a phoenix in the fire » fillie

chapter 28 ↝ syrup in a sippy cup

BLOOD STILL STAINS WHEN THE SHEETS ARE WASHED.

"Mom, it isn't supposed to hurt," Sadie stated. Her mother leaned over the sink, fingers gripping the rim. Sadie didn't care about her mother, but her baby sister mattered.

"It's April," her mother replied. She grimaced and moved to grab at her stomach. She turned around to lean on the sink. Sadie checked the time. It was Friday, late in the afternoon.

"Are you due?"

"No, I shouldn't be due," her mother snapped. "It's too early. It's April 28."

"I'll drive you to the hospital, then," Sadie defensively said. "Come on."

Grabbing her mother's arms, Sadie helped her into the car. She reluctantly drove her mother to the hospital. Along the way, she could hear her mom's painful gasps.

Arriving, Sadie parked the car in front of the entrance, under the metal marquee. "I'll get a wheelchair," Sadie murmured. Her mom only groaned in response.

"Sadie!" Her mom shrieked. Sadie whipped around to see her mother, legs slightly parted to reveal a newly darkened stain. "My water... It broke."

Rain started pouring heavily outside. Sadie ran inside, getting wet from the rain despite the marquee covering the car. "Help! My mom needs help!" Sadie called out. A nurse ran to her. "My mom! Her water broke!"

"Okay, calm down, we'll get a wheelchair, and we'll get her admitted," the nurse soothingly said.

The rest happened in a blur. A wheelchair came and picked up her mother. Sadie numbly followed as they wheeled her into a large elevator to the second floor. Two big signs read "MOTHER AND BABY" and "LABOR & DELIVERY." Couches rested on both sides of the room.

"We're going to have her placed into 'Labor and Delivery,'" the nurse said. She pulled her card and swiped it on the buzzer. The double doors immediately opened, and the nurse pushed her mother in.

"Okay," Sadie replied uneasily. "But my sister, she's being born too early. She's only eight months."

"She'll be fine," the nurse assured. To Sadie, it didn't feel reassuring.

It was both a boring and anxious wait. She waited for seven hours before the nurse came to her. Sadie didn't call anyone from the group. No one could know of this, not the group, and certainly not Millie. If Millie heard about this, there was no telling what she would do. Even though Millie was her best friend, Sadie still didn't trust her. When someone left everything they knew, it was hard to give them that full trust when they came back.

There was a huge chance that her sister could die. The odds only increased from her mother's careless drinking and behavior. If her sister wasn't okay, Sadie would kill her mother for taking her sister from her. She needed her sister.

Sadie was just beginning to fall asleep when the nurse walked up to her. "Your mother needs you." The door opened, and Sadie heard her mother's frantic sobbing.

"Mom?"

"Sadie!" Her mother exhaled in relief. "God, I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay," Sadie finally replied. She walked up to the bed and grabbed her mom's hand. Her mom smiled sadly before another round of contractions started.