The Beginning

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It was late August. The time of year when the leaves changed colors and slowly fell to the ground. Where the wind was brisk and If your weren't paying any attention, you would definitely miss a beautiful sight. The sky turning colors of auburn and gold and the small town of Serendipity Falls, was bustling. And yet, the town stood still enough for a young and very pregnant Elena Bailey and Angela Warren to sit in the town square and watch the town they've grown fond of since after college.
"Lena, honey, you look like you're ready to pop!" Said Angela to her dear sista-friend.
Rubbing her stomach smiling, Elena turned to her friend.
"Sweetheart, you are not too far behind me."
The ladies laughed harmoniously.
"This little girl of mine is very determined not to come out into the world, I just know I'm going to have my hands full with my little one."
As Elena said this her baby moved around her womb and kicked her. She winced,
"See Ange, your niece is already a spitfire." Angela rubbed her friend's growing stomach.
"I know, and Auntie Ange loves her Lil sassy niece."
Angela cooed as she rubbed her own stomach. Angela was only 6 months pregnant with a baby boy, compared to her friend, who is waiting for her daughter to come at any moment. Angela was excited that she could do this journey with her dearest and oldest friend.
"Oh, Ange! My nephew is going to the most calm and relaxed baby. It's like he doesn't move around at all."
Elena said to her. Angela laughed and nodded. She knew for a fact that this was a characteristic that her baby inherited from her husband, Nate. As if she spoke him up, her and Elena's husband, Will,  appeared before her eyes.
"Hey baby!" Nate exclaimed, he was always so happy to see his little family. Nate kissed Angela and then squatted to kiss her stomach.
"Hey Son, was mommy and Auntie Lena good today? Were you keeping an eye on them for me and uncle Will? Yeah?" He said answering himself.
"Good job, son!" He said as he rubbed his wife's stomach. Angela smiled. She loved that man and how he loved her. Both men helped their wives up off of the bench they were resting on, and the two couples walked into the sunset and evening air. They passed the general store, the old bookstore, and the even older theatre. Finally, they made it into the beginning of their neighborhood. The couples live across the street from one another, they each said their goodbyes and farewells for the night and walked into their homes.

Later that night, Angela and Nate were entangled in each other's arms in their bedroom when the landline started ringing. Nate turned over to look at the clock it read 3:33 am. Who could be calling this late at night? He wondered. He grabbed the ringing phone and answered sleepily,
"Hello?"
"Nate? Nate? Man I'm freaking out!"
"Will?" Nate wiped the sleep from his eyes.
"Will... Will...! Slow down man. Take a breath and tell me what's going on?"
Angela stirred in her sleep.
"Nate, it's Lena. I had to rush her to the hospital. She woke up screaming and crying and... and... there was blood everywhere. Man I'm so scared, and after we lost the last baby... I-I can't lose another babygirl. Nate, I don't know if I'd make it without Elena. I can't lose her, man."
Will cried on the other end.
"Will... man, Elena is not going anywhere. One, she's too stubborn to leave you and two, she loves you too much to ever leave like this. I'm coming down there to sit with you man. We're family and I got you."
Nate slid Angela off of his chest and he stood up to put some clothes on.
"I appreciate it man. I do, and you're right Lena is way too stubborn to leave me."
The two men laughed. They became close over the years because their wives were inseparable and sometimes literally conjoined at the hip. They hung up the phone and Nate lightly shook his sleeping wife.
"Angela, babe. Wake up! It's Lena, Will just called and said he rushed her to the hospital."
With that his wife came to life.
"Hospital? Is it the baby? We need to leave and leave NOW!"
Angela said with a sense of urgency. Angela was a nurse before Nate made her take time off for the baby. So she was always quick on her feet.
"What happened? What did Will say was going on with her?"
Tears started to fill the brims of her eyes. She couldn't imagine a life without her best friend, her sister. Her husband handed her a blouse and a skit.
"Will called and said that she woke up screaming and crying. He said something about that she was bleeding, heavily."
Angela got dressed as quickly as she could with her pregnant belly in the way. Soon the couple was out the door and into the car on the way to the hospital. While driving Nate noticed his wife was shaking. He took one hand off the steering wheel and grabbed his wife's hand, kissed it, looked at her and smiled warmly. It took the couple no longer than 5 minutes to get to Serendipity General. Seeing as it was almost 4 am. They parked the car, and hurriedly walked hand in hand into the hospital's waiting area. They scanned the room looking for William Bailey, and they found him, with his head between his knees crying.
"Oh Will,"
Angela rushed over to him, as he looked up when his name was called. The tall man stood up and hugged the shorter pregnant woman.
"Will, I am going to see if I can talk to my friends at the nurse's station to see what's going on. Don't worry."
She looked up at her best friend's sobbing husband. It scared her to see him in this rare form. Will, much like her own husband, was a very laid-back type of guy. She hardly saw him be this upset. She turned on her  heels to walk down to the nurse's station she know would give her some answers. She waddled off the Large desk in the middle of the hallway, she saw three of her night nurses she knew too well.
"Angela Warren, a sight for sore eyes. What do we owe a visit from our favorite mommy-to-be?"
Nurse Trudy Jackson announced and the pregnant woman was bombarded with    "I miss you's" and other pleasantries of the sorts from the nurses that surrounded her. Trudy must of read the worried look on her face.
"Angela is everything alright? Is it the baby?"
She smiled softly.
"No, I'm fine. Can you give me an update or at least tell me what's wrong Elena? Her husband rushed her here not to long ago."
The nurses shook their heads and waited patiently for Angela to present them information they needed to help her.
"Elena Rose Bailey, age 28, 37 weeks pregnant. Was rushed here after complaining of sharp piercing pain in abdomen and heavy vaginal bleeding."
The nurses hurriedly looked around in the stacks for charts on the desk.
"Found it!"
Nurse Davis exclaimed.
"Elena R. Bailey... her vitals loo-"
"I want to know the reason she's in here! Not her vitals! If you can't tell me. I'll read the damn chart myself!"
Trudy laid a calming hand on Angela's shoulder, and took the chart from the younger nurse.
"Angela, it says that she's suffering from "Abruptio Placentae..."
"Her placenta is separating from the inner wall of her uterus."
Angela finished for herself. She thanked her friends and waddled back to the waiting area as fast as she could. She finally made it back to the spot she left a crying Will, only to find her husband sitting down reading Jet Magazine.
"Wh-where did he did go? W-what happened?"
Angela walked over to her husband.
"They decided that they were going to deliver the baby and came and got Will. They said something about her something bursting."
Angela laughed. Her husband was an accountant, and didn't know anything medical, and him trying to remember what the doctor said was too cute. She smiled and reached out her hand for him to help her sit down.
"Baby, I looked at her chart, it's Abruptio Placentae, which means her placenta separated from the inner wall of her uterus. She could lose a lot of blood... or worse our niece."
This realization shook Angela down to her core, her husband wiped a tear she didn't even know was falling. She turned to her husband and cried into his chest.

Hours passed, and Angela was asleep on Nate's chest. Nate looked at the door he watched scared William Bailey go in, and out came the doctor from before. He moved Angela's head off his chest to wake her. The young doctor made his way over to them.
"Nurse Warren, I was sent to come get the both of you and take you to the Maternity ward."
The young black doctor told the couple.
"Is she going to be okay? How much blood did she lose?"
Angela questioned the doctor as they walked to the maternity wing of the hospital.
"Nurse Warren,"
The man started.
"She and the baby are currently stable. Though, she did lose a lot of blood but her husband was a perfect match. She was up and asked for you the last time I came to check on her. If she's fallen asleep, you know just let her rest."
The Doctor instructed.
"Thanks again Dr. Johnson ..."
Angela started. They finally made it to Elena's room. She was sleeping but Will was holding their daughter in his hands, crying.
"Aw, My niece is absolutely beautiful! She looks just like her Mama!"
Dr. Johnson excused himself, and left the room. Angela whispered walking into the bathroom and washed her hands, then walked over to Will and the baby.
"Oh! She's so cute. Look at her little everything!"
It was true, the newest member of the Bailey family was very small for her to born at 37 weeks. Will turned and handed Angela his sleeping daughter. She looked at her niece's small little features. She was the perfect mix of her friends. She had Elena's full lips and prominent Cupid's bow and she had Will's nose and high cheekbones. She had a head full of curly black hair. I guess the heartburn is worth it, she thought to herself. A beautiful custom shade of brown was slowly starting to grace her niece's skin. The baby stirred in her sleep and gave her Aunt a small smile. Angela cooed over the baby, and realized she didn't know what to call her.
"Will, What did y'all decide to name her? I know my pretty little niece is going to get a beautiful name."
Angela said still fawning over the sleeping child.
"Her name is Miranda Denise Bailey."
Elena spoke softly. She tried to sit up in the bed but her fresh wound from her cesarean stopped her from doing so. Angela turned to her friend with a huge smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
"Denise? Y-You gave her my middle name?"
The pregnant woman waddled over to the bed where her sister laid, crying and smiling too. She handed the new mother her daughter, before she busted out into to tears.
"Elena Rose Bailey! I am honored you named my niece after me. But I am fairly angry with you girl! You gave me— all of us quite the scare!"
She pouted, and scolded. As she panned the room with her eyes. Her husband was talking with Will, who was all bandaged up from donating blood to his wife. She sat on the bed next to her friend and her new niece.
"I love you, girl!"
Angela started.
"I love you, too!"
Elena smiled.

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