1.2 | The Prince of Thieves

Chapter 48

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The yowl was from Sabine. They rushed out of the kitchen to find her doubled over and clutching at her belly. Asier had his arms around her to hold her up while the customers they had were arrested in shock. Hana found herself stuck in uncertainty between dashing forward to lend a hand and not knowing what to do.

' – hospital. Now,' Sabine gasped out painfully through gritted teeth.

'I'll get the car,' Leon stated hastily before running off.

Her own limbs kickstarted into action and she moved to let Sabine clamp an arm around her shoulder for support. With some difficulty, Asier and Hana hoisted her through the kitchen and out of the back door. Her weight was shared between them, but Sabine's slow, shuffling gait made for tiring work and Hana's slight shoulders ached with the effort. It seemed ages before Leon's car drove up to them by the curb, and ages once more to help Sabine carefully into the backseat. Juan had been left behind – with a rather bemused smile – to tend the shop.

'Bent over to get chocolate sauce,' she grumbled breathlessly as she heaved. Her words came in choppy wheezes. 'Felt something shift.'

'Oh, no,' Hana mumbled, her brow creased in concern. She kept turning back from the front passenger seat to study her friend. Her face was deathly pale and heavy beads of sweat trickled down her temples. Each breath was deep and long drawn, and she had one hand gripped tightly on Asier's arm.

Her face crumpled at the onset of more pain and Hana felt her heart sink at each spasm of agony that crossed her friend. It'll be alright, she kept telling herself. We'll be there soon!

'She isn't due until Thursday,' Asier hurriedly put in. That was in two days. He gave them the name of a hospital, to which Leon replied that it would take fifteen minutes. 'They said to monitor,' he rambled on anxiously. It was the first time Hana was hearing him speak so much at one instance. 'And go when she felt ready.'

'It's alright,' Leon called out cheerfully. 'We'll be there soon.'

Fifteen minutes had never taken so long as the car weaved in and out of traffic, and as Sabine heaved and panted, and as Asier fussed and worried. Sabine had calmed down a little during the ride. The pain seemed to be less intense now as she breathed easily, her cheeks regaining some semblance of colour.

Things moved quickly once they arrived at the Emergency Department. One peep into the car, and a porter had signalled urgently within. Two nurses in scrubs dashed out with a wheelchair and took over from there with professional deftness. In a few seconds, Sabine had been transferred from the car and onto the wheelchair, and wheeled quickly away with Asier following anxiously behind. Hana had scrambled out of the car just in time to see her friend disappearing into the hospital. When she finally had time to breathe, she realised that there would be no way to contact Sabine until she had given birth. There was nothing she could do now either. She turned around and about and found that Leon was about to drive off. He had shouted something to her, but it was lost in the commotion of the wailing of an ambulance speeding into the driveway.

Hana scrambled into the ER as well, the better to get out of the way. The waiting area was crowded, but she managed to find a seat after informing the nurse-in-charge that she was with 'the pregnant woman from earlier'. She sat quietly by herself, taking even breaths to calm her anxiety, yet the mad dashing of gurneys passing her at each new arrival made her jumpy. She probably wasn't even suppose to be here. Where was Leon anyway? She peered at the entrance with impatience. Then a tall figure emerged from the other side of the glass doors, and she waved urgently at him.