Chapter 19

The silence felt familiar. I was taken back to the day I saved her life. I grew timid and nervous. I grabbed a flashlight from Mom and went up the stairs. The hallway was dark. From underneath the bathroom door, Hope's pink illuminating light wasn't even seen. Something was wrong. I knocked on the bathroom door. No answer.

"Hope?!" I exclaimed loudly. "You alright?"

I heard her mumble a groan. Then she said something that was very inaudible.

"What?" I questioned at the door.

"Ben..." Her frail voice came through. I opened the door wide and peered in with my flashlight. She was on the ground near the toilet with her pants and panties down around her ankles.

"Did you fall?" I asked and put my flashlight on the sink counter. I stood behind her and started to help her to her feet.

"Why didn't you call for help?"

"Ben...Ben...Ben." She repeated.

"What...what's the matter?"

"Can you just help me up to the sink?"

"Yeah."

I grabbed her from behind, and wrapped by arms under hers and pulled her up from the floor. I did as she requested and she leaned forward on the sink, with her arm muscles tightly stretched. She didn't want to turn a loose of the sink.

"You alright?"

"Ben...please get your Mom."

"Mom!" I hollered from the bathroom and continued to hold Hope up from behind. Hope let out a slight whine and closed her eyes.

"Ben, hold me please." Hope gasped.

"I gotcha...Mom!" I shouted again.

A lantern's light appeared at the top of the stairs, and Mom entered the bathroom.

"Ben, what's with all the yel-"

"Sandra!" Hope called out.

"Oh dear...Carl!" Mom yelled out to Dad.

"Yeah!" I heard Dad yell back. Mom met Dad on the staircase, and I overheard their conversation.

"Hope might be in labor..."

"Might be?!" Dad cried.

"No ssh Carl, listen...go see if we can get out of the driveway...if not, see if you can shovel some snow out so we can...If she is, we have to take her to the hospital, you understand?"

"Yeah, but Sandra...sweetie I told you...that snow's coming down like-"

"Honey, please just do as I say."

Dad agreed and with haste he went to the garage. Mom entered the bathroom again and began to run water into the bathtub.

"Ben, can you get her in he tub please?" Mom asked me. I wasn't sure if I was really helping Hope or not but I did as Mom asked. Mom called the hospital, to see if someone could get to us if we couldn't get to them. Hope leaned back in the tub. She was in pain but she looked more like she was half asleep, and continued to whimper and moan through it. Mom and I didn't know for sure if she was actually in labor, and if she was we didn't know for how long she had been. Mom fetched a couple of washcloths and wetted them with warm water. Dad returned in a large coat and hat. He took his gloves off as he entered the room.

"I'm having to shovel the snow...but we'll have to wait for it to stop Sandra, that's the best we can do right now."

Mom tended to Hope and nodded.

"The hospital said something similar...but they said keep her as comfortable as possible...so the best is all we can hope for...right Hope?" Mom asked her smiling.

Hope mumbled and held up an arm.

"Where's Ben?"

"I'm right here Angel." I kneeled down and grabbed her arm.

"Can...can you lift me up?"

I gently pulled her up by her arms and lifted her up slightly. Her face fell forward into her own arm, and she groaned into it.

"I'm going next door to see if the Pockets can help shovel our driveway." Dad announced and left once again. The next hour Hope's condition grew worse and the snow continued to pile up. She trembled in the water. It was getting harder for her to sit still. Mom and I actually traded places throughout the hour helping her out. At one point Dad felt bad for Hope, so he got her a popsicle. A couple of times Hope leaned against the tub with her elbows propped up on the edge. A couple of times Mom massaged her lower back for her and a couple of times she wanted me to lift her. The pain grew, and what broke my heart the most was when Hope started to cry because of it. I got on my knees and stroked her arm. I gently placed my hand in between her shoulder and her jawbone and stroked her face with my thumb. She let out a sob and coughed a bit into my face. I didn't mind it. I placed my forehead to hers. She sobbed loudly.

"Ssh...you're okay...you're okay."

Mom watched from the door. Dad quickly ran up the stairs and brushed past Mom.

"I got it!" He shouted. "The snow finally let up and I got the dri-"

Mom pushed past Dad with a towel.

"Carl, Ben, we need to get her to the car."

"Get her to mine!" I shouted.

Dad helped wrap a towel around Hope as he stood her up.

"Hold me...Hold me." Hope whined. She presumed to squat and Dad held on to her. She whimpered and groaned loudly as the contractions passed. Her labor pains still coming on quickly.

"Let's hurry and get her to the car." Mom told Dad.

Hope whimpers and clenches her teeth.

"I can't move her Sandra she's-"

"Well we can't let her have the baby here...now come on." Mom urged.

"Hope...I know you don't want too, but we have to get you to the car." Dad told her sweetly.

Hope breathes heavily and only nods. Dad helped carry Hope bridal style down the stairs. I helped him seat her in the passenger side of the car. Mom and I scrambled to get in the car and bumped into each other. Dad stayed behind, and Mom accompanied us on the way there. And on the way to the hospital I must have hit every red light in town. Hope groaned loudly and leaned her head on the window. Mom rubbed her shoulder as she sat in the backseat.