"Lona?" Elmer frantically called her name again, one hand moving to
check her pulse once more. She was paler now, barely a hint of breathing.
Where was Hook? Elmer looked from Lona to the doorway, frantically trying to decide what to do, wait for Hook or forget about trying to keep this quiet and just carry Lona upstairs. "Lona?" He felt himself starting to hyperventilate slightly. She was going to die. She was going to die right there in front of him and....
Just then he heard a weak moan, snapping him out of his panic temporarily. "Lona?" he called leaning over her and sighing with relief when he saw her eyelids start to twitch.
"Elmer?" Lona murmured as she slowly forced her eyelids open a bit. Before she could say anymore, another pain seized her stomach and she screamed, grabbing at his hand and sinking her nails into the flesh.
"Okay." Elmer frantically grabbed the edge of the bed, fighting to avoid screaming himself until Lona finally released his hand a minute later. "Waiting here for Hook, bad idea. Let's get you upstairs. My dad...." How in the world was he going to explain this to his father?
"Well, he can't kill us. I don't think. He had to take some sort of oath not to do that, right?"
"No, Elmer...." Lona started to say as he wrapped his arms around her and started to lift her, only to almost fall on top of her as another pain wracked her body and she grabbed his shirt collar, choking him.
"Okay. Okay. Going upstairs, bad idea. I'll just page Hook again. Or my dad. Or anyone competent. Just don't move, okay?" Elmer said as he backed towards the phone and grabbed it, punching in Otto's number.
"Otto, where is Hook?" Elmer demanded as he tried to keep one eye on Lona and one on the door as he spoke.
"He isn't answering his...." Otto started to say, his eyes widening slightly as he heard a noise on the other end of the line. "Is that someone screaming?"
"Otto, just page Hook again. Or my dad. Or the first competent doctor you see and get them down here now!" Lona's eyes were starting to slip closed again. Elmer dropped the phone back onto the cradle and hurried to her side.
"Lona?" He risked shaking her shoulder this time, gently at first and then more firmly when she didn't respond. Suddenly her nails sunk once more into the flesh of his hand as she opened her eyes, another scream filling the air.
"It's okay, it's okay." He murmured, in a tone he hoped was reassuring although he was slightly afraid that it wasn't. Med school classes, he was sure that some med school class had covered something like this but at the moment he couldn't even recall where he had gone to med school. "Ummm, Lona, what happened?" He wanted to ask her about the baby and who the father was but a sudden flash of insight told him not to risk it.
"I don't know," Lona whispered, the pain momentarily fading and letting her speak. She was cold, so cold, and her body felt strange,
almost as if she were floating not attached to it. "I woke up this morning and...." She weakly gestured towards her stomach as another pain hit and she moaned. There was no energy to scream now.
Elmer looked at her with wide eyes, even more panic filled as it suddenly occured to him what might be going on. Labor? "Hook, get down here fast and I swear I'll steal anything you want." Elmer murmured under his breath as he stroked Lona's face, trying to comfort her.
She started to shake as the pain eased. "I don't know how this happened." Her eyes slipped shut for a moment before she forced them open again, a slightly glazed look in them now. "Elmer, there hasn't been anyone else for over a year and...." Pain again, forcing her to moan and clutch at his hand.
"There... there's something wrong." she whispered as the pain slowly faded a minute later. Spots of blackness were swimming at the edges of her vision. "It isn't supposed... There's something wrong."
"Lona...." Elmer frantically looked towards the door before starting to speak. If.... He couldn't loose her! Then the baby.... He didn't want anything to happen to the baby either but.... He had known he was going to be a father for sure for only a few minutes but he had had a crush on Lona for what felt like forever. He started to speak again but suddenly the ground trembled beneath his feet and he felt himself falling onto the bed as a series of crashes sounded from the hall and the shaking grew even louder as if the entire hospital was collapsing.
Where was Hook? Elmer looked from Lona to the doorway, frantically trying to decide what to do, wait for Hook or forget about trying to keep this quiet and just carry Lona upstairs. "Lona?" He felt himself starting to hyperventilate slightly. She was going to die. She was going to die right there in front of him and....
Just then he heard a weak moan, snapping him out of his panic temporarily. "Lona?" he called leaning over her and sighing with relief when he saw her eyelids start to twitch.
"Elmer?" Lona murmured as she slowly forced her eyelids open a bit. Before she could say anymore, another pain seized her stomach and she screamed, grabbing at his hand and sinking her nails into the flesh.
"Okay." Elmer frantically grabbed the edge of the bed, fighting to avoid screaming himself until Lona finally released his hand a minute later. "Waiting here for Hook, bad idea. Let's get you upstairs. My dad...." How in the world was he going to explain this to his father?
"Well, he can't kill us. I don't think. He had to take some sort of oath not to do that, right?"
"No, Elmer...." Lona started to say as he wrapped his arms around her and started to lift her, only to almost fall on top of her as another pain wracked her body and she grabbed his shirt collar, choking him.
"Okay. Okay. Going upstairs, bad idea. I'll just page Hook again. Or my dad. Or anyone competent. Just don't move, okay?" Elmer said as he backed towards the phone and grabbed it, punching in Otto's number.
"Otto, where is Hook?" Elmer demanded as he tried to keep one eye on Lona and one on the door as he spoke.
"He isn't answering his...." Otto started to say, his eyes widening slightly as he heard a noise on the other end of the line. "Is that someone screaming?"
"Otto, just page Hook again. Or my dad. Or the first competent doctor you see and get them down here now!" Lona's eyes were starting to slip closed again. Elmer dropped the phone back onto the cradle and hurried to her side.
"Lona?" He risked shaking her shoulder this time, gently at first and then more firmly when she didn't respond. Suddenly her nails sunk once more into the flesh of his hand as she opened her eyes, another scream filling the air.
"It's okay, it's okay." He murmured, in a tone he hoped was reassuring although he was slightly afraid that it wasn't. Med school classes, he was sure that some med school class had covered something like this but at the moment he couldn't even recall where he had gone to med school. "Ummm, Lona, what happened?" He wanted to ask her about the baby and who the father was but a sudden flash of insight told him not to risk it.
"I don't know," Lona whispered, the pain momentarily fading and letting her speak. She was cold, so cold, and her body felt strange,
almost as if she were floating not attached to it. "I woke up this morning and...." She weakly gestured towards her stomach as another pain hit and she moaned. There was no energy to scream now.
Elmer looked at her with wide eyes, even more panic filled as it suddenly occured to him what might be going on. Labor? "Hook, get down here fast and I swear I'll steal anything you want." Elmer murmured under his breath as he stroked Lona's face, trying to comfort her.
She started to shake as the pain eased. "I don't know how this happened." Her eyes slipped shut for a moment before she forced them open again, a slightly glazed look in them now. "Elmer, there hasn't been anyone else for over a year and...." Pain again, forcing her to moan and clutch at his hand.
"There... there's something wrong." she whispered as the pain slowly faded a minute later. Spots of blackness were swimming at the edges of her vision. "It isn't supposed... There's something wrong."
"Lona...." Elmer frantically looked towards the door before starting to speak. If.... He couldn't loose her! Then the baby.... He didn't want anything to happen to the baby either but.... He had known he was going to be a father for sure for only a few minutes but he had had a crush on Lona for what felt like forever. He started to speak again but suddenly the ground trembled beneath his feet and he felt himself falling onto the bed as a series of crashes sounded from the hall and the shaking grew even louder as if the entire hospital was collapsing.