I was thirty-six weeks pregnant with twins when the first serious contraction hit.<\/p>\n
It was different from everything I had felt before.<\/p>\n
Sharper.<\/p>\n
Deeper.<\/p>\n
Wrong.<\/p>\n
I gripped the kitchen counter and called for my husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He appeared from the hallway, already dressed to leave.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need to go to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another contraction came before I could answer.<\/p>\n
I grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pregnancy had been classified as high-risk from the beginning. My obstetrician had given us clear instructions.<\/p>\n
If labor started early or anything felt unusual, we were not supposed to wait.<\/p>\n
Evan knew that.<\/p>\n
Then his mother, Margaret, walked into the room carrying her handbag.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll go after we finish shopping,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to pick up a few things. It won\u2019t take long.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Evan.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her no.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
That hesitation terrified me more than Margaret\u2019s words.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvan, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll only be gone an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could not believe what I was hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughters may be coming right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen have babies every day. Stop frightening him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another contraction hit.<\/p>\n
I bent forward, unable to speak.<\/p>\n
Evan stepped toward me.<\/p>\n
For one second, I thought he had finally understood.<\/p>\n
Instead, he said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust lie down. I\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
I grabbed his sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t leave me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret opened the front door.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me one last time.<\/p>\n
Then followed his mother outside.<\/p>\n
The door closed.<\/p>\n
I stood alone in the living room.<\/p>\n
Pregnant with twins.<\/p>\n
In labor.<\/p>\n
Watching the man who promised to protect our family drive away because his mother wanted to go shopping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was thirty-six weeks pregnant with twins when the first serious contraction hit. It was different from everything I had felt before. Sharper. Deeper. Wrong. I gripped the kitchen counter and called for my husband. \u201cEvan.\u201d He appeared from the hallway, already dressed to leave. I stared at him. \u201cI think we need to go […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-553","sr_chapter","type-sr_chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/sr_chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/553\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}