Transit – Avoiding the Inevitable

You can read my other two "Transit" stories if you like. It may (or may not) give you a better idea of what is going on with the main character.

I had been waiting for this day for over a month now. The start of my holidays – two bliss filled weeks of most definitely not going to work. Don’t get me wrong - I like my job well enough. It’s pretty stress free, it pays decently, and when I punch the clock (figuratively speaking) at the end of the day, work is over. I’ll leave the homework for the higher ups in the organization. Let them deal with the decisions that apparently can’t wait until the morning or the following Monday.

As I stood there waiting for the bus, I nodded to a few of the regulars at the stop. There were also a couple different faces in the crowd, but that was to be expected in this area. There were a number of specialty stores nearby, so there were always a few shoppers with a bag or two of merchandise they had just purchased.

One person really stood out – she had a quirky but attractive face that was only enhanced by the glow caused by her pregnancy. And she was extremely pregnant. I am not sure how else to describe it, except to say that I was pretty surprised that she had even ventured out of doors, being that close to giving birth. She was talking to another woman, who obviously had some similar thoughts on the subject.

“Honestly, Jenny, I could have picked this up for you! Why should it matter who purchases the gift? Your niece would have never known the difference.”

“It matters to me, Kate,” answered Jenny. “It just adds something extra to it, ya’ know?”

“Yeah, I know,” relented her friend “But still, this close to your due date… I swear that you are trying to avoid the inevitable. You do realize you are pregnant, right? You can’t postpone giving birth by being busy shopping or working.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know…” and the rest of what she might have said was cut off by the bus coming to a stop in front of us.

Everyone there was decent enough to wait for Jenny and her friend to board the bus first. Jenny sat at a seat that was vacated by a gentleman who realized she needed it more than he did. She thanked him as she awkwardly lowered herself.

We were on the express leg of the ride for the next few minutes, so there shouldn’t have been any slowing down or stopping. Today, however, we were not so lucky. Not even thirty seconds in, and some fool driving a huge grey pickup truck pulled out from a gas station right in front of the bus. Our driver Dean was right on the ball – he hit the brakes to avoid a collision. Unfortunately, Jenny was just reaching over to get her niece’s present out of a bag when the bus decelerated. She was caught off guard and was thrown to the floor. She let out a cry of pain as she landed full on her stomach.

“Oh, no!” she cried, “Oh, no, not now.” She screamed out in pain, and then began to moan. I could see a puddle of fluid slowly spreading from between her legs and on to the rubber matted floor. Her water had broken!

Kate was already at her side, and asked what was going on. “I think the baby is coming,” she said between gasps. “That fall must have triggered it… I can feel the contractions starting.”

Kate yelled “Someone please call an ambulance!” which was answered by at least four people, each one saying their own version of “It’s already on its way.” Kate and Jenny both smiled at that.

“I don’t think I can do this, Kate,” Jenny said. “I am not ready to be a mom yet. Or, at least, I am not ready to give birth. Too much pain… hours of pain… days of pain…. I wish I could just skip this part… and go right to holding little Emily in my arms….”

‘Oh, no’ I thought ‘please don’t make her wish come true.’ But as I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, I knew that was not to be. Jenny was lucky, in a way, to be riding this bus when she did. She was going to miss the painful part of bringing her daughter into this world.

As for me… well, I was going to gain a whole new perspective on child birth. As I came to in Jenny’s very pregnant body, a contraction hit me like a ton of bricks. Oh my goddess, that hurt! I couldn’t help but scream. Tears poured down my face. I had a few minutes respite. I didn’t trust myself to say anything, and my thoughts were kind of scrambled by the newness of this, and the strange physical sensations.

Another contraction had just started when the ambulance arrived. The crew were calm and professional, and got me onto a stretcher with a minimum of discomfort. In less than a minute, I was in the back of the ambulance, and we were on the way to the hospital. They didn’t notice the unconscious person slumped up against the window two rows back. I was sure that someone would notify my girlfriend, once they discovered my real body on the bus.

‘What a way to start a vacation,” I thought, and then cried out as another contraction hit.