I ran to the car as fast as I could. I could sense that something was wrong. It was like my heart had turned into a rock, growing bigger and heavier with every whimper of pain that escaped from Lauren’s lips.

Quickly, I strapped her into the passenger seat before jumping behind the steering wheel. As soon as the car rumbled to life, I floored the gas and peeled out of the parking lot. Just up ahead, a little league team was having their first baseball game of the season. No one had a clue about the crisis that was unfolding.

Lauren clutched at her stomach, her features pinched with pain. I took her hand in mine, squeezing it tight. “Shh, shh, everything is going to be okay. I’m going to get you to the hospital, and everything is going to be okay.”

“How can you say that? It’s a month too early for this! Something must be wrong with the baby. That bastard did something to me!” She was hysterical. Her sobs wracked through her body. “Drive faster!” she snapped, her nails digging into my skin. “I’m not losing this baby.”

With no other choice, I dared to go even faster. On the winding backroads, this was a dangerous move, especially when they were slick with last night’s rain. If I hydroplaned… it would be all over. But it was a risk I needed to take.

“Please…” she whispered to herself.

I glanced at her. There was heartbreak written all over her face. Usually, she was cold and harsh, but in this moment, I saw a different woman. She was vulnerable and scared. I had to help her. This wasn’t just about the baby anymore. It was about her, too.

“He did something…”

“Shh, don’t think about it. I just want you to take a deep breath. Focus on your breathing, okay? Everything is going to be fine, but you need to keep calm for me, alright?” I kept my voice level, trying to soothe her back from her panic. When Sabrina had been pregnant, I had taken a few classes with her to prepare for Gina’s birth. I knew that today, I would once again need to use that knowledge.

“Okay…” She eased her grip on my hand and started to take deep breaths. By the time we reached the hospital, she seemed to have calmed down quite a bit.

I helped her out of the car. Seeing that she was wobbly on her feet, I once again picked her up and carried her into the emergency room. Her clothes were soaked with sweat and she was shaking. I uttered a silent prayer. I couldn’t face losing her – of going through the trauma of losing someone else in the delivery room.

She had to survive – she just had to.

“Please… my girlfriend’s pregnant.” The words flew out of my mouth the second I saw a nurse.

She immediately snapped into action, retrieving a nearby wheelchair.

I gently eased her into it and stepped back. “Do you want me to go with you?”

She answered by grabbing my hand and locking our fingers together. “Don’t you dare leave me.”

I nodded. “I won’t.”

So I held her hand all the way to the delivery room, only letting go when she had to change her clothes. As soon as she was settled, we once again locked fingers. I allowed her to do most of the talking, only chiming in when she seemed at a loss for words. We both agreed to go along with the boyfriend-girlfriend story. I wondered, for a moment, why I had chosen to describe our relationship as such. I wasn’t romantically involved with this woman, but I had lived with her for almost a month now. I had learned her mannerisms and habits. I had learned to hate her… but I also think I’d learned to love her. Why else would I be here?

Suddenly, she cried out, an especially painful contraction ripping through her body. I was up on my feet, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re doing great.”

In that moment, the doctor arrived. He was one of those no-nonsense people who immediately grabbed a pair of gloves, snapped them on, and sat between her legs. “Let’s see what’s going on, shall we?”

In what felt like seconds, chaos took over the delivery room. Lauren was screaming at the top of her lungs. There was blood. The smell was atrocious. My stomach churned. Still, I managed to keep coaching her through the ordeal. “That’s it… push…” My voice was soft and soothing. It surprised me because deep down, I was probably more afraid than she was. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what was happening. It felt like a bad dream, but I couldn’t wake up.

And then, I heard a sound that filled my heart with joy so pure, it threatened to burst. The sound of a baby boy crying for the first time.