Regina
The elevator doors opened on the second floor with a pneumatic hiss, and the world became a blur of bright lights and squealing rubber tires.
"Full dilation! She’s crowning!" someone shouted.
I was vaguely aware of being hoisted from the transport gurney onto a delivery bed. The pain was no longer a wave; it was a permanent, crushing weight. I looked for Jeff, but the room was suddenly crowded with people in blue scrubs and masks.
Dr. Vaishya appeared at the foot of the bed, her calm eyes the only thing I could focus on. "Regina, look at me. There’s no time for the OR. The baby is already in the birth canal. We are doing this right here, right now."
"But the... the C-section..." I wheezed.
"Your baby didn't wait for the schedule," she said, her voice firm and grounding. "I nee
