**Kayla's POV**
I drive faster than I've ever driven to the hospital. Lauren, who's dealing with her own pain, tries to comfort Victoria, whose so panicked she can't breathe.
We arrive in under 4 minutes, which has to be some kind of record. I haul both of them into the lobby, careful not to put either of them in too much pain.
"Hi, this is Victoria Jameson, and we think her water just broke," I say quickly. The receptionist looks up to see what I'm assuming is the three most terrified expressions she's ever seen.
She nods and dials a few buttons on the phone, says something to someone on the other line, and within 10 seconds, there's nurses rushing over with a wheelchair.
"Wait, which one of you is in labor?" they asks. Victoria raises her shaky hand, and I carefully help her into the wheelchair, promising I'll be up as soon as I can.
As soon as she's through the doors, I look back at Lauren, who looks like she's going to pass out.
"Lauren..." I say slowly, moving towards her.
"Call Darry..." is all she can say before passing out in my arms.
This cannot be happening.
I call for another doctor, who comes with a gurney this time. I explain Lauren's pregnancy situation as we run through the hallways.
"She's been on bed rest for weeks, this is the first time she's gone anywhere except doctors appointments," I say.
"Do you know if she was experiencing any previous contractions, or moved quickly or rapidly?" one nurse asks.
"Both," I reply. The doctors give each other a very concerning look before flipping the gurney around and heading in the other direction.
"If I were you, I would go with your other friend," the nurse says before they're out of sight.
**Ponyboy's POV**
I pace back and forth through the living room, 100% baffled about what just happened. Jessica sits with her head in her hands, and was crying at one point. Bailey is still asleep, and has no idea anything is out of the ordinary.
Jessica looks up at me with an expression I've never seen from her before.
"What the hell are we supposed to do?" she asks me.
"I have no idea," I say slowly, looking at the ceiling.
The last few months have been such a roller coaster. With Johnny and Victoria breaking up, the Winston's moving, all the troubles with Lauren's pregnancy, and Two-Bit being gone, this is really the last thing anyone needed right now. I mean, how am I supposed to tell my best friend that his baby mama went into labor two months early when they haven't spoken in months?
Jessica stands to get some water, waking up Bailey. She pulls herself off the couch too, and looks at both of us funny.
"Why do both of you look like you've seen a ghost?" she asks suspiciously.
"Nothing!" I say and smile. "We're just a little tired I think."
Bailey gives me a weird look, but seems to shake it off. She goes into the bathroom to briefly clean herself up, and while she's in there, Johnny arrives.
"Hey guys," he says. Jessica and I say hello as he looks around. "Where's Bailey?"
"Bathroom," is all Jessica can say.
"Okay. I was thinking we could go someplace a little further out of town, just to get away from everything, you know?"
"I think that is a FANTASTIC idea!" I say enthusiastically, clapping my hands together. "I will just grab my jacket and we can go!"
"Okay..?" Johnny says, sitting on the couch. Bailey walks back down the hallway and smiles at him.
Soon enough, we're driving out of town in Johnny's car. Bailey and Johnny sit in the front, while I sit with Jessica in the back. Jessica looks jittery, so I try to cover for her as best I can.
We arrive at a diner about 15 miles outside of Tulsa. It looks really good, but I'm not sure Jessica or I have much of an appetite.
We sit in a booth near the window. Johnny orders 4 Coke's and fries for everyone. Bailey eats enough to make up for Jessica and I.
When the waitress asks for our lunch orders, I order a burger for Jessica and I to share. We eat it slowly as we watch the Cades devour their meals. They make conversation with each other and I turn to Jessica.
"Just breathe, we don't know anything for sure," I tell her. She nods and grabs my hand under the table. Suddenly, she stands up and walks away from the table. Johnny and Bailey give me a weird look, and I follow her quickly.
She stops when she's around the corner near the kitchen, breathing heavily. I hug her immediately, and she starts crying.
"How can this be happening?" she says against my chest. I don't have a response, so I just rub her back.
I can't even imagine what Victoria is going through right now. I see a phone on the wall, and decide to call the hospital to see if we can get any updates.
It rings for a few seconds before someone answers.
"Tulsa Memorial Hospital, how may I help you?" a receptionist asks.
"Hi, my name is Johnny Cade," I bluff. "I think my girlfriend stopped by earlier to see if she had gone into labor and I was wondering if you could give me more information on the situation?"
"What's your girlfriends name?" the woman asks.
"Victoria Jameson, she's 18 years old," I reply. Jessica gives me a hopeful look.
I hear some typing on the other line before the receptionist says anything. "It seems she was admitted about an hour ago, but I'm not seeing that she's gone into delivery yet. It does say she was admitted to the maternity ward, though, which means she is in labor."
My breathing catches. Jessica's face falls and she starts crying again.
"Now, it's very normal for you to be nervous, most new parents are..."
"Okay thank you," I say and immediately hang up. I look at Jessica and slowly nod my head, squeezing my lips together to hold back any emotion.
When we've pulled ourselves together, we head back to the car, finding Johnny and Bailey there. Jessica and I don't say a word for the first 10 minutes of driving, causing Johnny to notice something's up.
"Alright, what's going on? You two haven't been this quiet since we found out Two-Bit left," he says.
"Nothing's going on," I say quietly.
"What do you mean? You two have been acting weird since before Johnny even got to the house!" Bailey says. I look over at Jessica, who looks white as a sheet.
"Victoria went into pre-term labor," she blurts out.
"What!?" Johnny screams, looking towards the backseat of the car.
That's all he's able to say, because by the time he looks back at the road, we're headed face-first off a 20 foot cliff.
YOU ARE READING
guarding my angel || "guardian angel" sequel
FanfictionI've been through a lot in the past year. But I never would've guessed I'd be pregnant with my boyfriend's baby this early. Especially when he didn't know.
