It was a bit past midnight when Carly felt another light cramp. She had been having it from time to time, approximately every couple of hours or a little less than that. She woke up and poked Joshua who was fast asleep.
"Joshua," she shook his arm but then the cramp was gone again.
"Joshua," Carly poked him again and shook his arm harder, he woke up and tried so hard to open his sleepy eyes.
"Yes, Carly? What is it, do you feel anything?"
"A little contraction, but now it's gone. I'm okay, just a little thirsty."
Joshua took a bottle of water and helped Carly to sit and have a sip. He watched her carefully while she had a huge gulp and swilled almost the whole amount in the bottle. Carly returned the almost empty bottle to Joshua and smiled a little.
"You look a bit better though, how do you feel? Do you want me to call a nurse?" He brushed her hair gently in affection and smiled warmly.
"No, I'm feeling better after a good sleep. When will the next checkup be?"
"I think later around 3 am, according to the last nurse that was checking."
"Oh, okay. I'm not feeling too sleepy now, did you have my phone?"
Joshua handed Carly her phone and then dragged two couches to manage an emergency bed for himself.
"What are you going to do? You need a lot of rest, Carly," Joshua said while settled in the middle of the couch-bed.
"Just want to check the store and maybe look at some videos to get my eyes tired, don't worry."
"Don't stay up too late, honey," Joshua warned her again before curling his body, "I will sleep more if you don't need anything, Carly, just don't be hesitant to wake me up, okay?"
"Of course," Carly took a glance at her husband and smiled a little before shifting her gaze back to her phone.
***
Prior to 2 am, Carly had fallen asleep with her phone still playing a video, settled on her belly, when her stomach unexpectedly formed into a mountain shape with a sharp edge on the peak, right above her belly button. Carly screamed and rose from the sudden contraction, making her phone fall to the floor and she gasped for air.
"Arrgghh!!! Ah! Ah! Arrgghh Jooosshh!!!"
Joshua woke up shocked and jumped close to Carly right away, "What is it, Carly?" He widened his eyes looking at the shape of Carly's belly and gently held it, feeling the tiny baby inside it move a bit more aggressively than usual.
"Carly, wait a second, okay? I will go out and call a nurse, I won't be long. Just hang in there, okay, honey?"
Carly nodded in pain, holding on to the bedside tightly, her body lifted from the strain and the contraction all over her body, not only in her womb. She suddenly felt like peeing, a lot, like gushing out from her vagina. Her bed was flooded, and she looked down while crying in pain, it was red. It was blood, a lot of blood pouring out of her hole. The view made Carly get even more panicked.
"Jooosshh!!!!"
But no one was coming in. Joshua told her that he was only going out to call a nurse, but it felt like an eternity for her. Carly was panicky gasping for air, she didn't know what to do, she hadn't prepared herself for delivering the baby. The contraction calmed down a bit, and Joshua stormed in with two nurses following him. Joshua stood up and froze before reaching Carly's bed, looking at the horrible sight full of blood before his eyes. A nurse then led him outside, while the other one approached Carly to help her.
"Sir, the doctor is home by now, so we need to call and tell her about your wife's condition," the nurse that walked Joshua out explained to him as Joshua sat himself down on a long bench outside Carly's room. Joshua was shocked and couldn't do anything but nod. He was then left alone, the nurse went to her station to give a call to the doctor to come to the hospital soon. Joshua held his forehead, listening to Carly's screaming getting calmer and quieter. The other nurse came out and rushed to the nurse's post as well.
Three nurses appeared every 10 to 15 minutes, in turn, to check up on Carly. The last nurse came in with the doctor. Joshua followed right behind them, feeling better because the doctor was there.
"How's her contraction?" the doctor asked the nurse.
"Every 6 minutes now, doc."
"Take her to the delivery room now, I'll be there immediately after preparing," the doctor's voice was calm and confident, leaving a slight consolation to Joshua.
Joshua caressed Carly's forehead and nodded at her in encouragement, although he was feeling scared himself.
"Our baby is not even 7 months old now, how can, what the…" Joshua's mind wandered away in fear.
He walked after the doctor who was taking a different way from Carly and the nurses, "Doc, doctor, excuse me…"
"Yes, Mister?"
"Is my wife going to deliver our baby now?"
"Unfortunately yes, Sir, I believe so."
"So, does it mean our baby will be premature?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't think the baby will have to be delivered now as well, Sir, this is unexpected, yes. I tried to give her some content-booster when she arrived here earlier, but that didn't help, apparently. I'm sorry, we'll do our best."
Joshua could only lower his head, confused, afraid, so stirred up inside, he came back to reality when the doctor touched his shoulder, "We will try our best, Sir, don't stop praying," she smiled at Joshua, trying to encourage him somehow.
Joshua joined Carly in the labouring room, he entered the room behind the doctor. Watching his wife weakly whimper in pain hurt Joshua's heart a lot. He approached her and held her hand tightly, while the doctor was prepared, standing between Carly's legs that were spread wide on the holder.
Carly screamed louder, her womb was contracting to the fullest.
"Breathe, Carly, breathe for me," Joshua encouraged her from time to time as Carly kept on struggling, she gripped his arm very tightly, leaving the crescent marks on his skin.
All of the voices seemed to disappear for a short brief, there was only silence in Joshua's ears. His consciousness faded away with all the sight of the rushing doctor and nurses, and his wife who was screaming loud in pain. Time felt like moving slower, his head was spinning. That was not any view he would ever imagine to have his first child delivered to life. He thought he would faint when suddenly a nurse caressed his back and congratulated him.
"Congratulations, father," she said, bringing Joshua back to reality.
Joshua stood there, and froze.