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Chapter Thirty-Seven
Pain
It was early in the morning and all of the residents of the Hubble household were sound asleep in their beds. It was the weekend and all the girls had chosen to go home this time and had just spent a lovely day out to the cinema together. Ethel had missed their last outing and had never been to a cinema so Julie had treated all the girls as it was something Ethel could do whilst she was pregnant, Ethel had loved the film but had fallen asleep in the car and went to bed as soon as she got home and had been asleep ever since when she suddenly shot awake.
Ethel lifted her head to look at the time and saw it was three thirty and fidgeted a little uncomfortable, her stomach was cramping, she was more than used to this by now, it was happening more often and Ethel hated it. Being pregnant she could not take anything to help as it could harm the baby. Another annoying thing was the fact Ethel needed the toilet all the time and she forced herself up to use the bathroom, trying to be quiet so as not to wake anyone up.
Ethel used the toilet and was just about to make her way back to her bedroom when a sharp stabbing pain occurred in her stomach. Ethel was so shocked she bent over clutching her stomach, this was not normal, she had never felt that before, cramps yes but this was different. Ethel ignored it as it went as soon as it came and started to walk back to her bedroom.
On the landing she felt it again and she knew this time was different, it was much more painful than before so she rushed to her room and got back into bed, preparing to go of to sleep and forget the pain.
Ethel did nod off, she was so tired as soon as her head hit the pillow she was gone, but she woke up sweating one hour later and realised she had woken up because the pain in her stomach had increased and it was much more constant now. Ethel was not sure if this was labour pains or something else but she looked over to the bed on her right and saw Esmie was sound asleep and for once in her life decided she was not going to be stubborn. She needed her sister right now and she was not going to pretend she didn't.
"Esmie" Ethel said into the darkness trying to arouse her sister from her sleep. She could go get Julie but she didn't want to walk right now. Esmerelda though didn't even flinch and tears filled Ethel's eyes as the pain appeared to be increasing. The pain in her stomach was getting worse by the second.
"Esmie…...please wake up…." she said to her sister but she couldn't hear her. Nightstar though could see her mistresses distress and walked onto Esmerelda's bed licking her face to try and wake her up. It worked. Esmie opened her eyes and jumped out of her skin when she saw Nightstar in front of her face.
"Nightstar, don't do that!" Esmerelda said clutching her chest in shock as she prepared to go back to sleep but the cat meowed at her loudly as Ethel managed to get her words out again.
"Esmie" she said loving her familiar so much in that moment. She could kiss her forever. Esmerelda turned over and looked at Ethel.
"Are you okay Ethie?" Esmerelda asked still groggy from sleep.
"N….no I….I am having pains..." Ethel said through hitched breath. The word 'pains' made Esmerelda fully wake up and she was next to her sister like lightening.
"Do you think it is time?" she asked Ethel wishing she could be more helpful as she couldn't tell if it was the signs of labour or just indigestion or something.
"I don't know I …." Ethel stopped talking then as she felt a wet feeling down below and she realised her waters had just broken and with that the pain increased and Ethel's fear increased and she screamed out, grabbing onto her sister's arm.
"Ethie?" Esmerelda said her hurt breaking as she could tell her sister was suffering right now. She was struggling not to cry herself.
"Tell Julie….." Ethel said looking at her sister fearfully. Esmie prepared to run out the room but as another contraction hit her Ethel grabbed her and held her tightly.
"No don't leave me..." Ethel said changing her mind. She didn't want to be alone.
"I need to tell Julie" Esmerelda told her but Ethel was gripping her tightly and had tears streaming down her face.
In that moment Esmerelda loved the non-magical world more than anything else because in the non-magical some genius had invented the phone and in this case, her mobile phone was going to be a lifesaver. Esmerelda stroked Ethel's head and started to look for her phone on the bedside table which she managed to find quickly and found Julie in the contacts calling her.
Julie was sound asleep in her bed, enjoying her sleep when her phone started to ring. Julie was up straight away and thinking it was the hospital she picked up the phone but then saw it was Esmerelda. Not only was the woman annoyed she decided to ring her at four in the morning but she only had to walk a few steps to get to her room. She answered prepared to have a go at Esmerelda for her laziness but she could hear the sheer panic in her foster daughter's voice.
"Come quickly...it is Ethel" Esmerelda said down the phone before hanging up. Ethel screamed louder than ever and cried holding on to her elder sister for dear life.
"Esmie...it hurts" Ethel said terrified at how much pain was going through her body. It didn't feel right, she knew it was but it didn't feel it. She looked at Esmerelda then with such a pure look of pain and fear Esmerelda was surprised the sound of her heart breaking could not be heard. She knew Ethel was terrified in that moment, more so than she ever had been.
"I know, try not to panic, breath slowly" Esmerelda told her knowing that was something people recommended to someone in labour, she wasn't sure why it helped but that was what everyone said to do. Esmerelda took a deep breath herself, telling herself not to panic, she had to be in control now as Ethel needed her.
Julie rushed through the door at that moment and found Ethel lying down sweating and crying.
"Her waters have broken" Esmerelda told Julie quickly and Julie gasped as Ethel was further along than she thought.
"Right Esmie, go wake Mildred and Sybil, tell them to go back to Cackles for the night, try to get hold of a teacher in the mirror to warn them, and call an ambulance" Julie told her foster daughter who zoomed out the door so fast she was like a blur.
"Esmie…..no…." Ethel said seeing her sister leave and starting to panic.
"It is okay Ethel, Esmerelda will be back very soon, don't stop breathing now, slowly and gently" Julie told her as she held the girls hand. For some strange reason though Ethel kept saying Esmerelda or Esmie. She clearly wanted the girl who had always mothered her in that moment, luckily Esmie was back a few minutes later with Mildred and Sybil who both looked terrified. They had not been able to get hold of anyone yet so they were going to keep trying but had come to check on Ethel. Esmie rushed back to Ethel holding her hand.
"MILDRED HUBBLE" Ethel shouted and Mildred walked into the room to Ethel, hoping to bring some comfort to her. Sybil started crying at her sister's condition and Julie hugged her gently.
"Ethel?" Mildred said looking at her concerned. Ethel was about to say something but grabbed onto Mildred's hand as pain shot through her.
"I BET YOU LOVE THIS DON'T YOU, I AM IN PAIN" Ethel shouted and Mildred looked at Ethel and shook her head.
"Of course I don't love this Ethel" Mildred said looking at Esmie who was holding her sister's other hand.
"Mildred you are a …." Ethel said but whatever Mildred was she never got to know because Ethel screamed out again and squeezed Mildred's hand tightly.
"OWW" Mildred screamed as she felt her hand being squished
"I AM THE ONE HAVING A BABY STOP COMPLAINING HUBBLE" Ethel shouted at her as she squeezed her hand harder as another contraction hit her. She was squeezing so hard Mildred could feel her bones crushing and whimpered.
"My hand!" she said "Ethel don't squeeze so tight!" Mildred complained.
"Want to switch?" Ethel shouted as she suddenly looked at Julie and started to push. Julie rushed forward knowing it was not time for that yet.
"No Ethel don't push yet, you are not dilated enough" Julie told her foster daughter.
"HURRY IT UP" Ethel shouted becoming hysterical. She looked at Mildred then as pain shot through her core. Mildred looked over at Esmerelda who was having her hand squeezed too and she wondered whether Ethel was squeezing Mildred harder to punish her or Esmerelda didn't care her hand was being broken.
"Where is the ambulance?" Esmerelda asked Julie wondering why they were not rushing for something like this.
"I am sure they will be here soon" Julie replied with a small smile.
"Please let them be here soon!" Mildred replied as Ethel squeezed her hand so hard she felt her bones shatter and knew her hand had just been broken, she blinked back tears wishing the ambulance would hurry the hell up before her other hand suffered the same fate. She looked at Ethel then to tell her that as much as she hated her she didn't like that she was punishing her now but then she saw the young girl crying in pain, clearly hysterically and she knew Ethel's pain was a million times worse than hers so she kept her mouth shut.
"It is going to be okay Ethel, just keep calm you will be just fine" Mildred told Ethel ignoring the throbbing in her hand and trying to calm Ethel down.
"I am sorry..." Ethel said slowly as sweat dripped down her forehead. Mildred opened her mouth to tell her not to be sorry but just then she was distracted by voices outside. The ambulance had arrived.