w 1 t n e s s

forty-seven

My abdomen had been hurting for the past day. Nothing abnormal, according to Chaunette. Contractions a few days before birth wasn't out of the ordinary. One contraction felt particularly different.

I sat up from my spot on the couch, my mouth half-caught in surprise. I cursed silently. Tyler wasn't home and he wouldn't be for a few hours. I started to panic. Was this it? Was the baby coming a few days early? I decided to call Chaunette, hoping she'd know what to do. My fingers shook as I scrolled for her contact. It rang for a minute before going to voicemail. I cursed again.

I knew I needed to calm down. I knew I needed to breath. I scrambled for my phone again. The notes were always my best friend. A few topics back, I found the one I was looking for.

Four one one method. Contractions are four minutes apart and last longer than a minute. For an entire hour. I could do that. Right? It just meant I would have to lay down and relax for awhile. Almost as soon as I stood to get a blanket, I felt the telltale trickle Chaunette had told me about. I cursed, loudly and strongly.

Why did this have to happen while Tyler was at practice? Where was Chaunette? What the hell was I supposed to do? I couldn't call Tayler. She was in Toronto. Lyndsey was occupied with Jamie and I doubted she would be able to drop everything to help me. I knew I could call any of the other women, but I felt embarrassed by my panic.

I settled down on the couch again, squeezing my eyes shut and taking a deep breath. I felt like I was laying there for an entire day. I kept checking the time, monitoring my contractions. Three hours passed, and by eight at night, I was finally at the hour of four minute apart cramps. Tyler should've been home from camp by now. I needed to go.

In the bedroom, I shoved my feet into slides and grabbed my keys. The hospital bag we'd packed a week ago was by the front door. I grabbed that as well. On my walk to the car, I dialed Tyler's number. Voicemail. Of course. I left a polite but slightly panicked message. My next option was a staff member. If the team was just in film or something, they'd be accessible via staff. I selected a trainer's assistant I'd talked to on occasion, knowing the girl would be on her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Stacey. It's Halle. I don't know what the team is doing right now but could you please inform Tyler that I'm going into labor and he should probably leave?" My voice rose at the end.

"Oh! Shit, yeah. They're on the ice right now. I'll flag him down. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Thank you. Bye." I pinched the bridge of my nose tightly.

Before I started driving, I leaned against the car, taking a deep breath. This was not going smoothly. I shakily placed the bag in the backseat. I placed my phone in the side of the bag, knowing I wouldn't be able to reach it if anyone called.

Traffic never picked a worse night to be terrible. There were times when I angrily slammed my hand on the wheel, both out of pain and frustration. A grueling half hour later, I was parking and waddling inside like a penguin. One look at my face, and the nearest nurse started to help me.

I think I blacked out on the way to the maternity ward. The next thing I knew, I was settled in a bed and sweating like crazy. There was still no sign of Tyler, which seriously pissed me off. Once he showed up, I intended to give him an earful. I waited impatiently until I heard the familiar voice in the hallway.

All my feelings of annoyance dissipated when I saw his confused and worried face. Despite my better judgement, I broke into a sob. He was at my side in a second.

"Hey....I'm here. It's ok."

"It hurts Ty." He held my head to him protectively. I didn't even mind the stench of hockey gear and sweat that rolled off him. All I cared about was that he was here. I wasn't alone anymore.