Page 96 of Omega's Fever

I hear it open, hear Penelope’s cheerful, “Hi! Sorry to drop by but I have those clothes I mentioned and—Kellen? What’s wrong? You look—”

“Milo’s in labor.”

“What? But he’s not due for—”

Another contraction rips through me and I can’t help the cry that escapes.

Penelope appears in the doorway, her own three-month-old daughter balanced on her hip. She takes one look at me and her face shifts into crisis mode. “How far apart?”

“A minute,” Kellen says. “Maybe less.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. He’s been having them all day but—”

“All day?” She moves closer, passing the baby to Kellenwithout hesitation. “Milo, honey, why didn’t you—never mind. Can you stand?”

“I don’t... I don’t think...” Another contraction. They’re coming faster now, barely any break between them.

“Kellen, call 911,” Penelope orders. “Tell them we have a precipitous labor.”

“A what?”

“Fast labor. Too fast. Go!”

He disappears with the baby, and I hear him on the phone, voice tight with barely controlled panic.

Penelope kneels beside me. “Okay, talk to me. When did the contractions start?”

“This morning. But they were mild, just—” I break off, panting. “Oh god, I need to push.”

“No.” Her voice is firm. “Not yet. We need to check—”

“I need to push now!”

“Okay, okay.” She helps me out of the chair and onto the floor.

Kellen reappears. “They’re sending an ambulance but there’s an accident on the highway. Might be twenty minutes.”

“We don’t have twenty minutes,” Penelope says grimly. “Get towels. All the clean towels you can find and put the kettle on for hot water. Bring me the first aid kit.”

“Pen—”

“Go!”

He goes, still holding Penelope’s baby in one arm.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” I gasp between contractions. “We had a plan. The hospital—”

“Babies don’t care about plans.” She helps me out of my soaked pants with efficient movements. “I’m going to check how dilated you are, okay?”

Thank god I have a friend who used to be an EMT, who is training to take the courses to do it again.

I nod, beyond caring about dignity at this point. The pressure is incredible, like my body is trying to turn itself inside out.

“Oh.” Her voice is carefully controlled. “Okay. You’re fully dilated. I can see the head.”

“What?”