When Ava and Marco got to the hospital they found Cameron sitting in a waiting room chair.  His legs were stretched out in front of him and his hands behind his head.  He was staring at the ceiling and didn’t notice them enter.

“Where is she?”  Marco said a little too loudly.

Cameron looked to the voice and sat up. “They took her back and told me to wait here.”

******

“Ellie I know you’re scared but I need you to calm down,” a reassuring voice said.

“What’s going to happen?” Ellie said in a screech.

“Hold on Ellie Dr. Stevens will be in in just a second and will explain everything to you.”

“Okay,” Ellie whispered.  Ellie told herself to breathe and calm down.  But it wasn’t working.  The pain she was in combined with the fear that gripped her wouldn’t allow it.  “Where is he?”  Ellie yelled.

“Ellie I’m here,” the doctor said from the door.

“Dr. Stevens is my baby going to die?”  Ellie asked again.

Ellie heard the doctor say something to one of the nurses that had been with her since she arrived.

“Ellie right now your baby has a good heart rate.  Don’t you hear it?”  Dr. Stevens asked.

Ellie listened to the sound that filled the room.  It sounded like a horse running.  She nodded to Dr. Stevens.

“Now Heather is adding a light sedative to your drip.  It’s just to help you relax it will not put you to sleep.  Okay?”  the doctor asked

“Okay,” Ellie said.

Dr. Stevens looked over Ellie’s chart and read the results of the machines that were attached to her.  After a few minutes he asked, “Feeling better?’

“Yeah,” Ellie answered obviously more calm.

“Okay Ellie right now you are 27 weeks and 5 days.  I know your water has ruptured but you are only dilated 4 centimeters.  We are going to give you an antibiotic to keep away any infection from you or baby.  And we will be giving you a steroid to help baby’s lung development.  Ellie we can’t stop this labor because your water has ruptured but we aren’t going to help it along with medications unless you or the baby are in danger.  My hope is that it takes you until at least sometime tomorrow to deliver.  Your contractions are not yet regular and they are not very strong.  May be we can give baby more time to develop, where you are now he has a 90% survival rate so try not to worry.

Literally every hour helps so I want you to stay in this bed and try to be still.  I also want you to drink plenty of fluids.  Being dehydrated will only worsen this situation so we are going to avoid that.

Well you have a room full of people out there worried about you.  I’m going to go talk to them and then they can come to see you two at a time.  After everyone has visited you can have someone stay in here with you but only one or two people okay?”  Dr. Stevens said patting her hand.

“Thanks you Dr. Stevens.”

As Ellie watched the doctor leave and the nurses busied themselves in her room she kept thinking 90%.  She closed her eyes willing that her Aidan would not be one of the 10%.

******

As the man in the white jacket walked away from the corner of the waiting area where all of Ellie’s friends sat, Ava and Marco hugged and everyone felt some relief.  The doctor had given them good news.  Well maybe not good but not bad anyway.

“Who wants to go first?”  Marco asked.

“Why don’t you and Jimmy go then me and Craig and Ava and Cameron can go together,”  Paige suggested.

Everyone agreed and Jimmy and Marco made their way to Ellie’s room. 

Ellie’s parents burst into the room.  Mr. Nash went straight to the empty information desk.  Mrs. Nash looked around the room when her eye’s found the group of friends she pulled her husband’s sleeve and they walked to them.  Ava hugged Mrs. Nash and Craig repeated for them what the doctor had said.  It was then decided that they would go next to see Ellie.

Marco stepped into the room and held the door for Jimmy. 

“Hey,” Ellie said softly.

“Hey El.  You okay?” Marco asked taking her hand.

“Yeah,” she answered with tears spilling to her checks.

“It’s going to be okay Ellie,” Jimmy said lacing his fingers between hers.  “You’re here and you are being taken care of.”

“I know,” Ellie said.  “I’m just afraid.”

Marco wiped away her tears and then wiped his own.  “El do you want me to stay in here with you tonight?”

“It’s okay I know you don’t really deal well with hospitals.  You don’t have to stay I’ll be fine,” Ellie said showing some of the strength they were accustomed to seeing her have.

“El we have to go now so Paige and Craig can come in,” Jimmy said and squeezed the hand he held.

“Kay,” she smiled or at least tried to.

Marco leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Ellie’s parents were waiting outside the door when Marco and Jimmy came out.  They both went in without a word to either boy.  Mrs. Nash simply gave them a slight smile.

“Baby?”  Mr. Nash said sitting beside Ellie’s bed.

“Hey Daddy.”

“Are you alright?” her mother asked.

“No mother not really,” Ellie said crying again.  “Did they tell you they can’t stop the labor?”

“Yes we heard but you’re going to be fine,”  Mr. Nash said as if he was ordering to be so.

“Ellie there is so much they can do for your baby now.  He is going to be fine.  Before you know it you both with be home.  Do you want us to bring you anything from home?”

“Yeah I guess I’m going to need some stuff.  Mmn just take Marco with you to find my clothes and bring my pillow.  I can’t think of anything else.”

“I’ll get it all together for you.  Don’t worry.  Ellie I bought the baby a few things I can bring one of them with me.  Unless you have something special to bring him home in.”

“Mom he isn’t going to be able to wear anything we have.  I can’t think about that now.  Lets just wait and make sure he is going to be okay first..”

“He is a Nash that means he’s strong Ellie.  He is going to be fine,” Mr. Nash said.  Ellie wanted to believe her father but she wasn’t 5 anymore and she knew that her Dad sometimes made promises he couldn’t keep.

Paige and Craig didn’t stay long.  Just long enough to wish Ellie luck and tell her they would visit tomorrow.

Ellie was very glad to see Ava walk through the door until she saw Cameron follow her in.

Great the first guy that I thought actually flirted with me in forever and now he has been soaked in my gross water, Ellie thought as her face turned red.

Ava sat right on the bed and took Ellie’s hand.  “Well are you ready for this?”

“I don’t remember there being a choice,” Ellie said trying to smile.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” Ava asked.

“What about Cameron?” Ellie asked.  She didn’t want him to witness her entrance to motherhood.

“He can drive my car home.

“Yeah that would be cool.  I need to go clean up anyway then I can bring it back in the morning,”Cameron offered.

At the mention of getting cleaned up Ellie’s face broke out in a deeper blush than before.

“Let me go out and get my wallet and jacket from the car, Cam will you stay here with Ellie?”

“NO!” Ellie shouted in her head as Cameron answered, “Absolutely”

“Thanks for tonight,” Ellie said once they were alone.

When Ellie spoke Cameron walked over and held out is hand.  Ellie was a little unsure at first but then there was that grin again and she reached out to him. 

“I’m glad I could help.  Ellie you’re an amazing girl,” God what am I doing?  She is going to be a mother tomorrow she doesn’t need this from me.

“Cameron it stopped,” Ellie said squeezing his hand.

“What stopped?”

“His heartbeat,” Ellie whispered.

Cameron then realized the sound was gone.  He pulled his hand from hers and pushed the call button.  The nurse was already opening the door.  She ran over to the monitors connected to Ellie and then paged Ellie’s doctor.

Dr. Steven was there in seconds.  “Get me an operating room,” he ordered while checking Ellie.

Cameron just stood still not sure what to do.  Before he knew it they were taking Ellie out of the room.

“Wait!  Where are you going?”

“Ellie’s baby is having some trouble we are going to have to do an emergency C-section.  Come with me and I’ll show you where you can wait,” a nurse explained.

“My sister is coming back in a minute,” Cameron said.

“I’ll direct her to where you will be when she returns,” the same woman said.

Cameron followed the bed that carried Ellie down the hall until they reached the new waiting area. 

“Wait,” Ellie called.  “Cameron tell Ava to call my parents.”

“I will Ellie.  We’ll all be right here waiting for you,” he said then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“We have to go now,” one of the people moving Ellie said. 

Cameron watched as Ellie disappeared around a corner and felt like hitting something.  It’s not fair, he thought as he waited for Ava to find him.