Taylor's eyes are closed. Something about the curbs being  turned in the ambulance is making her pain worse and, in turn, she's beginning to feel ill.

"Can't-can't you do something about the pain?" she asks.

The EMT's exchange looks, then the man says, "Pain medication really isn't good for the baby, ma'am."

Taylor's brows draw together. "That's ridiculous. Dr. Branson said it would be fine, even if I need a little more than usual..."

The man smiles. "In that case. We'll check with Dr. Branson and get authorization as soon as possible."

The woman grins slyly in the rearview mirror as she she looks at the  man. The gesture isn't lost  on Taylor. She frowns, but doesn't really know what to make of it.  

They make it to the hospital in record time. On test drives with Mark, that she'd insisted on, it had taken them exactly twenty eight minutes to reach Cedar View Medical. This trip has only taken twelve, fifteen tops. One perk for riding in an ambulance, Taylor mentally noted.

Contractions are coming harder now and for some reason, Taylor mentally blames it on the curvy, bumpy drive. She bites her lip and winces while the man rolls her inside on the gurney.

Right away the hospital looks odd to her. The floors are old and the walls are white. Last time she was here, they'd just remodeled. The floors were new marble and the walls had fresh tan paint on them, but this place looks like it hasn't been touched in ages.

"Wait," she says. She feels alarmed, and her voice shows it. "Where-where are we?"

"Cedar View Medical, just like you requested," the man said.

"But it looks so different-" she says, zooming passed empty rooms.

"Just an old wing," he says simply.

Taylor starts to say something else but they're met with a slim nurse with a mane of long red hair. She's just as pale as the other two. As  white as her white uniform.

Do these people ever get out in the sun? Taylor wonders. Is it taboo here?

The woman looks down at an open file. "Taylor Graham?" she asks, smiling at Taylor.

Taylor nods, happy that at least they have her info and knew she was coming. She must just be paranoid. Clearly she's in the right place.

"I've got it from here, Norm," the nurse says.

She starts wheeling Taylor down the hall. Most hospitals are buzzing with sound and    movement. Doctors being paged, nurses pushing carts with food or medicine around, people on their way to or from visiting loved ones--but not today. It's so quiet. As they pass the nursery, Taylor raises her head to peek in the window. All she sees is  emptiness. There are no babies.

"Looks like I'm the only one giving birth today," she says.

The nurse chuckles. "Nope. We've had three today so far, and one other currently. She's in the room beside you."

That stament confuses Taylor. Shouldn't she hear at least one baby crying if three are here? See visitors of at least one of the three  newborns? This place doesn't feel right. Another contraction hits her  before she can voice her concerns. The nurse turns swiftly and wheels her into a private room.

"Here we go, dear," she says cheerfully.

"Where are my bags? Shouldn't someone have brought them here already?" Taylor asks.

The nurse skips a beat, then answers simply, "They'll bring them along shortly."

She helps Taylor up, then opens a cabinet in the room and pulls out a hospital gown. It's white and green, not the usual Cedar View maroon. The nurse hands it to Taylor.

"Change into this, please," she says. "I'll be back to check on you."

Taylor watches the nurse walk out of the room and slip her file into a slot bolted outside the door before she shuts it. Without wasting a  moment, Taylor tosses the gown on the bed and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She dials Mark.

"Hey, babes," he says. "Did the contractions stop?"

"No."

"Are you okay?"

"No," Taylor says shakily. Somehow, hearing Mark's sturdy voice seems to break down her own demeanor. As long as one of them keeps it  together... "This place is different and it's really creeping me out. The people are being weird, Mark. They keep skirting around my questions. They didn't let me have my bags and it's super quiet here. Like, creepy quiet."

"What do you mean? You're at Cedar View?" he asks.

"Yes," she says.

"But I just called to check on you and...they-" he pauses. "Tay, they said you hadn't even called..."

"What do you mean? I'm here. I called the ambulance like you said.  I'm. . . ." Taylor's voice trails off as she thinks hard. She never actually saw the Cedar View signs when she got here, and the trip didn't seem to take long enough. This place...it looks totally    different. She's never seen any of the workers before. As the realization and dread sinks in, a contraction grips her body. "Oh, no-"

Suddenly, Taylor's phone is snatched out of her hand by someone reaching from behind her. She spins around to see the redheaded nurse. The nurse snaps the phone shut. It's strange, but for a split second, Taylor can almost swear she sees the nurse blink a second set of eyelids that close vertically.

"I'm sorry," she says too sweetly, "but I'm afraid we don't allow cell phones here."

Taylor's heart sinks and fear fills its empty place when she sees two large men behind the nurse. They look almost exactly like the guy from the ambulance. Tall, wide, bald, and pale. One of them is loading a syringe from something in a clear vial.