Aaron awoke to the sound of piercing screams coming from downstairs. The screams ruptured his eardrums in a way he had never felt before. He sluggishly trotted out of bed, took one look at the other side and saw it was empty. His brain snapped instantly, back into reality. He rubbed his eyes, then pinched himself to make sure. This wasn't a dream. Not this time. He dashed to the closet looking for something else to wear. Anything at all.

"Ah, c'mon! There's gotta be something here" he loudly yelled.

*SCREECH*

"Uh-oh! What the heck was that..."

It was at this point he decided to give up on his outfit dilemma by swiftly grabbing a nightgown. He pulled it towards him, not realising that it was still on the coat hanger. His vigorous strength forced a medium-sized hole in the front pocket of the nightgown. He ran out the door and down the stairs, like a child on Christmas morning.

"Oh my God! Did we get robbed or something..." he exclaimed.

Cara was sitting on the floor, leaning with her back on the cabinet in the living room. Her face was a sunburnt red. The jug of water had fallen off the dinner table, spilling onto the carpet. She held a couch pillow to her chest. Aaron could see from her traumatised facial expression that she had no intention of letting go of the pillow. The conviction in her eyes could convert a jury on the spot.

"It's okay baby. I'm here. Tell me what you need... How are you feeling?" he reassured her, placing his hands on the sides of her face.

Cara opened her eyes, "We need to go... It's coming. The baby... it's coming. NOW!"

"You're gonna be alright. Just focus on your breathing honey" he happily solidified.

Aaron tried to smile her into smiling back. Positive reassurance was a tactic he had never attempted with her, and for him, it seemed like the perfect time. Nevertheless, he seemed to forget that his wife was one of a kind.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST SEVENTEEN MINUTES!"

Upon hearing her indelible complaint, he placed her arm above his shoulder and lifted. He gradually walked her to the car seat and set a course for the hospital.

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"Ok we're here... we've made it, you have nothing to worry about baby. Everything's gonna be fine" Aaron reassured.

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M FINE! GET ME OUT OF THIS STUPID CAR!" Cara exclaimed, tightening her grip to her husband's already tense left hand.

"I'm trying to look for a car spot. There's none here I don't know what you want me to do!" he wailed.

Cara knew the baby was coming any minute now. The birth of a child should be seen as nothing short of amazing in a couple's eyes, however, all they could think about at this moment was getting into their hospital room. That would give them at least some sort of relief, for now...

Upon arriving at the hospital, he swerved into the opposite lane on the road, attempting to beat the halted cars. Running out of options, he parked in a 'no stopping' car spot, which was located directly outside the entrance. He skid right beside the front doors, placing the car keys in his front pocket of the nightgown he was still wearing.

Aaron, entering full dad-mode at this point, bolted through the doors and hastily clutched onto the first wheelchair he could find. No time to think, he pre-emptively called the elevator, remembering from past experiences how long they can take in largely crowded hospitals, especially on a Sunday night.

A young nurse immediately saw the panic in the eyes of a young couple having their first child. The nurse dropped everything and ran to their assistance.

"Cara, is that your name? Alright then, Cara how many contractions have you had in the last 10 minutes or so?" the nurse asked.

Cara held out three fingers and pointed them towards the nurse, as she could barely string together a sentence of her own. Aaron tried his best to stay by his wife's side, but struggled to maintain a grip with her radiating, red and sweaty hand.

As they entered the delivery room full of complicated machines and nurses who are trained to ask a thousand questions per minute, Aaron navigated to his wife, leaning in to tell her something.

"Honey, I'm just gonna pop outside for a minute to move the car to a proper parking spot. I won't be long, I'll be right back" he said after giving his wife a mandatory kiss on the forehead, hoping for her to understand.

"What?? Don't leave me! Who cares about the bloody car! Don't leave me please!" she exclaimed. "Come back Aaron..."

The tears were ready to form in her eyes as her husband swiftly exited the delivery room. The thought of her husband not being there for the birth of their child cut deep into her already pierced heart.

"It's alright Cara. Just because he's not here, doesn't mean you're alone. Stay calm for us, please. We're gonna get you through this" the nurse reassured.

Cara frantically looked around the room. At the lights, the monitors, the doctors and the door that her husband just walked out of. All of the blood rushed into her throbbing head. Her short breaths started to get even shorter. All she could think about was him.

Aaron desperately jolted down the stairs and out to the automatic front door. His hands scurried into his front pocket for the car keys...

"Oh, don't tell me. You're kidding me..."

His legs began to quake. With eyes on the border of tears and a heart about to break into two, Aaron realised that he had lost the keys. The panic became clear to all of the observers, yet there was nothing they could do.

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"H-how could he leave... W-why, d-did... I... I can't breathe. I can't breathe..."

Cara grew restless. She couldn't remember how the human body was supposed to function. Her hands flapped around like a kite lost in a hurricane. Her head spun frantically, like she had downed 10 shots of Vodka in a minute. Her eyes were wide open, but she couldn't see what was happening right in front of her.

"Oxygen levels decreasing. She's not stabilising!" the nurse proclaimed. "Cara, I'm gonna need you to calm down. Breathe with me... Ready."

"Breathe in... one... two... three... and breathe out... one... two... three..."

Cara had no hope or intention of keeping up with her. Every breath she attempted was doing more harm than good. Her breaths were microscopic compared to the nurse.

"She's gonna have to go under, there's no other choice here. Do it now!"