***in' Perfect
Hold on tight, then.
Alli POV-
September 4, 2010--2 AM
I woke up from a dead sleep in excruciating pain. My stomach was cramping and the bed was soaking wet underneath me. "Zack..." I said, reaching for him. He wasn't next to me, though. Lexi wasn't in her bed, either. The bathroom door was open and the light was off--they were gone. Both of their phones were lying on the table between the two beds. I was in labor, and I was alone. I picked up my phone with shaking hands and dialed Brian's number. "What is it, Alli?" he asked sleepily. We had just gotten to the hotel maybe an hour and a half before and I figured he'd be asleep, but I needed help. "Brian..." I choked his name out. It took effort. I'd never been in so much pain in my life. "Alli?" Brian sounded more awake this time. "The baby," my voice was almost a whisper now. "Oh fuck...fuck, fuck...God damn it. Where's Zack and Lexi?" he asked. The pain started to ease off a bit. The contraction was over. "I don't know. Find him, please. Bri, I can't...it hurts so bad. The baby's coming," I told him. Tears were spilling down my cheeks and I was terrified. Zack promised me he'd be there...and here I was, alone, in premature labor. Would my baby be okay if she came this early? Why was she coming so early?
"Alli...get to the door, let me in. We'll get you to the hospital...I'll wake up Johnny and the other guys, send them to look for Zack and Lexi," Brian told me. "I'll try," I replied. I laid my phone on the table and slowly got out of bed. I inched toward the door, holding to the dresser and wall for support. There was another contraction coming on, I could feel it. I opened the door just as Brian came to a stop, out of breath, in his pajama pants. "Brian," I said, holding to my stomach, sobbing. "It's okay, sweetheart. It's gonna be okay," he told me. "Zack and Lexi...their phones are in there..." I said. "Fuck. I wish they wouldn't run off like that without their phones..." he said, wrapping an arm around me. "Can you walk?" he asked. I shook my head, trying to hold back a cry of pain. "Hold on tight, then," he said. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me, seemingly effortlessly and carried me down the hall.
Zack POV-
"Why do I feel like something bad is gonna happen?" I asked Lexi. We were sitting in a tattoo shop a mile from the hotel in downtown Atlanta and I was holding her hand. The stencil had been applied and the artist was setting up his needles and inks, getting ready to tattoo the Rev on her chest. "Oh that's a nice feeling to have right when I'm about to get tattooed, Zack. Real nice," Lexi said. I laughed and kissed her hand. "Sorry, but I do...not with you, though...it's Alli. I shouldn't have left her alone...and I shouldn't have left my phone at the hotel," I replied. "I'm sure Alli is fine," Lexi said, rubbing my thumb with hers. "You ready?" the artist asked, turning on his equipment. "Before you start...is there any way I can use your phone to call and check on my girl? She's pregnant, and I left her alone at the hotel asleep..." I asked him. "Yeah, no problem," he replied.
"I'll be right back," I told Lexi. I walked over to the counter and picked up the phone, dialing Alli's number. I got no response. That wasn't like her. Even when she was asleep, Alli would answer the phone if I was calling. I dialed Brian's number. Maybe he'd still be awake and he could go check on her. "Where the fuck are you?" he asked, breathless. "Tattoo shop down the road. Is everything okay?" I replied. "Fuck no, dude. Alli's in labor. You need to get here, stat," he told me. "Where are you? The hotel? Let me talk to Alli," I said. "No time for that, asshole. We're on our way to the hospital. Emory is like a quarter mile down the road, so I'm taking her there, just in case you care." The line went dead and I hung up the phone. "Lexi, we gotta go. Al's in labor."
Lexi POV-
I threw a hundred dollar bill down on the artist's chair as I grabbed my shirt and pulled it back on. I didn't care about the tattoo at that point. My sister was in labor? She wasn't due until early November, and it was only four days into September. I grabbed Zack by the hand and headed out the door. "What hospital are they taking her to?" I asked. "I don't...Emory? I don't know. What's the quickest way there?" Zack replied. "It's about a block that way. Let's go," I said, walking down the sidewalk. I knew Atlanta like the back of my hand, and I could get us there quicker than any cab could. It would take half an hour for them to even get to us. I knew Alli hadn't been feeling well, she hadn't felt well since we packed up and left Birmingham, but I didn't know she was feeling that bad. I worried about her, and I worried about my neice. This pregnancy hadn't gone well for her at all, and I just wanted them both to be okay. I loved Zack, but my sister was my life. If anything happened to her, I'd fall to pieces.
Zack and I walked through the emergency room doors of Emory University Hospital just as a white van pulled up, Brian behind the wheel. "Alli," I said, turning on my heel. I ran to the van, yanking open the door. "Lexi!" Alli said, grabbing for my hand. Brian pulled her from the van and carried her inside, Zack and I trailing behind. "Zack..Lex..." Alli said. From the tone of her voice, I could tell she was in pain. "It's gonna be okay," I told her.
September 4, 2010--2 AM
I woke up from a dead sleep in excruciating pain. My stomach was cramping and the bed was soaking wet underneath me. "Zack..." I said, reaching for him. He wasn't next to me, though. Lexi wasn't in her bed, either. The bathroom door was open and the light was off--they were gone. Both of their phones were lying on the table between the two beds. I was in labor, and I was alone. I picked up my phone with shaking hands and dialed Brian's number. "What is it, Alli?" he asked sleepily. We had just gotten to the hotel maybe an hour and a half before and I figured he'd be asleep, but I needed help. "Brian..." I choked his name out. It took effort. I'd never been in so much pain in my life. "Alli?" Brian sounded more awake this time. "The baby," my voice was almost a whisper now. "Oh fuck...fuck, fuck...God damn it. Where's Zack and Lexi?" he asked. The pain started to ease off a bit. The contraction was over. "I don't know. Find him, please. Bri, I can't...it hurts so bad. The baby's coming," I told him. Tears were spilling down my cheeks and I was terrified. Zack promised me he'd be there...and here I was, alone, in premature labor. Would my baby be okay if she came this early? Why was she coming so early?
"Alli...get to the door, let me in. We'll get you to the hospital...I'll wake up Johnny and the other guys, send them to look for Zack and Lexi," Brian told me. "I'll try," I replied. I laid my phone on the table and slowly got out of bed. I inched toward the door, holding to the dresser and wall for support. There was another contraction coming on, I could feel it. I opened the door just as Brian came to a stop, out of breath, in his pajama pants. "Brian," I said, holding to my stomach, sobbing. "It's okay, sweetheart. It's gonna be okay," he told me. "Zack and Lexi...their phones are in there..." I said. "Fuck. I wish they wouldn't run off like that without their phones..." he said, wrapping an arm around me. "Can you walk?" he asked. I shook my head, trying to hold back a cry of pain. "Hold on tight, then," he said. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me, seemingly effortlessly and carried me down the hall.
Zack POV-
"Why do I feel like something bad is gonna happen?" I asked Lexi. We were sitting in a tattoo shop a mile from the hotel in downtown Atlanta and I was holding her hand. The stencil had been applied and the artist was setting up his needles and inks, getting ready to tattoo the Rev on her chest. "Oh that's a nice feeling to have right when I'm about to get tattooed, Zack. Real nice," Lexi said. I laughed and kissed her hand. "Sorry, but I do...not with you, though...it's Alli. I shouldn't have left her alone...and I shouldn't have left my phone at the hotel," I replied. "I'm sure Alli is fine," Lexi said, rubbing my thumb with hers. "You ready?" the artist asked, turning on his equipment. "Before you start...is there any way I can use your phone to call and check on my girl? She's pregnant, and I left her alone at the hotel asleep..." I asked him. "Yeah, no problem," he replied.
"I'll be right back," I told Lexi. I walked over to the counter and picked up the phone, dialing Alli's number. I got no response. That wasn't like her. Even when she was asleep, Alli would answer the phone if I was calling. I dialed Brian's number. Maybe he'd still be awake and he could go check on her. "Where the fuck are you?" he asked, breathless. "Tattoo shop down the road. Is everything okay?" I replied. "Fuck no, dude. Alli's in labor. You need to get here, stat," he told me. "Where are you? The hotel? Let me talk to Alli," I said. "No time for that, asshole. We're on our way to the hospital. Emory is like a quarter mile down the road, so I'm taking her there, just in case you care." The line went dead and I hung up the phone. "Lexi, we gotta go. Al's in labor."
Lexi POV-
I threw a hundred dollar bill down on the artist's chair as I grabbed my shirt and pulled it back on. I didn't care about the tattoo at that point. My sister was in labor? She wasn't due until early November, and it was only four days into September. I grabbed Zack by the hand and headed out the door. "What hospital are they taking her to?" I asked. "I don't...Emory? I don't know. What's the quickest way there?" Zack replied. "It's about a block that way. Let's go," I said, walking down the sidewalk. I knew Atlanta like the back of my hand, and I could get us there quicker than any cab could. It would take half an hour for them to even get to us. I knew Alli hadn't been feeling well, she hadn't felt well since we packed up and left Birmingham, but I didn't know she was feeling that bad. I worried about her, and I worried about my neice. This pregnancy hadn't gone well for her at all, and I just wanted them both to be okay. I loved Zack, but my sister was my life. If anything happened to her, I'd fall to pieces.
Zack and I walked through the emergency room doors of Emory University Hospital just as a white van pulled up, Brian behind the wheel. "Alli," I said, turning on my heel. I ran to the van, yanking open the door. "Lexi!" Alli said, grabbing for my hand. Brian pulled her from the van and carried her inside, Zack and I trailing behind. "Zack..Lex..." Alli said. From the tone of her voice, I could tell she was in pain. "It's gonna be okay," I told her.