Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe

window unit in her underwear, and I ate alone at the table. After we finished, I washed up the dishes and went to get a shower. I would be getting in bed earlier than usual, and sleep suddenly seemed very appealing.
    “Sadie!”
    I sat straight up in bed at the sound of my mother yelling my name. I slung my feet onto the hardwood floor, and before I could even get to the door she began yelling again.
    “Sadie!”
    I ran across the hall and into her room. She was sitting up on the edge of the bed, holding her stomach, with sweat on her face.
    “Something’s wrong,” she panted. “It hurts like hell!”
    I grabbed her housecoat and slipped her arms in. “Come on. We’re going to the hospital.”
    She grunted and stood.
    We made it halfway down the hall before she let out another bloodcurdling scream and bent over, holding her stomach.
    “Help me, Sadie! This hurts so bad!” she said through tears.
    It was hard to mask my panic. Seeing my mother screaming in pain terrified me. I got her into the car, then remembered her purse and ran back inside to grab it. On my way in the door she screamed again, and I hoped someone would hear her and offer to come help. Right now I didn’t feel competent enough, and I really wanted help. I ran back out to the car, flung open the door, and jumped inside, and headed for the local hospital. Luckily, we were only a few miles away. I glanced over at Jessica as she rested her head back on the seat.
    “You okay?” I asked, praying for a yes.
    “For now,” she said quietly.
    I didn’t ask her anything else. I didn’t want to cause her any pain. We made it to the emergency room fast, since the roads were empty at four in the morning. I pulled up to the entrance and ran around to open her door. She hadn’t experienced any more pain since we’d left the house, and I was grateful. Focusing on the road was hard enough with my heart beating out of my chest and my palms sweating.
    “Wait here. I’m going to go get help. Don’t walk.”
    She gave me a tight nod, and I ran inside.
    The smell of sanitized hospital hit my nose, and for once the smell comforted me. A lady stood behind a desk, watching me.
    “My mom is in the car. She’s pregnant and in a lot of pain.”
    The lady went quickly into another room and came out with a wheelchair.
    “The car is parked right out front,” I said.
    We walked out to the car quickly. The lady and I helped Jessica into the wheelchair. The lady immediately started asking her questions, and I bit my tongue to keep from asking her to stop for fear it would make the pain come back. Once inside, they got her information and then instructed me to stay in the waiting area while they checked her out. Which sounded good to me. I didn’t want to go with them. Sitting down alone for a few minutes in order to calm my racing heart was greatly needed at that point. There were a lot of empty seats at that hour, so I found a chair facing a television hanging on the wall, and I watched the soundless news.
    “Hello.” A hand lightly shook my shoulder, and a woman’s voice woke me up.
    I sat up in my chair. “Um, yes, sorry. Is my mom okay?”
    The nurse smiled. “Yes, she’s fine. She had a bad case of Braxton Hicks brought on by not drinking enough liquids, but she is fine and so is the baby.”
    I sighed with relief.
    “She’s asleep, and we have moved her to a room. Once we have her hydrated and are sure her contractions have stopped, we will release her. You can come up to her room if you like.”
    I nodded and stood. The soundless television said 7:30 in the right-hand corner, and I froze and realized I should’ve been at work an hour ago. “I need to make a phone call before I go up. Do I need to go outside to use a cell phone?”
    She smiled. “Yes, you do. I’ll be at the desk when you’re ready, and I’ll take you up.”
    I thanked her and headed for the door I’d brought Jessica through a few hours before.
    I reached into my mother’s purse and pulled out her phone. I knew she’d stored Ms. Mary’s number in there somewhere. Of course the phone was powered off. When I turned it on, I saw there were several missed calls. Ms. Mary. I called her back.
    “Hello, Sadie.” Ms. Mary’s anxious voice answered on the first ring.
    “Hey, Ms. Mary. I am so sorry! I had to bring my mother to the hospital at four this morning, and I fell asleep in the waiting room. They just came and got me. I’m so sorry I didn’t call.”
    “Oh, my