“She is fine.”
The bride asked, “Did you see her?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Moments ago.”
My husband said, “Mom, where is she?”
His mother looked at him.
That was when fear finally appeared.
Not guilt.
Fear of losing control.
“She needed privacy.”
“Where?”
“Service suite.”
“What service suite?”
The bride looked toward the venue manager.
He had gone pale.
My mother-in-law noticed.
“Do not involve yourself.”
He did anyway.
“There is no service suite.”
Silence.
My husband stared at his mother.
“What?”
The venue manager stepped forward.
“We have storage rooms and staff offices.”
The bride’s voice rose.
“Where is my planner?”
My mother-in-law said, “This is absurd.”
Then sirens sounded outside.
The ballroom went completely silent.
Not one siren.
Several.
My mother-in-law’s face drained.
The bride slowly turned toward her.
“What did you do?”
Inside the storage room, I heard them too.
Distant at first.
Then closer.
The planner almost laughed from relief.
“They got it.”
I cried.
Not elegantly.
Not quietly.
I clutched her hand and sobbed.
She bent close.
“Stay with me.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know.”
“My baby isn’t moving again.”
“Okay.”
“No. Not okay.”
“You’re right.”
She pressed both hands around mine.
“Not okay. But help is here.”
Pounding erupted against the door.
A man shouted.
“FIRE DEPARTMENT!”
The planner screamed.
“WE’RE INSIDE!”
Another voice.
“STEP AWAY FROM THE DOOR!”
She helped me move behind a linen cart.
Metal struck metal.
Once.
Twice.
The lock broke.
Light flooded the room.
Firefighters entered first.
Then paramedics.
Someone knelt beside me.
Questions came rapidly.
“How many weeks?”
“Thirty-seven.”
“When did your water break?”
“I don’t know. Fifteen minutes? Twenty?”
“Contractions?”
“Close.”
“Bleeding?”
“No.”
“Any known complications?”
“Baby was transverse recently.”
The paramedic’s expression became serious.
They helped me onto a stretcher.
My mother-in-law appeared behind them.
Of course she did.
She had somehow followed emergency personnel into the corridor, still wearing her perfect champagne gown.
“What is happening?”
I stared at her.
The paramedic said, “Ma’am, step back.”