When Jessica got to the hospital, they rushed her in and hooked her up to monitor her contractions.
They were consistently at five minutes apart.
Before they hooked her up, Jessica asked if she could go to the restroom.
"Dammit, I knew it!" She says to herself when she looks down at her underwear.
When she comes out, she says, "I lost my mucus plug."
"Are you serious?" Dorothy looks with sad eyes.
"Yeah..." She grabs the hospital gown and goes back to change.
"Spread your legs, honey, I'm gonna check your cervix to see if your dilated." The nurse says.
Jessica does what she says, and places her hand on her tiny bump.
The nurse sighs and says, you're almost at a two, so I'm gonna get the doctor, so he can go over all of your options."
"Alright, thanks.." Jessica says as a single tear falls down her cheek.
"Oh Jessie, everything's gonna be okay." Her mom hugs her as she looks down and cries.
"I'm scared, mom."
"I know, sweetie."
"This is my fault. They told me not to stress, but I did it anyway. If I wouldn't have been worried about what Danny told me, then this wouldn't have happened. I ruin everything."
"Don't say that! You do not! What did Danny say?"
".. Nothing, it doesn't matter." She looks to the ground.
"Well whatever it is, you don't need that right now. Just relax." She rubs her back.
They came in and swabbed her, so that they could test her for an infection, and the doctor went in to talk.
"Alright, Jessica.. So, right now you are in active labor and your baby is coming, so we need to stop it as soon as possible. We're gonna hook you up on an IV and give you medicine that will help stop the contractions. We are also going to give you medicine that will help speed up your baby's lung development."
Jessica swallows hard and asks, "Is she gonna be okay?"
"... If we can stop your labor, then she'll be fine."
"And if you can't?"
"Well then we'll do everything we can."
She nods and in a low voice says, "Okay.. Thanks."
***
Jessica was there over night, and she continued having contractions.
They upped her medicine, and checked her frequently.
"You're at three centimeters."
"Oh my God.." She rubs her temples and sighs.
"So now what? I can't have her, I'm barely twenty six weeks, and she's so tiny."
"The doctors on his way to discuss further treatment."
***
Jessica stayed quiet most of the time, and when she had contractions, she stayed calm, only closing her eyes and breathing through the pain.
Sarah hesitated asking her, but figured he had the right to know what was going on.
"Jessica.. Do you want me to call Danny?"
"No."
"Jess, he has the right-"
"He lost that right when he fucked and got that other girl pregnant." She whispers so no one else can hear her.
"Jessica-"
"I don't have time for this."
"Alright I'll stop, but listen to me.. If anything happens.. IF something happened to this baby, and he's not here, it'll kill him. And I know it'll kill you too... No matter what, he's your husband and this baby's father."
Jessica's eyes fill with tears, "I know... You're right, he should know. Thank you.."
"No problem." She hugs her.
"Love you, Jess."
"I love you too." She kisses her cheek and smiles at her.
"I'll go call him for you."
"Thanks.. Oh, and tell him not to tell the kids. If stops by, then tell him to leave them with his mom."
"Alright, I will."
***
"Hello?"
"Danny, it's Sarah."
"Oh.. Hi! Is everything okay?"
"No. Jessica's in the hospital."
"What?! Oh my God, what happened?!"
"Don't let the kids hear you. We've been here since yesterday evening, she's in labor and they're trying to stop the contractions. They gave her medicine through IV for her and the baby, but it didn't work.. She's at three centimeters."
"Oh my gosh... Are you serious? Oh God... This is my fault. Dammit!"
"I just think you need to be here. Everything aside.. This is your baby too, and if anything happens, you need to be with her."
"Yeah... Thank you so much for calling me, Sarah. I'm on my way."
***
When Danny gets there he runs over to her and asks if she's okay.
"Not really.."
"I'm so sorry. This is my fault."
"Just go sit over there, I can't talk to you right now."
Danny looks at her with sadness in his eyes and listens to her.
*Knock knock*
"Good morning." The doctor smiles.
"Morning."
"Alright, so right now our only option is to do a cervical cartilage, which means we'll sew your cervix and prevent you from dilating. As for the contractions, we are going to keep you on the IV with hope we will see a change in the next twenty four hours."
"Whatever you need to do.. Just do it."
***
After the procedure was done, Danny and Jessica were the only ones in the room.
Danny sat beside her and held her hand.
"Right now just forget about everything.. I'm here with you, one hundred percent.. I know it's a lot to ask, but forget about all of that. You need to relax and keep that baby cooking for as long as possible."
Jessica looks down and nods her head.
Danny rubs his warm hand on her arm and Jessica starts crying.
"I'm scared, Danny."
".. Me too. But she's gonna be okay. They're doing everything they can, and it's gonna work. I know it will." He says fighting back tears.
***
The next morning Jessica woke up with pain in her cervix.
They called for a nurse, and when she arrived, Jessica said, "I'm having really bad pain down there, like a ripping feeling, and I feel a lot of pressure.. As if she's like pushing down on my cervix."
The nurse checks her and she gasps when she sees blood.
"What?! Jessica panics.
"I need to get the doctor!" She runs out leaving everyone there to worry.
When the doctor comes in, he checks her and says, "Jessica.. The cartilage ripped, and you're six centimeters dilated."
Jessica just starts crying.
"Why?! What did I do wrong?!"
"You didn't anything wrong, Jessica." Danny holds her.
"Jessica, there's nothing you can do sometimes. It was nothing you did, I promise you." The doctor tells her.
"Well what do I do now? She's obviously coming.. What are her chances?"
The doctor sighs and she gets mad, "Tell me! I want to know! Is she gonna die?" She clenches her jaw and holds back tears.
"... Jessica... If you have her today... She's so small that.. Well.."
"SAY IT!"
"Her chances are less than 10 percent."
Hearing that broke Jessica, she burst into tears and clung to Danny.
Danny cried, but tried hard to stay strong for Jessica.
"We can do an emergency c-section, but that won't higher her chance of survival."
"And if I have her naturally?"
"The same."
"Well then that's what I'm gonna do. I want her in me as long as I can keep her in. I'm gonna have her just like I did with my other two kids. I want.. I want to feel her little body move around inside of me until the moment she is pushed into this word." She says as a sob escapes her lips.
"I understand.. Would you like an epidural for the pain?"
"No.. I want to feel the pain.."
"Jess, are you sure?" Danny asks.
"If these are my last hours with my baby, I want to feel everything."
