Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe

Jessica’s room and found the infant car seat she had bought from a secondhand store before we left Tennessee.
    Ms. Mary had sent bags of baby girl and boy clothing to my workplace last week. She had kept almost everything she had bought for her grandchildren as they outgrew them. I sifted through the baby-scented clothing and found the smallest item in there. It was a soft yellow outfit with feet, and with snaps up the front. This should be safe for a boy or a girl. I grabbed it and quickly snatched up a diaper bag for the items Jessica had bought for the baby. With no idea what all of it was used for, I figured if I took it all, we should be good. After I had the baby stuff ready, I packed Jessica a nice, stretchy sundress and underthings, as well as a few nightgowns. She had very little in the way of modest sleeping attire, so I stuffed in a few T-shirts for her to slip on over her nightgowns. Once everything was packed, I headed out to the car and loaded it up. I wanted to be there when the baby was born. I wanted to experience its entrance into the world. It had been a stranger to me for nine months. Up until now, all I’d had was Jessica. Now I would have a sibling.
    I pulled the sliding overnight bag back up on my arm as I stepped off the elevator. The waiting room was full of excited, hopeful people of all ages. Grandparents bounced children on their knee and pointed and gushed over the babies in the window. This was a happy place, where life started. I walked toward the double doors that led to the delivery rooms. I passed new dads, or almost new dads, standing around the coffeepot, sharing horror stories of wives who had morphed into monsters. A few had decided that hiding out here was a better idea than witnessing the birth of their child. I wondered if Jessica had become one of these crazed monsters as I searched for room 321. I spotted it and took a deep breath before walking in. I was all Jessica had. There would be no one else standing by to hold her hand. It was just me, and I couldn’t go anywhere.
    “Sadie, oh good, you got all the stuff. I guess I should have packed, but I wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon.”
    I nodded, set the bags down on a chair, and walked over to her. All sorts of cords were hooked up to her. She was wet with sweat, her hair clung to her head, and she remained pale. Other than that, she wasn’t cursing and foaming at the mouth, which was what other women on this floor were apparently doing.
    “Um, you look good,” I admitted.
    She grinned and shrugged. “Well, it ain’t over yet, honey, and it gets worse. Right now my dilating has slowed, and I’m high on Demerol. I know there is pain, but I just don’t seem to care at the moment.”
    I nodded, not sure what that meant. “Well, do you need anything?” I asked, wanting to be useful.
    “More ice would be nice,” she mumbled. I nodded and headed out to find ice. “Wait! You’re gonna need my cup.”
    I turned around and went to get the plastic hospital cup sitting beside her bed. “I’ll be right back.”
    Once outside the room, I went to find the ice and filled her cup up to the top. I wanted to make sure she was fine before I made the call to Ms. Mary. Once I had Jessica fixed up, I slipped out of the room and back outside the hospital. I called Ms. Mary.
    “Hello.” Her cheery voice lightened my spirits.
    “Ms. Mary, it’s Sadie. I just wanted to call and let you know my mom is having the baby.”
    “Oh, this is early, but don’t worry about that none. I had both my girls several weeks early, and everything was just fine. I’m coming to see you as soon as I get off work. Now, how are you?”
    I smiled at the warmth that filled me when Ms. Mary worried about me. Jessica loved me, but she had never really worried over me.
    “I’m fine, and my mom’s doing good. They have given her some Demerol, and she said it makes her not care that she is in pain.”
    Ms. Mary chuckled. “That is some amazing stuff, I tell you. Well, I’ll be with you soon, and maybe there will be a baby to hold by then. You call me if you need me, do you hear?”
    I couldn’t help but smile. “I will.”
    “Good-bye, for now,” she said in her jolly tone that always made it seem like everything was going to be okay.
    “Good-bye,” I replied before pressing end. I turned the phone back off and slipped it into my pocket.
    When I neared Jessica’s room, I heard the familiar screaming and hurried inside. Jessica was