Welcome to this world

In the room you feel the accelerated breathing of a woman, her heartbeat is very fast, her body moves from one side to the other, suddenly she wakes up and sits up in bed. The sheet is wet and in the darkness she touches her husband who is snoring next to her and begins to hit his body while screaming at him.

"Wake up Juan, water's breaking!"

There begins Juan's career, because Ana, thirty-nine weeks pregnant, is going to give birth to her first child.

Juan turns on the light as he jumps out of bed and looks at the clock.

"But it is midnight! How is that baby going to be born at this hour," he exclaims as he puts on his pants and shirt and asks Ana, "Are you sure it's time?" His nerves don't let him think.

"Of course! It's time, look how wet I am, you don't think I peed in my sleep", Ana answers between nervous and annoyed. She gets up from the bed, with a supreme effort, her belly is very big, it weighs her down, and she walks with her legs open towards the clothes that she has already left ready on the chair. She is young, and her thin body can barely support herself.

In a corner of the room is the white bag already prepared, inside are the diapers, two bodysuits, five colored flannels, pink and white. Socks and two pairs of pink and white booties knitted by grandma... because she has already been told that she is a girl. Also, cologne, talcum powder, and a cream. A sheet and a blanket for the cold, and finally a knitted outfit... pink.

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Ana remembers to call the doctor who will be assisting her, so that he will wait for her at the hospital, she does not want someone else to help her deliver her baby. So she does, and he tells her that he is on his way out and that he is waiting for them there.

Slowly, they walk down the stairs of the apartment where they live and reach the street to wait for the cab that will take them. It is very dark, and only a lamp illuminates Ana and Juan. As they wait, Ana begins to feel the contractions and with them comes the pain. Her body is preparing for the child she is carrying in her womb to begin the process of being born. Something wonderful is about to happen, the miracle of life, but she is afraid, and it is natural. She tries to stay calm, but the nerves of the situation they are in make her lose what little patience she has left.

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"But when that cab arrives, Juan! I already feel the contractions more and more often". Ana bends over in pain and her face is wet with sweat.

Juan is desperate, he no longer remembers the classes they received about what to do at the moment of delivery, he only remembers the breathing. He helps Ana to sit on the sidewalk while he tells her that he is going to help her breath.

When he sees her face twitching and moaning, he tells her to breathe in through her nose and then out through her mouth, they stay like this for a few minutes, but Ana and the baby don't have much time, the time of delivery is approaching.

A few minutes pass and the cab arrives just in time when Ana begins to scream.

Juan helps her into the cab and tells the driver

"Go as fast as you can, but be very careful, you are carrying not only a woman who is giving birth, but also a baby, my son, and I don't want anything bad to happen to them".

The streets are alone because it is midnight, so there are no obstacles for Ana and Juan to reach their destination and their child can be born without problems. But sometimes unforeseen events happen... the car starts to break down, and has to stop on the side of the road.

"What happens, because it stops!" Ana can't take it anymore and starts yelling at the driver.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Enrique, a firefighter paramedic, has had a very hectic day, in the morning he attended to some people who had suffocated in an apartment that was on fire, they were able to save themselves and were sent to the hospital. In the afternoon they rescued some children who had fallen into a well, it was hard work, but they were able to do it and the two little brothers are safe. And now that he was returning home he found a bus accident with a car and the road was blocked while the injured were being rescued. He gets off to help in any way he can.

Among the passengers on the bus he finds Marisela, an old friend, they were neighbors when they were young. He was very attracted to her and even thought they would get married and have a family, but fate separated them and Marisela went to live in another city with her family. It was a surprise to find her there.

"Hello Marisela! How are you?, come and get checked, the crash was very hard, it was a miracle that no one lost their lives".

"Hello Enrique! Don't worry, I feel fine, nothing happened to me".

"Don't resist, it's for your safety".

Foto de Mat Napo en Unsplash

After attending to the wounded and sending them to the hospital, Enrique talks to Marisela and offers her a ride home. The road is very lonely, and the night is dark and cold. While driving and chatting pleasantly with his friend, Enrique relaxes, it seems that he will finally be able to rest.

As they approach the intersection, they see a vehicle stopped on one side of the sidewalk. A man gets out and raises his arms asking for help.

Enrique knows and feels that he must help whenever he can, and doesn't think twice about stopping. It is his job and his vocation of service.

Inside the vehicle is Ana, there is no more time to take her to the hospital, he has to help her give birth. He calls Marisela to help him, her husband is too nervous.

"We are going to help you Ana, don't worry, everything is going to be fine. Your baby is on its way, it only has a little way to go to reach the light. When I tell you to push, push hard, but not with your neck, push with your hips".

Ana nods her head and waits for the next contraction.

"Now push hard! Come on Ana, you can do it".

Foto de Kelly Sikkema en Unsplash

The baby's head pops out and in a last effort, Ana pushes him out of her body while Enrique takes it in his arms. Next to him, the father cries with emotion. And while Marisela sees Enrique with eyes of love, that love she has been waiting for years.

"It's a beautiful boy Ana! What are you going to call him?", Enrique asks her as he brings him closer to her to be held.

"A boy!" Shouts the father, between astonished and excited. "But we thought it was a girl! I told you Ana that they could be wrong"

But they are both happy that their baby was born well and thank Enrique and Marisela for helping them.

The parents and the baby, whom they will call Juan Enrique, are taken to the hospital by an ambulance, while Marisela and Enrique are happy about this fortunate encounter and also blessed with the birth of a beautiful baby boy. It is a good start.

This is my participation in The Ink Well Prompt #87, thank you for reading.

The image of the presentation was made in Canva software.