“It will be.” He cursed himself for how vapid the words sounded, even to his own ears. She was saved from replying by another contraction. He winced as she laid a hand on each of his thighs and gripped very tightly. The moan she gave was so animalistic and agonized that it chilled him to the bone.
The voice in his pocket spoke up again. “Two minutes. You’ll be able to hear the sirens soon.”
“Tell them we’re off the road, down an embankment, in a clearing. Maybe fifty meters off the road.”
“Will do.”
At that moment, he heard the faint, distant wail of the ambulance sirens. Thank fuck. He had never felt such a feeling of blessed relief in his entire life. “Can you hear that, Juniper? The ambulance is nearly here.”
Another contraction ripped through her. He took her hands to stop the death grip on his thighs as she turned her face into his neck and moaned. It seemed to go on forever. The sirens drew closer, closer, closer. Then he could see the lights flashing through the trees, hear the crunch of the tires on the gravel at the roadside. The lady on the phone let them know she was going to sign off and wished them luck as William heard a female voice call out.
“Helloooo? Where are you guys?” A bright light swung through the trees as one of the paramedics waved a torch around.
“Back here!” William took his phone out, switched the torch app on and waved it high above his head.
“Okay! We’ve got you.”
He heard two sets of boots crash through the scrub then the sweetest sight that ever met his eyes emerged into the clearing. Two medical professionals, kitted out in all sorts of medical gear, looking very capable. Maybe there was a god.
“Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” The female paramedic walked over and knelt down in front of them, placing a molded plastic kit and a red canvas bag on the ground next to her. “I’m Mikky. This is my partner Rafe.” The male paramedic crouched down and gave them both a reassuring smile, his dark eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
“I’m William, this is Juniper.”
“Nice to meetcha. Mind if I take a look?” Mikky had taken a pair of rubber gloves out of the kit and wriggled her fingers into them in under two seconds. Juniper shook her head. She lifted the hem of Juniper’s dress. “Right, we’re going to have to get your underwear off. Lift your hips if you can, honey.” William braced to enable Juniper to push against him and lift her hips as Mikky quickly removed her underwear. The moon gleamed on her red hair as she bent forward. “Okay, you’re fully dilated. I think we need to get you to the ambulance right now.”
“No…no, please no.” The anxiety in Juniper’s voice was palpable but any response was forestalled by another contraction.
William saw Rafe and Mikky exchange a look, then Rafe calmly rose and strode off across the clearing and back through the scrub.
“I think we’ve got no choice anyway, love. Rafe’s gone to get us a few things to help us along. What can we do to make you more comfortable?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think you’re okay as you are? Or do you want to lie down, stand up, get on all fours?”
“I think I’m okay here.”
Mikky met William’s gaze. “You good with that?”
“Sure.”
“Good man.”
Mikky opened the red bag and pulled out a whistle, offering it to Juniper. “Use this for the next contraction, if you want to. It’s methoxyflurane. It’ll help with the pain.”
“Drugs. Thank fuck,” Juniper said, taking it gratefully.
Rafe returned with some plastic sheeting, towels, blankets, a water bottle. He twisted the cap off and handed it to Juniper. She drank deeply, dropping the bottle and crying out before she remembered the whistle and sucked on it desperately. The contraction seemed to last forever and even to William’s inexperienced eye, things were ramping up. Rafe and Mikky moved swiftly, in perfect unison. “Not long now, Juniper. We’re going to set you up as best we can. Rafe is gonna lift you up a little while William and I slide this sheet under you, okay?” At Juniper’s nod, Rafe slid an arm under her knees while William put his hands under her arms. Mikky counted down, three, two, one and in no time at all, Juniper was leaning back against him again, the sheeting and some towels under her. It was just in time as another contraction hit and she drew on the whistle. It was something, at least.
When it finally passed, she was sobbing, “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this.”
Mikky, kneeling between Juniper’s feet, grinned at her cheekily, “Bit late for that now, love.”
Juniper laughed and sobbed at the same time. “True.” She took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. “What sort of name’s Mikky, anyway?”
Mikky laughed. “Short for Mikayla.”
“Gotta love that. Trash talking in the middle of labor,” Rafe said with a chuckle.
