Meet Me Halfway

Chapter 25

"Fuck." Alice hissed in a panicked tone as her eyes gaped in worry. She glared down at the water beneath her feet, her panic increasing as she moved as briskly as she could towards the phone.

She stretched out to the device before feeling a contraction hit her deep, crouching over in pain. She had prepared this moment for the past five months but now that it was here she could barely think straight. All that ran through her mind was her next move, which she had no idea what it was.

She hadn't gone to breathing classes or taken any specialised advice, she just figured that when her waters broke she'd just get down to business and deal with it all head on, but now here she was, completely clueless and alone.

She pulled the phone off the hook before another contraction hit her again, forcing it to drop out of her hand and fall to the floor.

Something about this second contraction she had as she sank to the floor brought her to a realisation, it was very uncanny to the sharp pains she had beginning to have a few hours ago, and that's when it hit her, she had been in slow developing labour for most of the day and had no idea.

She would've gone the entire day not knowing had her water broken any later. Retrieving the phone once again to dial her fathers number,  unfortunately there was no answer. She then eyed up the number of Gladys' lake house that FP had left, but again, no response. All there was left to do now was scream her head off until somebody heard her.

"Help!" She cries out. "Somebody help me!" She repeated roughly five times before Fiona came bursting in courtesy of the spare key hid under the Smiths porch.

Alice's face gleamed upon seeing her, glad her screams had been heard.

"Oh my God, Alice have your waters broken?" Fiona asked in concern as she approached the young girl, helping her up on her feet as she did.

"Yeah." Alice nods anxiously. "And nobody's around, not my Dad, not FP!" She rambles frustratedly. "What the hell am I gonna do?"

"How far apart are your contractions honey? Do you know?"

Alice pondered for a second, roughly doing the maths in her head. The first was around half past 3, the second was roughly five minutes later. So she figured that had to be it.

"I don't know, maybe five minutes?" She answers still unsure. "Is that normal?"

Fiona laughs at her naivety. "Oh of course it is, but every pregnancy is different." She explains to her. "C'mon, let's get you to the hospital."

•••

FP had been staring blankly at Gladys for roughly twenty seconds before the two of them found themselves embroiled into a full on confrontation in the middle of the living room area.

He was still awaiting a response to his initial question as he eyed up her guilty filled face. And what else was he supposed to do? It was everyday you catch your girlfriend disposing of her birth control pills right after initiating or suggesting sex. He thought this shit only happened on TV.

"I just, I just understand. you ditched your birth control for what reason?"

Gladys blinked back the falling tears from her eyes as she briskly wiped them away, not wanting FP to see her like this.

Look, it was stupid okay? Can we just drop it now, and forget you ever saw? I'm sorry." She pleads in regret reaching out to softly touch him but he takes her by the shoulders and lightly pushes her away, wanting to keep a distance between them.

"Drop it?" He repeats one disbelief as a gasp falls from his lips. "You were trying to get pregnant Gladys! I'm not going to drop this!" He bellowed woefully, watching as her tears finally fall down her place.

The ringing of the landline interrupts them for the thrid time.

"Just leave it." Gladys pleads as she watches FP approach the phone.

"That's the third time it's rang." He hisses. "It could be important, it could be something to do with Alice. I'm answering." He told her sternly, not caring about whatever she had to say to follow it up

Gladys' forehead puckered in confusion. "How the hell does she have the number?" She thought.

He picked up the phone, immdiately waiting for someone to speak but his face fell flat once he heard the voice on the other end. Gladys watched as his face furrowed in concern.

"What's wrong?" She questioned.

"Alice is in labour." He revealed with slight panic on his face, darting his eyes back and forth between Gladys and the phone. He slammed it back down onto the hook. "We've gotta make a move, now!"

...

"Did you get through to my Dad?" Alice panted worriedly from her hospital bed, lightly rubbing her stomach as the nurses rushed around the room preparing for her birth.

She was already in the second stages of labour, and the contractions and pushing had exhausted her to the point of no end, leaving her face crimson red and glistening with sweat.

Fiona nods. "There's no doubt in my mind that he's speeding down the highway back to town."

"And FP?" She asked again, her eyes softening a little but still panting through the struggling breaths.

"Yes, I got through to him, finally." Fiona answered with a sigh of relief as she rubbed Alice's back, knowing this was difficult for her and this was probably the only comfort she'd have for the next few hours. "He's on his way but I don't know how long he's going to be honey."

She twists her lips in disappointment, clenching her eyes shut before whining. "I really needed him here." She cries. "He was supposed to be here, my Dad was supposed to be here, everything's just going wrong. Why does everything in my life have to be such a fuck up and go wrong?!"

"It's not going wrong." Fiona comforted, giving Alice an assuring smile. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise you."

Alice darted her innocent tear filled eyes towards her. In the past few months she had grown warm towards Fiona, practically seeing her a mother figure, the mother figure she desperately needed at this point in her life.

"I'm scared." She whispers. "

Fiona observer the young girls pain and fear, it was very reminiscent of her own feelings from when she was pregnant with FP so she could sympathise. She took a hold of her hand, lightly running her free one over the back.

"You don't need to be, not when you have me, the best grandma in town and I won't let anything happen to you or my grandson alright?"

"I'm not sure I can do this." Alice says with uncertainty as the pressure builds up.

"Alice-" One of the nurses interrupted. "You're currently crowning, you're almost coming to the end, you're going to have to push.

"You hear that honey? You got a little boy to deliver." Fiona encourages.

"I need to see my daughter." Alice heard a nervous voice speak from outside, distracting her from her thoughts.

Roger came bursting into the delivery room, and a smile of relief immediately crossed her sweaty red face.

"Ali-" He spoke nervously before approaching her bedside.

"Dad!" She calls excitedly, relieved that he managed to make it, even though it was rather late.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner." He apologises, taking Hermione free hand in his own.

"It's okay, you're here now." Alice responds before another contraction hits.

"Ahhh!" She yelps out loudly, squeezing onto her father and Fiona's hands.

She could feel it wasn't long now, wasn't long until this was over. She gathered herself together and pushed with all her might, taking in the encouragement of everyone around her before finally hearing a small cry that took over the room.