PART 2
The contraction dragged me under like a wave.
For several seconds, there was no Ethan, no clipboard, no secret folded inside hospital paperwork. There was only my body tightening around something ancient and unstoppable, only Linda’s steady hand in mine, only the sound of my own breath turning ragged.
“Chloe, look at me,” Linda said.
I tried.
Her face came in and out of focus beneath the bright delivery-room lights.
“You’re doing beautifully,” she told me. “One breath at a time.”
Beautifully.
