Trying Hard to Ignore You

"Promise you will never leave me."

Timmmeeeee for a sequel, the next one is Easy to Love You

Emily called Audrey's doctor, who only lives down the street.

Declan is screaming, and I don't know what to do. Nobody knows what to do.

"Okay, okay." I say, thinking. "I...what did the doctors do when you had me?" I ask Mom.

"They cut the cord but I'm not sure how to do that or where to do that." She says. "And she's bleeding. A lot."

A memory hits.

"The baby probably has no liver, or something horrid." Audrey says, eating tortilla chips with peanut butter.

"You're so pessimistic.

"Hey,  took a class once on medicinal stuff, you know, back in college. Apparently, if I bleed out in front of you after pushing out Declan, you're supposed to massage my uterus." She laughs. "Keep that in mind, okay?"

"Stop being so negative Jules, you're scaring me."

She smiles.

"Kiss?" She asks.

I lean down, kissing her.

"Wanna have sex?" She asks, laughing.

"Yes."

"Her uterus, massage her uterus!" I say.

Ethan gets on the floor and starts massaging really low in Audrey abdomen, and after a minute or so, the bleeding stops.

"How did you know to do that?"

"Audrey told me months ago." I say.

I hear Kendall yell something from downstairs, and Noah goes down there and comes back with Kendall.

"Oh my god." She says.

The doorbell rings, and after a second, whoever it is just comes inside.

After another minute, a paramedic walks in.

"What happened?" He asks.

"She went into labor on the floor and pushed out the baby and started bleeding. I-she went to medical school and she told me something about massaging her uterus and now she's not bleeding but she's unconscious and she has been for about ten minutes, and my son, he, we don't know what to do with the cord."

"You did good." He says sincerely. Two more paramedics come in with a stretcher. They cut the cord, covering Audrey's legs and down, picking her up onto the stretcher.

I stand up.

I'm dripping in blood, but I don't care.

I follow them, tracking blood all over the house.

"Is she going to die? My wife, I mean, because I can't do this without her. I really can't do this without her." I say as they load her into the ambulance.

I get in too.

"The keys for the Cruiser are in Audrey's purse, somebody bring it to the hospital please." I say. Everyone nods just as the doors slam shut.

"Is she going to die?" I ask again as the paramedic takes Declan from my arms to check him.

"I'm not sure." He says. "We're going to do everything we can."

***

I stand at the nursery window, numb.

My son is wrapped in the blue and white hospital blanket, sleeping peacefully.