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Ew. Tacos and cake suck coming back up. I was sleeping when I was woken up with the need to run to the bathroom. I felt the contractions while I was sleeping, but I was able to doze through them.

That’s no longer the case, and I flush the toilet in disgust. This is the third time I’ve thrown up since I woke up, and I’m pretty sure I need to tell someone that’s more of an adult than I am.

At least I got to see my adorable sisters enjoy being sung to in both English and Spanish. They enjoyed having the spotlight on them. I hope they’re willing to share their birthday with their nephew, because I have a feeling Little Beam is going to be born today.

Getting up takes an act of god and some balance, and I groan as I get upright. I scowl at my bedhead as I struggle to get to the sink, unhappy with how gross I feel. I brush my teeth through a grueling contraction, having to stop a few times as I sway back and forth. It seems to help a bit, almost as if my hips are opening up.

I don’t know why it matters, but I really need clean teeth before I leave the bathroom. It’s silly, it just feels important for some reason.

“I’m so weird,” I mumble, rubbing my stomach as I walk out into the hallway. I’m not sure what time it is, but it’s dark outside. My lower back is also killing me. “Hello?”

“You’re up.” Elijah steps out of another room, scaring the shit out of me as I jump. “Sorry, I was getting some things done for the club in the office.”

They chose to close up for the summer and promised it wouldn’t be a problem. It will mean their clientele will be that much more excited when they reopen. They also decided to do some renovations while they’re closed. Apparently, they were due for it, but I expect they’re trying to make me feel better the way they’re upending their summer.

“I’m having really steady contractions,” I confess. “I was able to sleep through a lot of them, but I also just puked. I⁠—”

Glancing down as I feel a woosh of liquid, I’m horrified to find I’m drenched and so is the floor.

“And that would be your water breaking,” Elijah murmurs. “It’s time to call the doctor, Noor.”

“I think so too,” I sigh. “I don’t have my hospital bag here.”

“I packed you one,” Rachelle says, appearing in front of me. “Emil and Mom will stay with the girls. It’s about eight o’clock right now. Go ahead and let your doctor know you’re headed to the hospital after you change.”

“Okay.” I hold onto the wall as another contraction rocks my world, and tears threaten to blur out the world. “This doesn’t feel right, Mom. These are way stronger.”

“We’re still okay,” she reassures me. “We have to move though, or we’re going to have this baby here. Hustle, babe.”

I turn around and carefully head back to the room, leaving Elijah to clean up amniotic fluid. I know what my water breaking means. I’m going to be a mom sooner rather than later.

Focusing on what I need to do is the only thing keeping me calm, though my hands still tremble as I walk. I change my clothes while I call the doctor and put her on speaker. I need to be able to multitask for this.

“Hello, Noor. I’ve been waiting for this call.”

“My water broke,” I say quickly, picking up my underwear to see that there’s something odd. “Ummm and something fell out of me into my underwear. Is this my plug?”

Dr. Taleigh describes what that would look like and I admit I lost it as I flush it down the toilet and toss my clothes into the hamper.

“Childbirth is very messy,” I mutter, shoving my feet into shoes. “My family is driving me to the hospital now. These contractions are… fuck.”

I breathe and groan through the next one, feeling lightheaded by the end.

“Those noises sound like we’re going to have a baby soon,” Dr. Taleigh says. I can hear her moving around, and then a door slams shut. “I’m not on duty, but I’m going to be for your birth. I’ll see you there, Noor. You’re doing great, okay?”

“Okay,” I rasp. “See you there.”

I hang up and open my door to find my entire family waiting for me.

“It’s time to go,” I say. “The doctor is headed to the hospital.”

“She’s not there yet?” Elijah asks, surprised. He wraps his arm around my waist to brace my weight as we walk together, and I shake my head.

“She’s only coming for my birth.”

“I like her,” Theo says. “We haven’t talked about this yet. Who do you want in the room, Noor?”

“Ah, Mom and Lili, please.”