Intense pain seized her abdomen. Amber doubled over and staggered backward, knees faltering. Cradling her womb with one hand, she clutched at her neighbor’s porch column with the other. She crumpled as horrific cramps shocked her entire core.
“Are you okay?” The neighbor caught her before she hit the deck. Arm around her back, he lifted her up to a semi-standing position. As she leaned against his side, he yelled through the front door of his bungalow. “Beatrice!”
Hurried footsteps rushed toward them. Amber groaned. Not now. She struggled to reclaim her footing.
A round-faced woman rushed in. Pom-poms shimmied on the cuffs and hem of her fluffy red-sweater. Crinkles formed around her eyes as she studied Amber’s face. “Are you in labor, miss?”
She sucked in shallow breaths between her words, barely able to get the sentence out. “Not … due … for … another… week.”
The man released his grip on her arm. “It’s our next door nei–“
Amber cried out as another contraction clenched her abdomen. A gush of warm liquid flooded down her legs. She bent forward as the fluid soaked her socks and puddled around her feet.
“Grab some towels, George!” Beatrice grasped Amber’s arm and elbow, supporting her. “We need to get her to the hospital.”
****TO BE CONTINUED****
“It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy” (Proverbs 14:21).
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” ( 1 Peter 3:8).
