moment to moment

"Where's Kate?" Ellie looked behind her now wondering what her sister would actually think if she knew Kale was here. Would she call her mother? Would she call the cops?

"She's all right." Kale looked at her as if he wanted her to concentrated on him, not her sister.

"What's going on Kale?" Ellie winced unsure this was the answer to their problem. She was feeling her legs weaken. Her stomach tensed. A pain shot through her from her lower back. Suddenly her eyes lit. She started to shake. She felt like a volcano ready to errupt.

"Don't worry." He tried to smile, and she felt herself weaken in the knees, but he held on to her.

Water suddenly flushed from her body. Ellie cringed more. She hadn't expected so much water. Really, she felt strange and freaky. Where were those men in white coats when she needed them.

"We're safe here." He nodded. "Its a safe house. We'll be OK." He promised.

"But I need a doctor." She was pretty sure of it. "I want a doctor, Kale!"

Maybe he was the enemy. She'd gotten it all wrong. It was Evan she needed. Not him. But no, he was getting her to the bedroom. She needed to lay down. He said so.

"Be still." He was rather calm as she jerked her sneakers off and her leggings along with her undies. "We can do this."

"I don't want too!" She squinted hard as another pain hit her.

"You have no choice. It has to happen. Sooner or later." He told her.

"Maybe I want it to be later," she croaked. But her body was shaking and she was in a sweat, it was happening with or without her.

"Be brave," Kale said putting a warm wash cloth on her head then.

"Where is my sister! She could be helping! She could be calling 911! You know!" She so wanted to fight it.

"Just relax." He was... even if he was prying her legs apart to check out what was actually happening.

It just wasn't right. She felt awkward yet frightened. Something inside her was wanting to come out.

"What if I can't do it?" There. Thats what she felt. She didn't want to have a baby. Maybe they needed to cut her open. That made her sick to think about too.

"You can. You will." He checked again. "You're crowning!"

"Huh?"

"Push!"

Her legs were weak and she didn't know what he meant.

"You have to push!"

She gritted then and thought maybe she was pooping out a block of cement.

"Keep going!" He kept shouting.

"Well, can't you pull something!" She bit back. She'd done her part, hadn't she? But she pushed harder, peaking just a bit at the bloody mess on the old quilt. She felt as if she'd had her own horror film.

And then there it was. Bloody and helpless. It was crying. Was something wrong? Ellie's breath quickened.

Kale wiped the blood from its eyes and pulled back the fists from the mouth., and the baby just looked at Ellie as if she was suppose to know what to do. Ellie thought she saw the baby smile. He laid the baby on her chest as he went back to pull out the rest of the afterbirth which felt like a horrid rope being ripped from her.

Just as she was about to get used to the idea of the baby in her arms, Kale took it from her and went to wash it up. Suddenly, she felt as if her world had been jerked from her again. But she leaned back on the pillows then. All her strength was gone. At least at the moment.