Broken Halves

Chapter Twelve

POV: Dani

            "Abaddon." Waking with a gasp, the word rolls off my tongue as if I have spoken it many times before. Clenching my eyes shut, I will the dream away. I can't afford to have a scattered brain this far along in my pregnancy; not when I have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions lately. Lying back down, I shift my eyes over towards the brunette who sleeps besides me, Jorden. Tenderly, I reach out to stroke the soft curls that have fallen in front of his eyes. Even in his sleep, Jorden looks so peaceful; Cole always did too.

            My moment of peace comes to an end, as I grit my teeth when a wave of contractions washes over me. Scrunching up my face in discomfort, I put forth the effort to stay silent in order to not wake Jorden with my pain. My hands curl into tight fists and I find myself maneuvering onto my side to try and ease the discomfort. After a solid minute of the intense contraction, I leave the bed and begin to make my way to the connected bathroom to remove the sweat that has now laced my skin.

            Looking in the mirror while tightly gripping the bathroom counter, I can't help but stare at who I see. Two years ago, I wouldn't have been able to look at my reflection, yet, here I am. Not shying away from the reflection, I run my hand tenderly over the mirror as if it is a gateway to my mind. Instinctively, my eyes shift to just over my shoulder where I see through the crack in the door and the still sleeping body of Jorden. I smile at him before turning back to the sink to clean off.

Dampening a wash cloth, I begin to wipe away every trace of the contraction. The water is warm and a small sigh escapes my lips when I raise the cloth to softly glide over my forehead. My hair is matted with sweat but I know that if I shower now, I will never be able to fall back asleep. Taking me out of my thoughts, I am surprised when another contraction begins. Confused, I glance at the clock, 3:45, five minutes after the first contraction. Widening my eyes in shock, I am taken aback by the realization that flits its way through my mind, I am in labor.

            The moment second the contraction is over, I force myself to walk quickly out of the bathroom and towards Jorden's side of the bed. "Jorden," I call beginning to shake his shoulder. "Wake up Jorden! I am in labor!" The brunette stirs, but only rolls over onto his other side. Tears of frustration begin to leak down my face as I know another contraction is not that far away. "Jorden!" I try again with a desperate tone. "Wake up damn it I am in labor!"

            "Dani?" Jorden's husky sleep filled voice whispers. I release a cry of relief and move my hand from his shoulder to cup his cheek. "Jorden, you have to get up; the baby is coming." He forces his eyes open just in time to see another round of my contractions. My knees weaken and I sit down on the edge of the bed to ensure that I don't fall down. Sitting up beside me, now wide awake, Jorden runs his hands briskly through his hair before hopping out to collect our hospital bags.

            Feeling the pressure increase in my lower abdomen, I desperately look at Jorden who has gathered all of our bags and is in the midst of pulling pants on. "We need to go; now!" I cry, worried that we won't make it to the Pack hospital. Understanding my message, Jorden wastes no time in slinging the bags over his shoulder and helping me out of the room.

            "Dani, are you able to go down the elevator?" Jorden asks me with furrowed eyebrows, knowing that in all of my years living in this house, I have yet to use the elevator. The fear of being trapped in the small enclosure is strong, but the pain in my lower abdomen is stronger and I know we need time on our side. I nod to Jorden meekly, in my current condition there is no way I can make it down nine flights of stairs with contractions currently at five minutes apart. 

            Closing my eyes, I move closer to Jorden's side once the elevator doors close. Wordlessly, he slings his arm over my shoulders and pulls me tightly to his side. My breath comes out in short pants, but not because of fear. Surprisingly, the short trip is not as traumatizing as I remember it to be; my only true hurdle is the growing discomfort in my stomach.

            The moment the elevator doors open Jorden begins half leading me half dragging me through the underground parking garage towards his car. After opening the passenger side door for me, he proceeds to fling the bags into the trunk before hopping in himself. Revving the engine while looking over his shoulder, Jorden hightails it out of the parking garage with the tires squealing.

            "Jorden!" I gasp at his sudden need for speed. "Sorry Dani," he sheepishly replies, never taking his eyes off of the road. "But you are in pain and the baby is coming and the pack hospital isn't exactly that close." He rushes out quickly. Taking a moment to breath, I nod agreeing with his explanation, "Just don't get me and the child killed before we get there." I say in an attempt to bring humor to the situation. Looking over for the first time since we entered the car, Jorden smiles his award winning grin; "Never darling." I chuckle at his southern drawl before I am thrown into another contraction.

            "Ben has been informed and is prepping a room for you Dani. Everything is going to be ok; you have absolutely nothing to worry about." Jorden reassures my developing nerves as the pain continues to increase and the contractions continue to get closer together as we drive.

            "Here." Jorden drops me off at the front door of the hospital while he drives away to park the car. Swallowing my nerves and abdominal discomfort, I force myself to make my way into the hospital and not focus on the taillights of Grandad's old car that Jorden had taken up driving.

            "Luna? How can I help you?" Mary at the front desk asks me as I stumble my way into the hospital with my hand clutching my protruding stomach. "Mary," I begin to respond. "I am pretty sure I am in labor." Mary widens her eyes slightly before coming around the side of her desk. "I'll be right back Luna, I am going to get a wheelchair and then we can take you to the maternity ward where Dr. Rodgers can check up with you."

            In a record time, Mary does just that. Almost before I even realized she was gone, Mary was back and wheeling me into a room on the first floor where she then proceeds to help me into a gown, onto the bed, and connect me to an IV and a heart monitor for both me and the child. "You're all set Luna." Mary smiles at me, trying to make me feel comfortable. "Dr. Rodgers is on his way here right now as we speak. I will send the Alpha to you when he gets here." "Thank you Mary." I smile honestly appreciative for her help in my first birth.

            Not too long after Mary leaves, Ben walks in the door. "Hello Luna. It seems like your little one is ready to come out." I nod agreeing with his statement. Ben shuts the door to my room and puts on a pair of gloves. "I am going to check your cervix," he explains. "I need to see how dilated you are. How far apart are your contractions?" He asks as his hand disappears under my gown, his eyes never breaking eye contact with me. "Three minutes last I checked." I respond.

            Heightening my nerves, Ben frowns as he pulls his hands away and removes his gloves, throwing them down the dispense chute. "Three minutes you say?" I nod confirming the statement. Ben sighs deeply, "Well Luna, you are only about one centimeter dilated. I am going to break your water and hopefully that will help to induce labor, if not I'm afraid we might just have to do an emergency C-section." Noticing my confusion Ben clarifies, "The baby is ready to come out, but your body isn't ready to push. Unless you dilate soon, for the baby's health a C-section is necessary." Pushing away my own thoughts and concerns I respond. "I'll do anything for the baby Ben." He nods confirming he heard me before collecting the tools to break my water.

            Jorden chooses that moment to grace us with his presence. "What's the verdict doc?" He asks, looking toward Ben while walking to stand by my side. Ben opens his mouth to respond, but before he can answer, a drop in the child's heart monitor has us both looking towards him with wide eyes. "Emergency C-section now!" Ben orders, opening the door so all the nurses can hear his command.

Question of the day: Do you think Dani's baby will live?

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