The Midnight Miracle

She didn’t have time for this.

Monica squinted as the hazard lights of the four-wheel drive in front lit up, casting the road in a dirty yellow glow. The front window was fogged from her heavy breathing, the foam cover on the steering wheel rubbed raw from her anxious fingers. She felt little Christopher move inside her and rubbed a hand erratically against her swollen belly.

“It’s okay, love. Almost there...”

The hospital was only a few minutes down the road, but the four-wheel drive was blocking both lanes, the burnt rubber meshed onto the bitumen where the car had skidded to a halt just moments before she had arrived. The young driver was standing beside his car, phone pressed to his ear as he ran his fingers nervously against his forehead. She was waiting for him to move out the way, knowing a detour was out of the question.

“Shh, honey. He’ll only be a minute, I’m sure,” Monica muttered, unsure who she was trying to convince.

The baby didn’t seem to agree, but jammed his head against her pelvis.

“Oh, GOD, Christopher!” She cried out, stuffing her knuckles into her mouth and biting down hard to keep from screaming. The following contraction rattled down her spine, making her shriek.

“Please stop, honey, oh please, God, let it stop!”

Her fingers curled into fists, Monica beat the steering wheel in three long, impatient beeps. Her window clouded further with the heat of her heavy breathing, but she forced herself to relax and slowly the pain began to subside.

She watched as the young driver moved toward her car, bent down beside her door and knocked on the glass. Monica groped for the handle and wound the window down. The cold breeze stung her eyes as she gazed through the misty glass at the long, unshaven face of the twenty-something year-old driver, his face lit by the sickly yellow glare of the flashing hazard lights.

“I need help,” he gasped, his eyes wide and his face distorted with shock. “I almost had an accident – my tyre’s gone, fallen off my car...” He glanced toward the vehicle, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. “Can you... can you help me move it off the road?”

Monica shook her head, pressing her teeth together as another contraction pulsed through her lower body. “Oh, God!” she cried, silently cursing the driver and his car.

Not here, she begged. Oh, please God not here. There was no way she was having the child on the road. She needed to get to the hospital.

“Are ... Are you okay?” The young driver’s voice echoed from somewhere beside her, but there was no time for politeness now.

“DO I LOOK OKAY? I’M HAVING A BABY, YOU IDIOT!”

She gasped as another contraction rocked through her, feeling her entire body shudder. A muffled hiss echoed from between her teeth. Christopher was coming. He wasn’t going to wait any longer.

Oh, please let this be a dream! She saw the young driver move beside her and turned to watch him backing way from the car.

“I... I’ll call an ambulance,” he mumbled, his bulging eyes set on her stomach as he fumbled in his jacket pocket, searching for his phone.

“There’s no time!” Monica cried. She pushed the release button on the seatbelt and felt it whip past her face as she opened the door. The young driver stared at her in shock, his phone pressed to his ear.

“Please,” she begged. “You have to deliver my baby!"

“I...” The young man’s pale face shone in the yellow light; he looked like he was about to faint.

“Come here,” Monica said. She held out her hand, beckoning him forward. “Please. Take my hand.” She watched him stumble toward the car, but another contraction made her shriek. “HURRY!”

He grabbed her hand, his eyes meeting hers. “I can’t. I can’t do this...”

“Yes, you can,” Monica cried, gripping his hand tightly. “You have to.” She glanced toward the back seat, knowing she would be more comfortable there. The armrest was digging into her back, though the pain was nothing compared to the contractions coursing down her spine. “Help me to the back seat, and take off your jacket!”

He reached for her arms as she slid toward the open door, but as she left the seat another contraction rattled down her spine, making her tremble. She grabbed at him as she collapsed onto the road, holding her stomach and breathing heavily.

“He’s coming,” Monica whispered, dazed with the thought. “Oh my God, he’s coming now...”

She looked into the face of the young man beside her and was glad to see his expression had changed. Beneath the fear and shock that clouded his face was a kind of lingering determination, a sense of duty. Despite his fear, she knew he would look after her. His strength would carry them both through the night.

“Here we go,” she whispered, squeezing his fingers tight.

The young driver nodded, smiling shortly through his grave expression as he placed his jacket between her legs. “All because of a blown-out tyre...” he muttered.

Monica laughed, feeling light-headed. Her baby was coming, and by some strange turn of luck she had found just the right person to deliver it.


889 words.