“I—Yeah.Yes.Helping."I rush to Claire's side."You okay?"
"I'm fine.Just...wet.And about to have a baby on Thanksgiving because this child already has your sense of timing."
"My timing is—" Another contraction hits, and Claire grabs my hand hard enough to crack bones."Okay, we're not discussing my timing right now."
The next twenty minutes are controlled chaos.
David forgets where he parked.Dad can't find the hospital bag despite it being exactly where Claire told him.
Harper and her husband Ben are trying to time contractions while simultaneously Googling "Thanksgiving baby statistics."
Mom's on the phone with the hospital, arguing about holiday staffing.
And Claire, through it all, maintains an eerie calm that's somehow more terrifying than panic.
"We should go," David says for the fifth time, keys jangling nervously.
"We're going," Claire assures him."Just...slowly.Sage, stop looking like you're going to faint."
"I'm not going to faint.I'm just...processing."
"Process in the car," Harper orders."Seattle traffic on Thanksgiving is going to be brutal."
We pile into two cars—Claire and David in one, the rest of us following like a worried caravan.
The rain that's been threatening all day finally starts, just to sprinkle a little more havoc into the mix.
"Which hospital?"I ask as we navigate the holiday traffic.
"Swedish," Mom says."Claire's doctor has privileges there."
We crawl through Seattle streets packed with people trying to get to their own dinners.
Claire texts updates from the other car.
Contractions 8 minutes apart.
David forgot how to breathe.
Tell Sage this is karma for the turkey thing.
I text back.
ME:I’m being blamed for your labor?
CLAIRE:Everything is your fault.Sister rules.
We finally arrive at Swedish Medical Center, and David practically carries Claire to the entrance while we deal with parking.
By the time we make it inside, I'm expecting the usual hospital chaos.
Crowded waiting room.Harried staff.
The general sense of medical barely-controlled disaster.
Instead, we find Claire being wheeled toward a private elevator by a nurse who seems to be expecting us.
"Winters family?"she asks cheerfully."We have the VIP suite ready for you."
