I frantically searched for my phone. "Can we call your doctor?"

"She's just gonna tell me to go to the hospital. I don't even know where the nearest one is to us right now."

I opened Google and started searching for hospitals close to the lake region where we were staying. We were far from a major city, which was unsettling. "Saint Andrews is the nearest one. It's five miles away."

The words were spilling out of her mouth so fast. I could hardly understand her. "This isn't supposed to happen. My body is not supposed to go into natural labor. I'm scared because I'm more p.r.o.ne to uterine rupture because of the prior C-section. What if we don't get there in time and something happens to the baby?"

"Is there a chance you're not actually in labor?"

"I think once the water breaks, that means it's happening."

"We'll get you there, baby. Don't worry. Everything is gonna be fine."

Now, if I could only convince myself of that.

Nina scrambled to throw some of her things into the suitcase then said, "I'm gonna take a quick shower. It might be a while before I can do that again."

"Yell if you need me. I'll pack the rest of our s.h.i.t in the meantime."

About ten minutes later, when Nina returned from the bathroom, she was leaning back into her hands, grasping the bottom of her hips. "I think the contractions are starting now. They seem to be coming from the back. I never had them with A.J., so I don't know what they even feel like, but I'm getting these sharp pains."

f.u.c.k.

"We'd better go."

The loud click of the heavy suite door locking behind us echoed through the hallway. Our suitcase rolling along the carpet of the desolate hotel seemed like the only sign of life. It was still early and a Sunday. We were probably the only people awake in the entire building aside from the front desk staff downstairs. Our room was located on the tenth floor. I pushed the down b.u.t.ton and prayed that the elevator came quickly. The busy floral pattern on the rug made me dizzy as I looked down in an attempt to calm myself. I couldn't let Nina see how freaked out this situation was making me.

Rubbing her back, I tried to soothe her. "Don't worry about anything. I'm with you. We're gonna get through this. We'll get to the hospital in no time."

She nervously nodded and let out a long breath but said nothing.

The wait seemed to be taking forever. When the doors slid open, I placed my hand on the middle of her back and gently led her into the elevator.

Nina's back was pressed against my chest as we started to descend. Using my palms to gently ma.s.sage her belly, I whispered into ear, "Everything is gonna be fine."

Almost as soon as the words came out of my mouth, the elevator made a jerking movement that caused us to lose balance before slamming against the wall. The car was no longer moving. The door was still shut tight.

What's happening?

No.

No.

No.

"Jake! Are you kidding? Don't pull this on me now, please!"

"It wasn't me. I swear," I said, frantically pushing all of the b.u.t.tons repeatedly.

"My eyes were closed. I didn't see. I a.s.sumed you pushed the stop b.u.t.ton as a joke. Oh my G.o.d! Please...no. This can't be happening!"

She had every reason to suspect that I'd made the elevator stop on purpose. In the past, I'd intentionally done that twice, first during our fear excursion way back when and then again when I proposed to her. But joking about something like that under these circ.u.mstances would have been pretty sick and not funny at all.

"I wouldn't do that to you, baby. Unfortunately, this looks to be the first time we've actually ever gotten legitimately stuck in one."

Inhaling and exhaling loudly, she said, "That's a pretty horrible irony right about now."

Pressing the emergency call b.u.t.ton with one hand, I looked up the number for the front desk with the other, having to dial it several times because my nervous fingers kept s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up the numbers.

The phone kept ringing and went to a general voice mailbox. No response from my pressing the b.u.t.ton ad nauseum, either.

Are you f.u.c.king kidding me?

Slamming my hand against the wall, I yelled, "How the f.u.c.k could there be no response?"

Nina held onto her back with both hands as if they were keeping her from falling to the ground in pain. "Oh my G.o.d. This is so bad, so very bad."

"Don't panic, baby. What are you feeling right now?"

"The pains...they're getting closer together."

Banging on the door frantically, I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Can anyone hear us? We're stuck. Help!"

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

After several minutes, it seemed useless.

"I'm calling 9-1-1," I said.

Clutching her stomach and practicing her breathing, she slowly slid down onto the floor.

The emergency line picked up. "What's the address caller?"

"Old Ridgewood Estates off Washington Highway."

"Please confirm your telephone number."

"617-596-9968."

"And what is the nature of your emergency?"

"We need help. My wife is in labor, and we're stuck in the hotel elevator. She's feeling a lot of pressure."

"Does building maintenance know?"

"No one is responding to our calls."

"Okay, we're sending a crew over right away, but if you think she's having the baby, I'm gonna transfer you to someone who can help guide you through in case the paramedics don't get there in time. Stay on the line."

What was actually happening here was starting to sink in. "Jesus Christ."

Kneeling down next to Nina, I let out a deep breath before rubbing her back as I waited on hold. "It'll be okay, baby. We're gonna get out of here."

Then, came static followed by a woman's voice. "h.e.l.lo, sir. Can you tell me how old your wife is?"

"Thirty-one."

"How many weeks pregnant?"

"Uh...thirty-seven."

"What is she feeling right now?"

"Baby, describe what you're feeling."

"Just...a lot of pressure, especially around my a.s.s. It feels like something's going to come out of there. I'm scared."

"It feels like the baby's gonna come out of her a.s.s."

"Sir, you don't have to worry. That's never actually happened before." She laughed. "She's just having back labor. How far apart are her contractions?"

"How far apart, Nina?"

She blew out a long breath and shook her head, looking too pained to even answer. "I don't know exactly. Less than a minute, maybe."

The air felt stuffy. Nina was sweating and lifted the shirt off of her head.

"Sounds like she's definitely in labor now," the woman said. "Does she have any complications?"

"This was supposed to be a C-section because she had one prior with our son."

"Do you have any soft materials that you can place on the ground for her?"

"Yeah. We have our suitcase here with us. It's full of clothes."

"Place some shirts or whatever you have underneath her to make her comfortable. Make sure you put some aside for the baby. If the baby is delivered, it's going to be important to keep him warm and dry."

"Alright."

Keeping the black suitcase vertical, I unzipped it halfway, taking out all of the shirts we had packed and throwing them on the ground.

"Okay, tell her to just keep breathing. Have her pant in a rhythm of three quick breaths in and one long blow out. This could help delay the birth. I also want you to have her lie on her left side. Her face should be near the floor, and her bottom in the air. Can you do that?"

Her face near the floor. Her bottom in the air. There was a good chance that position got us into this predicament.

"Sir?"

"Yeah..."

"Everything is going to be okay. Your wife's name is Nina? What is your name?"

"I'm Jake. Jake Green."

"Mr. Green, I'm Bonnie. We're gonna get through this together. You're doing a great job."

I looked down at Nina struggling against the brown paneling of the wall. Panic was building inside of me fast, and for the first time in my life, I probably understood what Nina used to feel like before hyperventilating. A long, shaky breath escaped me. "Thank you for helping us."

"Continue to keep her on her side. That might help ease the urge to push."

"Nina, baby. Make sure you stay on your side."

The minutes that followed felt like a dream. Things were quiet for a while, a ma.s.sive calm before the storm. Up until that point, I hadn't even realized that there was elevator music. A slow ballad playing on the overhead speaker mixed with the rhythm of Nina's formulaic breathing were the only sounds as I held my wife's hand and just prayed.

"If you can, have her ma.s.sage the s.p.a.ce between her v.a.g.i.n.a and a.n.u.s. This will help improve elasticity and decrease tearing."

"Say what?"

Before I could even begin to explain that bizarre suggestion, Nina screamed, "Ow, ow, ow! It's getting worse!"

"Help!" I barked into the phone. "The pains are getting worse."

With every wailing sound coming out of her, sharp pains shot through me.

"Okay, have her continue to breathe," Bonnie said.

"I feel something there now, like a big lump!" Nina yelled.

"Make sure her pants are down," Bonnie said calmly.

How the f.u.c.k could she be so calm?

I helped Nina pull her leggings off and repositioned two shirts under her. I put the phone on speaker.

"It feels like a lump?" I asked, spreading her legs apart. Something was there.

It was the head.

"Oh my G.o.d. It's the head."

"Sir, okay. Bring her bottom nearer to the floor and place the palm of your hand against her v.a.g.i.n.a. Apply firm but gentle pressure. This will keep the baby from coming out too fast and prevent her from tearing."

Firm but gentle pressure.

Firm but gentle pressure.

Nina squirmed as she held her belly. "It's coming!"

I looked down. "Holy s.h.i.t! The heads out. The heads out!"