Chapter 76
"Her water broke!" Micah shouted as she turned her head, looking towards everyone, already moving into action. "Get to the van — now!"
"Her water broke?!" Becky blurted out, scrambling to grab a towel from the nearest shelf.
Jennifer doubled over with another groan, clinging to Micah's arm. Becky ran over to her side.
Micah and Becky helped Jennifer down the steps and into the company van. I flung the side door open as quickly as I could.
"Kaysi, can you and Becky get her seated? I am going to drive."
I nodded my head yes as we guided her gently into the back seat, propping her up with blankets and a pillow.
"Don't worry," I told her. We will be by your side and keep you safe until this baby comes!"
One of the other employees came out to give us a message. I contacted emergency services, but they told me they wouldn't be there for another 20 minutes. It's a good thing you're taking her. Be safe, and the hospital staff will be waiting for you.
Jennifer was sweating and breathing hard. "I-I think the contractions are pretty close already."
"Oh man, no pressure," Micah muttered under her breath.
"You can do this, Micah!" I gave her a fierce look as she shook her head yes and fired up the engine.
The van peeled out of the orphanage driveway, tires screeching as we sped through the quiet streets. Dawn was beginning to creep in over the horizon, painting the sky in soft orange streaks as the sun rose.
Be careful. Jennifer squinted in pain, trying to stay calm and break the tension. "Don't hit a person or a pothole." She tried to joke. The light-hearted chuckle came with a groan and clench of her teeth as another contraction came in.
"Too late, sorry," Becky said. It was anything but a smooth ride.
"I am sure the bumps don't help, but we will have to get you there quickly," I sighed. It couldn't be helped, this area of town.
As we approached the final bend into the hospital, I saw workers gathered near the emergency entrance—Micah had yelled out the window ahead. Within seconds, a nurse dashed out with a wheelchair to Jennifer's side of the vehicle. We maneuvered her into the chair and through the double doors. We all followed behind her.
As we rush to the hospital's halls, the glow of the fluorescent lights shines down upon us, with the occasional flickering lights overhead of the soon-to-go-out bulbs along the way.
As we headed towards the operating room, the hallway echoed with our urgent footsteps. As we passed through the waiting room, you could hear a baby cry nearby and the smell of antiseptic clinging to the air.
Just then, as we made it through the other side of the waiting room to the big stainless steel doors of the operating room, a roaring crash echoed. A large metal gurney slammed against the double doors, jamming them shut as the glass shattered across the floor.
A man stumbled forward from the corridor— a grungy figure in ragged clothes that smelled like he had just come out of a dumpster. Guy's eyes are bloodshot, and his teeth are rotten. He twitched and jerked unnaturally. To the eyes of a normal bystander, he looked like a typical junkie.
"What in the —" Becky froze and hesitated.
Micah's expression hardened instantly. "He's possessed.
Some of the patients and staff screamed. Some people stood their ground, while others turned to flee and could not see what was happening. The man's movements were chaotic to the untrained eye; the demon was invisible. To them, he looked like just another drugged outpatient having a psychotic breakdown.
Only we could see the demonic haze wrapped around him, pulsating like a black flame.
He leapt forward and slammed himself against the OR doors again.
Jennifer whispered, clenching her belly. "I—I can't wait out here!" She was doing her best to keep her composure.
"He's blocking the entrance," Micah exclaimed. We need to move him!" she said, looking in his direction.
The demon let out a banshee-like shriek. His voice tore through the air, a sound like metal scraping bone—he pulled out a pistol.
Security hadn't caught it. He pointed it toward a nurse, who didn't even realize she was the target.
Micah threw herself forward. The gun went off—bang!
The bullet grazed her arm. Micah cried out and dropped to one knee, a thin trail of blood running from her arm.
"Micah!" Becky screamed.
Micah stumbled up on her feet, teeth clenched. "It's just a graze; I will be fine." She hissed, her face tight with pain. Blood trickled down her sleeve as she stared down at the man. "You don't belong here. Let Him Go."
The man looked around, noticing the location from which Micah had left. He let out another hiss and lunged toward Jennifer's wheelchair.
I didn't think. I lunged at him, slamming my shoulder into his gut. We both hit the ground hard, the gun skittering across the floor.
He snarled and thrashed beneath me, freakishly strong. Becky grabbed a bedpan and cracked it across his head. It dazed him—but only for a second.
Micah, still clutching her arm, jumped in and kicked the gun out of reach.
"Don't let him touch Jennifer!" she yelled.
Becky grabbed a defibrillator cart nearby. She switched it on and pressed one paddle to the man's side, yelling, "CLEAR!"
The demon jolted back as his body convulsed and mouth opened in a grotesque scream—and then fell still.
Smoke—thin and black—rose from his lips and vanished into the air like fog evaporating in the now fully risen sunlight.
He went limp. Eyes fluttered shut.
Everything went quiet for a heartbeat—the doors behind him finally opened. Nurses rushed out and grabbed Jennifer's chair, pulling her inside.
She looked back at us. "Thank you," she breathed.
Micah collapsed to her knees, holding her bleeding arm and breathing heavily.
I crouched beside her. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Just... exhausted."
Becky stared back at the man's unconscious body. "He could've really killed somebody."
Micah replied, voice firm despite the pain, "He didn't. Because we were here to stop him."
Sunlight poured through the hospital windows. Another day had begun. We felt fatigued, as we hadn't slept in days.
I looked at Micah's bloodied sleeve, at Becky catching her breath beside us, and at the doors closing behind Jennifer.
"Tonight was supposed to be done and over," I said sarcastically.
Micah cracked a tired smile. "Wishful thinking in our world."
The nurse walked us back into a nearby triage room so she could stitch up Micah's wound.
Once done, we went to the waiting room and sat on a nearby couch, three of us leaning on each other, waiting for Jennifer's news.
We unexpectedly fell asleep, obviously exhausted. A few hours later, the nurse woke us up after what seemed to be a few minutes had passed.
Jennifer and the baby are officially here and healthy. Would you like to go in and visit?
Finally, a positive outcome to something these last few days.
"Heck yeah!" Micah jumped up and grabbed her arm. "Ouch," she said, squinting and laughing. "I know that was dumb," she giggled.
As we walked in, we saw Jennifer holding her new baby girl.
Oh, she is so... cute! What's her name? Becky asked.
I will name her after someone who helped me the most during my pregnancy and one of my many heroes—Micah!
I could see the gratitude on Micah's face as she smiled and teared up.