I glanced at the time again—it was almost two. Three and a half hours since Mom had said she was on her way. Even in the worst traffic I’d ever experienced on my way back into the city from her house, the drive had never taken me more than ninety minutes. Where was she? I tried calling her again; the call went directly to voicemail.Maybe her battery died, and she forgot to bring a charger in the car with her.Still—why was the drive taking so long?I hope her car didn’t break down.
As the baby kicked my bladder again, my intercom buzzed.Finally, Mom’s here.I pressed the button to let her in the building, unlocked my front door, then waddled to the bathroom.
A moment later, from behind the bathroom door, I heard the door to the apartment open and close. “I’m in the bathroom, Mom, be out in a sec,” I yelled.
I walked out of the bathroom and into the living room. The room was empty.
“Mom?” I called out. I heard a noise coming from the bedroom—she was probably just putting her bag down.
“Hey, what took you so long? I was getting worried!” I said as I walked to the bedroom.
An intense, blinding pain in my left temple.
Then my world went black.
CHAPTER31
DID I FALLasleep again?My pregnancy just made me so tired sometimes.This is my third nap today!I struggled to open my eyes. For some reason it seemed unusually difficult.
I blinked a few times in the dimly lit room. I was sprawled out on a bed, my head facing a salmon-colored wall I didn’t recognize.Where did I fall asleep?
I tried to turn my head so I could see the rest of the room, but whimpered—moving even an inch triggered an explosion of pain inside my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head fall back onto the pillow, facing the wall again.
A strange hissing sound was coming from somewhere to my left.
“Savannah!Psssst!Savannah!”
Someone was whisper-screaming my name. I couldn’t see who. I groaned.
“Thank God you’re awake! Savannah—over here. It’s me, Jenna!”
Jenna … Jenna’s here?
Wait.Something about Jenna was tugging at the back of my mind. What was it? I couldn’t remember …
“Savannah! Can you hear me?”
Got to wake up … need to talk to Jenna … and Mom.My eyes fluttered open for a second, but the blinding pain returned so I shut them tightly again. I felt something wet trickle down the side of my face.
The pain became too much, and I felt myself slip back into the black again.
A familiar voice hovered as I floated back and forth, in and out of consciousness.
“Savannah, please—wake up! Savannah!”
Whoever was calling out to me sounded panicked. Upset.I need to wake up.
I opened my eyes. I saw the same wall as before. I tried lifting my head just an inch; it still hurt, but the pain had dulled to a more bearable throbbing. Finally, I managed to roll my head back so I was facing the ceiling. The new position allowed me to look around.
The room was unfamiliar, decorated in a rustic, woodsy theme, in mostly neutral tones with an all-wood accent wall. Artful framed photographs of forests, deer, and campfires hung on the walls. Luggage and cardboard boxes were stacked up against the wall opposite the bed. As I tried to focus on the boxes, I realized what they were—newborn diapers, wipes, canisters of formula. Was I in the hospital? Had I gone into labor?
My eyes moved down to take in my lower body. I gasped. My arms were tied to metal bars on either side of me. My belly loomed large; as my eyes traveled farther down I saw that my feet were tied into stirrups. I appeared to be in some kind of raised, adjustable bed.
My heart thundered in my chest as I pulled feebly against the restraints.
This doesn’t look like a hospital. Why would they tie me to a bed?Panic sped up my breathing, and fresh tears welled up in my eyes.
“Savannah!Shh. Savannah, look at me. Over here. It’s Jenna.”
