Prologue #2
William swallowed convulsively as he hoped desperately that she didn’t mean he might need two hands to deliver the baby.
He put the phone on speaker and put it in the top pocket of his shirt, thanking the heavens that it was fully charged.
“Okay, Juniper, the ambulance is going to be a while, so it’s just you and me for now. ”
She nodded, both hands cupping her bump as she gazed at the moon and swayed gently, back and forth.
The silvery light of the moon caressed her face and toyed with the riotous curls falling over her shoulders.
His breath caught in his throat. She looked so beautiful, like an earth mother.
Then her face scrunched up in pain and he stepped forward, instinctively putting his arms around her before her knees gave way.
She brought her hands up to his shoulders, gripping on tight.
As the contraction passed, she rested her forehead on his chest and her grip eased. “I’m so scared.”
William rubbed both hands up and down her back, desperately wishing he could give her some genuine comfort.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?
” Well, if that wasn’t the most ridiculous thing he could have said.
They were out in the bush, miles from any meaningful assistance and she was in full blown labor.
It was difficult to imagine a worse situation.
She raised her head and looked at him for a long moment.
Her pale green eyes were luminous in the moonlight, and he felt like she was seeing straight through to his very soul.
“Okay.” He felt a surge of surprise, but then she smiled at him. She knew damn well he was offering her cold comfort. He smiled back. “Talk to me. Distract me,” she said.
“Right, okay.” He racked his brains. What did you talk about with a woman you didn’t know, who was having a baby in the bush, to distract her from said baby? He couldn’t think of a single goddamn thing, so he went with, “Where were you driving to, tonight?”
“I was going to stop overnight in Eden. I’m heading to Byron Bay, to visit my grandmother. She’s going to help me have a water birth…” Her voice trailed off as she realized that was no longer an option. She sighed. “Maybe I should have stayed in Melbourne.”
“You’re from Melbourne?”
“Yes, born and bred. But there’s nothing there for me now.”
He wanted to ask about the baby’s father but there was such sadness in her voice that he didn’t think it appropriate. She didn’t have parents? Siblings?
She turned in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Is this okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands now that she was facing away but she solved that problem by taking them in hers and resting them on her belly.
Well, now it was getting weird. Weird, but…
nice. He’d never touched a pregnant belly before.
It was really quite amazing, to think that a tiny human was in there and soon it would be out.
Okay, it might be best not to give that too much thought.
He felt her belly tighten, harden as she gasped, gripping his hands tight.
He gripped back, giving her something to hold on to.
When the contraction was over, she said, “Is it too weird if I ask you to rub my belly?”
Ah yes, a bit. “No, it’s fine.” He moved his hands gently over her bump. It really was miraculous. She started swaying again and he moved with her. Honestly, whatever she needed, she was going to get at this point.
“I like the moon. It makes me feel calm.”
He glanced up. The moon was peaking above the treetops now, spilling into the clearing. A bright white halo had formed around it. It looked amazing.
“It’s a special one tonight. Maybe it’s a sign, a good night to have a baby.”
“I’m sure it is.” Not that he ever went for that sort of thing, but she seemed totally the type and again, whatever she needed to get her through, she was going to get.
The moment dragged out, just gentle belly rubs and slow swaying.
It was mesmerizing, until another contraction hit.
Once it passed, she resumed swaying, so he resumed the belly rubs.
She was quiet, taking deep, controlled breaths and gazing at the moon.
A few more contractions came and went but then the next one was really bad.
It seemed to drag on longer than the others and William felt another stab of fear.
“Fuck, that hurt.”
“Sir?”
He jolted. He had completely forgotten about the lady on the phone, in his pocket.
“Yes?”
“The ambulance is about twelve minutes away. Everything okay there?”
“I don’t know. The contractions seem worse.”
“They are coming a bit faster now, about three minutes apart. Hold tight, help’s not far away.”
“Thanks.”
He was grateful that someone was across the situation enough to time them; he’d seen enough movies to know that was probably important.
He felt Juniper take a deep breath, then another.
He’d seen that in movies too, it seemed like the right thing to do.
Maybe this was all going to be okay. It wasn’t long before another contraction hit her and it was definitely worse than the previous ones, lasting longer and leaving her breathless.
“What do you need?” He asked when it had passed.
“I don’t know. Maybe some drugs.” She laughed breathlessly when she realized how that must have sounded. “You know, like the happy gas or something.”
“You can’t imagine how much I wish I could give you that right now.” That was the honest truth.
She laughed again. “Unfortunately, it’s not the sentiment that counts in this situation.”
“Fair enough.”
“I think I need to sit down.”
“Okay.” William tightened his grip on her as her knees seemed to give way and carefully lowered her to the ground, narrowly avoiding a large tree root curling out of the ground. With nowhere else for him to go, he sat behind her, putting a leg on either side of her hips. “Is this okay?”
“Yes, this is good.”
She rested her head back on his shoulder, drawing in more deep, steadying breaths. Then he heard her breath catch and braced himself for another contraction.
“I hope the baby’s okay.” She said it so softly he almost didn’t hear her, then he realized she was crying and his heart almost broke.
She was doing an amazing job of covering up her fear, but this really was the worst situation to be having a baby in.
Too many weeks early, miles from proper medical care.
“It will be.” He cursed himself for how vapid the words sounded, even to his own ears. She was saved from replying by another contraction. He winced as she laid a hand on each of his thighs and gripped very tightly. The moan she gave was so animalistic and agonized that it chilled him to the bone.
The voice in his pocket spoke up again. “Two minutes. You’ll be able to hear the sirens soon.”
“Tell them we’re off the road, down an embankment, in a clearing. Maybe fifty meters off the road.”
“Will do.”
At that moment, he heard the faint, distant wail of the ambulance sirens. Thank fuck. He had never felt such a feeling of blessed relief in his entire life. “Can you hear that, Juniper? The ambulance is nearly here.”
Another contraction ripped through her. He took her hands to stop the death grip on his thighs as she turned her face into his neck and moaned.
It seemed to go on forever. The sirens drew closer, closer, closer.
Then he could see the lights flashing through the trees, hear the crunch of the tires on the gravel at the roadside.
The lady on the phone let them know she was going to sign off and wished them luck as William heard a female voice call out.
“Helloooo? Where are you guys?” A bright light swung through the trees as one of the paramedics waved a torch around.
“Back here!” William took his phone out, switched the torch app on and waved it high above his head.
“Okay! We’ve got you.”
He heard two sets of boots crash through the scrub then the sweetest sight that ever met his eyes emerged into the clearing. Two medical professionals, kitted out in all sorts of medical gear, looking very capable. Maybe there was a god.
“Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” The female paramedic walked over and knelt down in front of them, placing a molded plastic kit and a red canvas bag on the ground next to her.
“I’m Mikky. This is my partner Rafe.” The male paramedic crouched down and gave them both a reassuring smile, his dark eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
“I’m William, this is Juniper.”
“Nice to meetcha. Mind if I take a look?” Mikky had taken a pair of rubber gloves out of the kit and wriggled her fingers into them in under two seconds.
Juniper shook her head. She lifted the hem of Juniper’s dress.
“Right, we’re going to have to get your underwear off.
Lift your hips if you can, honey.” William braced to enable Juniper to push against him and lift her hips as Mikky quickly removed her underwear.
The moon gleamed on her red hair as she bent forward.
“Okay, you’re fully dilated. I think we need to get you to the ambulance right now. ”
“No…no, please no.” The anxiety in Juniper’s voice was palpable but any response was forestalled by another contraction.
William saw Rafe and Mikky exchange a look, then Rafe calmly rose and strode off across the clearing and back through the scrub.
“I think we’ve got no choice anyway, love. Rafe’s gone to get us a few things to help us along. What can we do to make you more comfortable?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think you’re okay as you are? Or do you want to lie down, stand up, get on all fours?”
“I think I’m okay here.”
Mikky met William’s gaze. “You good with that?”
“Sure.”
“Good man.”
Mikky opened the red bag and pulled out a whistle, offering it to Juniper. “Use this for the next contraction, if you want to. It’s methoxyflurane. It’ll help with the pain.”