Chapter 4 - The Midnight Run
"Drew!" I gasped, clutching his forearm as another contraction ripped through my hips like a burning steel wire tightening around my spine.
Drew pulled back, his eyes going wide as he saw the puddle on the carpet. "Megan! Was that...?"
"The water," I panted, leaning my head against the side of Eli's mattress as the pain crested. "My water broke. The contractions... they aren't irregular anymore. They're coming hard."
Eli scrambled back on his bed, his eyes wide with renewed panic, looking at the wet carpet and then at my pained face. "Is... is she coming right now?!"
"Yes, buddy," Drew said, standing up rapidly, his instincts taking over. "Eli, listen to me. I need you to be my top assistant right now. Can you do that?"
Eli wiped his nose on his sleeve, his posture instantly straightening despite his fear. "Yes, Dad."
"I need you to run downstairs, grab the car keys from the entry hook, and open the garage door," Drew ordered, his voice steady and commanding. "Then grab Megan's coat from the rack. Can you handle that?"
"On it!" Eli yelled, vaulting off the bed and sprinting out into the hallway like a rocket.
Drew knelt down beside me, taking my hands. "Can you stand, Meg?"
"I think so," I groaned, breathing through the tail end of the contraction as Drew gently lifted me to my feet. "The bag... Drew, where did you find the bag?"
"In the garden shed," Drew said, grabbing the blue canvas bag from the floor. "He had wrapped it in a plastic tarp to keep it dry."
We made our way slowly down the stairs, every step feeling like a mountain climb as the contractions settled into a steady, intense three-minute pattern. Downstairs, Eli had already opened the garage door, unlocked the SUV, and was standing by the passenger side holding my heavy winter coat and a bottle of cold water.
"Car is ready!" Eli announced, his small face serious and focused. "I put the water in the cup holder!"
"Good boy, Eli," I panted, offering him a faint, loving smile as Drew helped me slide into the front passenger seat.
Drew secured my seatbelt, tossed the hospital bag into the trunk, and turned to Eli. "Get in the back, buddy. Buckle up tight."
As Drew backed the SUV down the driveway into the rainy midnight air, my phone, resting in the center console, lit up with a loud, persistent ring.
The screen displayed the caller ID: BRENDA.
Drew glanced at the screen, his face hardening into absolute granite. He didn't answer it. Instead, he reached out, tapped the screen, and blocked the number permanently before tossing the phone onto the dashboard.
"She’s not ruining tonight," Drew said, pressing his foot down on the accelerator as the SUV glided through the slick streets toward Metro General Hospital. "Tonight is about us."
In the backseat, Eli leaned forward, resting his hand gently on the side of my seat. "Megan?"
"Yeah, Eli?" I breathed, turning my head slightly to look at him.
"Are... are you gonna be okay?" he asked softly. "Does it hurt real bad?"
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"It hurts a little," I admitted, reaching back to squeeze his small fingers. "But knowing you're in the back watching my guard makes it a whole lot easier."
Eli beamed, his grip tightening on my fingers as the bright red neon lights of the hospital emergency entrance appeared through the rain-streaked windshield.
