Somebody call Katya!" Lexi shouted, her hand pressed against her swollen belly.

Ashton pulled Lexi's phone out from his skinny jeans pocket and dialed Katya's number immediately whilst a few nurses strolled up to Lexi's wheel chair, wearing bright pink nursing scrubs.  One of them was holding a clip board.

"Hello, hello hello!" She chirped, enthusiastically.  "Congratulations on your baby.  May I take some details before we can supply your room?"

Lexi nodded in frustration, dreading the next contraction that was due any minute now.

"How far along are you?"

"Thirty seven weeks tomorrow."

"Who is your care provider?"

"Dr.  Splinter!"

"Is your baby breech?"

"Not the last time I checked."

"When was your last ultra-sound?"

"A few weeks ago."

"How far apart are your contractions?"

"Around four minutes apart."

"Are you experiencing nausea or headaches at this moment?"

"No."

"Are you scheduled for a caesarean?"

"No- OWWWWW!" A wave of pain hit Lexi once again and she grinded her teeth together and squeezed her eyes shut whilst massaging her belly despite it not doing any good.  It felt as though her insides were burning apart whilst being impaled with a chainsaw.