B for Babies

26

Meredith set herself down on the floor with great difficulty. She wasn't all that comfortable but it was better than wasting all of her energy on standing. It was hard enough walking around with a volcano attached to her middle, one that was ready to explode in just a few more weeks, she hadn't picked a date yet, but she wasn't planning on going to full term, another full sized baby might actually kill her this time. Alex hadn't been clued into that conversation yet, but it was her body and she was setting all of the rules.

Nathan sat down as well, on the other side of the elevator, legs spread out across the floor. He let out a long sigh and tried to check his watch, it was kind of dark and he'd forgotten that he didn't wear a watch. He just needed something to pass the time that didn't involve pissing Meredith off. He didn't know how long they would be stuck together but he didn't want it to be spent arguing.

"You think they know we're in here yet?" She questioned out into the darkness, she didn't know if they were stuck on a floor, or if they were hanging between two, she really didn't want to find out.

"I tried with the button, but who knows," Nathan told her. He knew it wouldn't be long before people caught on to the elevator not functioning, he just didn't know how long it would be before they knew they were missing and in said elevator. "You have your phone with you?" He questioned, hoping she would say yes, even though it was a long shot.

"If I had my phone I would have used it. I'm not going to sit here in the dark without trying to be rescued, or at least using it for some light. Who do you think I am?" She asked in annoyance.

"Sorry, stupid question, I know." He said as he tried to retreat. He didn't want or need another argument with her. His own phone was in his coat pocket, dead battery preventing it from being any use to them.

"There's usually a phone in an elevator, for emergencies," Meredith said after a moment of silence between them.

"Already tried it." He told her, shrugging his meaty shoulders. As much as he would have loved an opportunity to be alone with her, this wasn't the way he wanted to get it. He didn't want her thinking this was some kind of scheme to get her alone, gain her attention. It wasn't.

Meredith let out a soft sigh, followed by a sharp breath. This position wasn't all that comfortable for her. She tried to shift into a slightly different position but that felt worse. Nathan couldn't see her, but he could hear her moving, trying her best not to make a big deal out of whatever she was feeling. "Are you okay? I don't mean to be nosy, but you don't sound so good."

"It's fine. I'm fine. You just stay in your corner and I'll stay in mine." Meredith told him, trying to push him away. She did not need his consideration, he could just keep to himself while she dealt with what she was feeling. It took her a moment to pull her coat off. She rolled it up into her best version of a pillow, resting her head on it before she laid back on the floor. She accidentally nudged Nathan with her ankles, which alerted him that she was now laying down.

"Dr Grey, are you sure you're okay?" He asked again after silence hit them again.

"I'm fine." Meredith insisted, laying in a pool of her own bodily fluids. "I'm just in labor." She said after a pause. She didn't need his help, this wasn't her first rodeo. She just hoped he wouldn't keep talking.

Nathan didn't know what he was meant to do in this situation, he had been in many difficult medical scenarios before, but when the patient didn't want anything to do with him, and he couldn't see a thing, it was a little hard to know what to do. Meredith reached back into her coat, searching for her pocket. She finally found what she was looking for, a pen a patient had given her as a thank you. She threw it over towards Nathan, it was harder to throw things when she couldn't see her target, and didn't know if he would even be able to find it if she missed. "What's this?" He questioned, feeling around the pen carefully.

"The pen, it has a light, I just remembered. I have baby brain, don't judge me for forgetting about it, just press the button." She instructed. The light was dull, but when he held it out he could just make out the outline of Meredith's body. She was still wearing her scrubs, her face was a little pained and he could tell how uncomfortable this was for her. "What do you need me to do?" He asked, holding the pen out towards her so he could see her when she spoke. "Try calling again, press the button. It might be a while before my cervix is dilated enough before you have to help me do anything. Let's just hope they come before then. Okay?" She said to him, hoping that he understood that he wasn't the person she needed to help her through this. Alex was the one she wanted, Alex was the man who she should be trapped in an elevator with. He nodded his head and stood up, shifting towards the doors again. He pressed the emergency button a few more times, and tried the phone, it kept ringing, but nobody seemed to pick up. He cursed under his breath and looked across at Meredith who was lying there with her eyes closed. He needed to get her the help she needed and quickly. He stepped away from the door and opened his mouth to say something, the elevator started to move in the dark, faster than it should be. Nathan had to grab hold of the handrail to keep him from falling, that's when he realised that's what they were doing, this whole elevator was falling without any control.