She looked at me on the floor, then quickly looked away. Another contraction hit, stronger this time. I tried to call out for help, but my voice came out as barely a whisper. Monica was already on her knees beside me. her phone pressed to her ear as she called for an ambulance. Her husband had run to find the venue manager.
The crowd began to whisper, ignoring my mother’s directive to continue eating. I heard fragments of their conversations, shock and concern in their voices. Someone brought pillows from the lounge area. A woman I didn’t know held my hand, telling me to breathe. The ballroom doors burst open. Daniel appeared, having just returned from his car where he’d been on his call.
His eyes scanned the room until they found me on the floor. The expression that crossed his face was something I’d never seen before. He worked with criminals and dangerous people everyday, maintaining professional composure through horrific testimony and evidence. But seeing me lying in a puddle of amniotic fluid, clearly injured and in labor, transformed him completely.
