I zipped up my little brown suitcase which has held up for nine months and began walking toward the door. I took hold of the handle at the exact time a gush of slippery wet goo covered my legs, dripping down to my ankles.
“Oh dear Lord,” I whispered in horror.
Quickly closing the door behind myself, I hurried to the steep stairs and began making my way down to the parking lot where my car was parked while being careful not to fall through the cracked, worn stairs that were in desperate need of repair.
Once I was safely in my car, I fished out the address out of my handbag. Glancing down at the blue pen scribble on a now worn piece of paper, I recognized the address as one of the hidden industrial areas off Highway 61.
I pulled out into the quiet street, looking back down to my paper again before looking back up. The street was empty with nothing but industrial buildings which once occupied employment. I carried on down the road, counting the worn numbers which were sketched on the front of the buildings. Once I rounded the corner and saw a huge pristine white hospital-like building, I knew I was here. It was interesting that this immaculate and new building stood in the middle of such a rundown area. I pulled into the high wired gates when a man wearing a black suit and black glasses strolled out. He had a stern face, giving away how serious he took his job.
I wound down my window and stuck my head out. “I’m… I’m in labor and I was told by Nun Nancy to come here,” I said nervously.
“Give me the paper she wrote,” he answered authoritatively.
I swallowed down my nerves, scattering my fingers through all my belongings in my handbag before grasping it and giving him the little note out of my window. He snatched it out of my hands, looked at it for an inexcusable amount of time before handing it back to me. Twirling his fingers in the air, the high barbed gates squeaked open.
“I guess I passed,” I mumbled to myself, putting my car in first gear and driving through. The air smelled of disinfectant and cleanliness. I slammed my car door closed just as another labor pain shot through me, stabbing me directly in my—everywhere. By Lord this is the worst pain I’ve ever felt, it’s crippling. I had no time to examine my surroundings or get a feel for how I felt about this place because this baby was coming and he was coming now. Clutching my hand around the tight bump in front of me, and after the last contraction had disappeared, I continued my now quick walk to the large wooden doors. Pushing them open, I hurried to the front desk where a middle-aged woman sat with bright pink lipstick, her hair in a tight bun sitting on the top of her head and her nurses dress tight.
“Hi, Nun Nancy sent me,” I said, scanning her perfectly put face. She kept the same smile on her face, not saying a word to the point where I thought maybe she was a doll, not a real person. Another contraction shot into me, causing me to bend over in pain.
“Please, they’re only a few minutes apart,” I say to her, taking hold of the reception desk.
“I’ll take you to your room. Nun Nancy will be there in just a few minutes,” the woman replied casually, rounding the desk and placing my arm around her neck, proceeding to help me to my room. We passed many rooms on our way down the dark, gloomy hallway, and once she reached a door, she stopped and pushed it open with her free hand, guiding me in and placing me down onto the stiff, small bed. The room was dark, the walls a washed brown color with nothing in the room but the bed I was currently lying on. There were stirrups attached to the bed and a light hanging from the roof, casting shadows against the walls. I was rubbing my stomach and attempting to get myself comfortable when the reception woman began to head toward the door.
“Wait!” I said to her, propping myself up on my elbows. “Where’s Nun Nancy?”
The woman, keeping her back turned to me, cocked her head to the side, looking over her shoulder. She smirked. “Oh, Nun Nancy is not available.” Before walking out of the cold metal doors, leaving me in the darkness just as another contraction hit me.
“Oh no,” I begin chanting. “Oh no, oh no, oh no. My baby, my baby, I can’t have him in here,” I screamed as another contraction came crashing into me. Beads of sweat begun dripping from my forehead while my body convulsed and my stomach tightened before my body began contracting again. My breathing started to heave in deep, shallow breaths as my body started to push involuntarily all on its own. I screamed an all mighty scream while ripping my pants off and sitting up on the bed on my knees with my legs open. Propping myself up on my elbows against the headboard, I waited for the next contraction to come, knowing that this time, I would be pushing with it. I don’t know many things about childbirth, but the one thing I do know is that the body usually does it for you.