Birthday Flowers | The Kissing Booth

59. Long Awaited

(Noah)

"Damn it!"

Elle's digging through her purse when her wallet falls out. I'm impressed that she manages to catch it mid-air, but can't help but laugh when she then drops her cell phone in the process.

"You okay there, butterfingers?" I ask as she stares at her phone after picking it up. Its screen looks fine, but Elle doesn't respond.

"Elle?"

"We're not going to the Grand," she tells me as I help her up.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn that was the hotel we ended up picking. Because it had the rooftop pool —"

I'm trying to find the confirmation email, but Elle interrupts me.

"We're not going to the hotel, we're going to the hospital. I'm pretty sure my water just broke."

"What?"

Elle looks impossibly calm as she replies, and it's like she's talking to herself more so than to me. "My water broke. My water broke because I'm in labor. I'm an idiot."

"You're in labor? You're not—messing with me? You're actually in labor?"

"Mickey is never going to let me live this down. She is actually finally going to say I told you so. Oh, my god, I am such an idiot. I should have known that Mickey's always right." Elle keeps muttering to herself as if she hasn't heard me, and I squeeze her shoulder to get her attention. I kind of need her to stop talking about Mickey and tell me what's going on.

"Elle, back up a second. You're in labor? Like, just now?"

Elle finally looks at me, her expression still strangely calm. "No, not just now. I mean, my water broke just now. But it's possible I've been in labor all day."

"You've been in labor all day? And you're telling me this now?"

"Well, I didn't realize it until now," Elle matter-of-factly explains. "But now that I think about it... yeah, probably."

The disconnect between what Elle's saying and how composed she's acting is bewildering. There's a tall stone planter between the sidewalk and the curb, and I'm glad it's there because I really need somewhere to sit down right now.

"Okay. Start from the beginning and tell me what the hell is going on."

Elle is looking down at me now that I'm sitting, her hands at my shoulders, and her expression is an odd mix of confusion and determination.

"I didn't think I was in labor. I mean, it didn't feel like labor. It still doesn't. Well, I guess I don't actually know what being labor feels like. Maybe this isn't it, I'm not sure. Except I am sure my water just broke. And my back's been hurting all day, which I thought was from these stupid shoes, but now that I think about it... it's been coming and going, and it keeps getting worse even though I've been sitting most of the last hour. So maybe I was just really wrong about what labor feels like."

"You're not sure?" I'm trying to keep my voice normal, but seriously?

"Exactly how many times do you think I've been in labor before today? Zero. I'm not sure how you think I'm supposed to know these things."

She has a point, but—it also seems like this should be one of those obvious things. But, I guess I've got even less experience to go off than she does, and this really isn't the time to argue.

I massage at my temples. "Okay. So. You think you're in labor, and you're sure your water has broken."

"That part's hard to mistake."