Lauren watched in horror as the paramedics surrounded Sam, helping her into a long, white stretcher. She had gotten back from running Heather next door, and when she returned, the ambulance was just pulling into the driveway.

She wasn't sure what was happening to Sam. She heard one of the paramedics say that he was going to give her a shot of something to maybe try and slow her contractions down and halt the labor, but it might not work if she was far enough along…All Lauren knew was that Sam had to be okay. If she wasn't…it would be all her fault, wouldn't it? Sam had gone into labor early because of all the stress she had put herself through rushing around the house and worrying, and she had been the one who caused all of that in the first place. If she hadn't run off, Sam would've never left the bed, and her and the baby would be safe right now.

"Page Dr. Wheeler and tell him to be ready to perform an emergency C-section as soon as we arrive," one of the paramedics told the other. He turned to Sam "Ma'am, we're going to get you to the hospital, we just need you to hold on."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Sam snapped as another contraction rippled through her body.

"We've got to get going," the paramedic said. "Now."

The two paramedics behind Sam nodded as they hurriedly pushed her stretcher out to the ambulance.

"You can ride along in the back with your mom," the paramedic told Lauren. "But get in there now. We don't have time to spare."

"I-Okay," Lauren said quickly, rushing out of the house.

The paramedics transported Sam into the ambulance in record time, and Lauren had barely enough time to get in herself before the sirens wailed to life and they sped out of the driveway.

Lauren slowly walked over to Sam, who was now being connected to several IVs and sat down next to her. She hesitantly reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," Lauren whispered.

….

Freddie frowned as he looked up at the schedule at the train station. According to it, no train was heading to California for another six hours. That meant Lauren hadn't left yet, but that also meant he was no closer to finding her than he was earlier.

Okay, maybe she found another way to get there, Freddie thought to himself. Maybe the bus? I can go over to the station and see if-

His thought was interrupted, though, as his phone began to ring inside his pocket. He retrieved it and saw an unfamiliar number flashing across the screen. His first instinct was to ignore it and get back to his search for Lauren, but then he realized that maybe the number could be someone telling him news about her, and he quickly answered.

"Hello?"
"Fredward Benson?" a voice on the other end said.

"Yes?" Freddie said slowly. "Who is this?"

"I'm calling from East Regional Hospital and-"

Freddie's eyes widened in fear. The hospital? Had something happened to Lauren? Was she hurt?

"Is she okay?" Freddie demanded at once. "Is she-"

"She's gone into labor six weeks prematurely," the voice told him. "She was just rushed here a moment ago and-"

"Labor?" Freddie repeated, confused. "What do you mean-Oh my God! Sam!"

"We're getting ready to do an emergency C-section now," the voice said. "Please get here as soon as you can."

"I-Okay," Freddie nodded.

What was he supposed to do now? He needed to find Lauren but Sam needed him too.

Suddenly, his phone began to ring again, and this time, he recognized the number. It was his elderly neighbor, Mrs. Fielding. As he rushed back to his car parked in front of the train station, he quickly answered her call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Freddie, I'm just calling to tell you that that your wife-"

"I know, I know," Freddie said. "I-I just got the call from the hospital. Do you know if Sam is okay?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, dear," Mrs. Fields said gently. "But I just wanted to let you know that I have Heather over here and I'll watch her as long as you need."

"I-Okay," Freddie nodded. "Thank you. That's-That's very helpful. Um, you have our spare key if she needs anything and-"

"Oh, I think she'll be fine," Mrs. Fields assured him. "Lauren brought over some snacks and some toys and-"

"Lauren did?" Freddie repeated, stopping dead in his tracks. "Lauren brought Heather to you?"
"Yes dear, right before the ambulance arrived," Mrs. Fields replied. "I think she rode over with Sam as well…"

"You're positive?" Freddie said desperately.

"Well she did get into the ambulance," Mrs. Fields said.

"Thank you," Freddie said, reaching his car. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much you've just helped me."

He hung up his phone and hopped into his car and sped off to the hospital.

…..

"I want my husband," Sam mumbled groggily as she was carried onto a hospital bed. "Is he coming?"

But no one appeared to hear her as a team of doctors and nurses, all wearing layers of scrubs and facemasks, filed into the room. The last nurse was pushing in a small, plastic crib.

"We need to get this baby out, now," the head doctor said as he snapped on a pair of gloves. "She's too far along to halt the labor."

"I want my husband!" Sam said again, louder.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," one of the nurses said as another nurse began spreading an icy gel on her stomach. "Medical personal only in here. Your husband has been contacted, though, and he'll be waiting for you the second we finish."
Sam felt her heart rate increase even more. She had to do this alone? She looked around as several more IV's and tubes were being stuck into her. And she suddenly realized she could no longer feel anything underneath her chest.

"I can't move," Sam mumbled weakly.

The doctor gave her an encouraging smile. "That's the anesthesia. Don't worry, Mrs. Benson. We're going to take care of you, just trust us."

It didn't look like she had a choice.

Sam watched as another monitor was connected to her and an ultrasound flashed onto the screen.

"Alright, I'm making the first incision," the doctor announced. "Mrs. Benson, you should close your eyes now…"
But Sam was determined not to look away. She needed to see for herself that this baby was okay.

"It will be alright," one of the nurses told her gently as the doctor slowly cut into her, drawing a small line of blood.

"But will the baby be?" Sam asked shakily.

"Babies delivered six weeks early have a very good chance of surviving outside the womb," the nurse told her. "They're small, but they're fighters."

….

For the second time now, Lauren sat alone in the hospital waiting room, anxious to hear any news about Sam.

The first time she was in this situation, she had felt proud that she had managed to get Sam here just in time. Now, however, she was weighed down by guilt.

She heard the receptionist at the front desk calling Freddie, telling him to get here as soon as he could. Part of her wanted to see him, to tell him how sorry she was that she had caused this whole mess. But another part of her was unsure if she was ready to face him…

She still felt shocked by the news she had discovered earlier. How could he not be her father? How?

She thought about what Sam had said to her…about how Freddie had been more of a dad to her than many kids were lucky enough to have.

She let out a small sigh. That was definitely true. And she knew deep down, no matter how angry and confused she was right now, he'd always be the one she called dad.

…..

As much gore as Sam had seen in her life, she was still unprepared for this. Normally during a C-section, a screen was placed up by the woman's chest, preventing her from seeing the scene down below. But there had been no time in her case.

But she still didn't look away. She needed to see for herself that her child was okay.

"I've got the baby!" the doctor announced, and Sam tried not to concentrate on the face that he was up to his forearms in her own insides. "Nurse, standby to cut the cord."

And then in one swift movement, the doctor pulled from inside of her a small, pink, goo-covered child.

Sam craned her neck, trying to get a better view, but the baby was now surrounded by doctors.

And then it hit her…something had to be wrong. When she had given birth to Conner and Heather, they began screaming and crying the second they came into the world. Yet this child was silent.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked desperately. "What's wrong with my baby? Why isn't it-"

But then the doctor gently began patting the child's back and a moment later, a high pitch scream erupted.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Benson," the doctor said, smiling up at her. "It's a girl."

Sam's face lit up as she stared over at her new daughter, who was now being placed on a small table and cleaned up by a team of nurses. "Is she okay? Is she?"

"Lungs appear normal!" one of the nurses called over her shoulder. "Vitals are a little less than ideal, but within the normal range."

"That's good!" the nurse by Sam smiled. "That's excellent news. Now we'll run a few more tests on her just to be sure, but it looks like-"

"Nurse!" the doctor said suddenly. "Nurse, come here!"

The nurse hurried over to the doctor, where he was still standing by Sam's abdomen.

"What is it?" the nurse asked, looking at where the doctor was staring. "What is-Oh my goodness!"

"Her file didn't mention this," the doctor mumbled, grabbing a fresh pair of gloves. "We'll have to do this quickly."
"What? What's going on?" Sam frowned. Hadn't they just told her that her daughter was going to be okay? What could be wrong now?"
"Mrs. Benson?" the doctor said. "Did anybody tell you that were carrying twins?"