Help Me, Save Me

MEANWHILE {4 AM}

CASEY’S POV

I felt myself rise up and down in a relaxing and calming motion. I slightly opened my eyes, just enough to see what the fuck I lying on. I notice the gray Vengeance University cotton t-shirt right below my cheek. I saw the red recording box ahead with all of the recording shit that I had no idea what was called. I heard a soft beating of heart right below my ear. I felt warm arms around my mid-body and I realized exactly where I was. I was sleeping on top of Zacky on the couch at the recording studio. And yes, our clothes were still on…

That’s when it happened…

At first it just seemed that the baby was kicking. But then the kicking became more frequent and harder. Then I felt the worst pain I’ve ever felt. It felt like my insides were getting ripped apart and then ripped out of my body. Ohmigod, the baby’s coming…

“Zacky! Please wake up! The baby’s coming!” I screamed, trying to get myself off of his body, and shake him awake. Most boyfriends I think would wake up quickly if they heard their girlfriend scream at their lungs. But nope, Zacky took his sweet time waking up. He grumbled and slowly opened his bloodshot bright green eyes. He licked his lips and snakebites as he sat up on the couch. I painfully clutched my stomach as another stab of pain shot through me. I groaned as tears appeared in the pits of my eyes.

“Zacky dammit, wake up! I need to be taken to the fucking hospital! The baby is…coming!” I struggled to get the last word out. I don’t know when but something finally clicked in his brain and he shot up like a rocket. He didn’t say a word but I could see the nervousness in his eyes. I wanted to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, but the pain didn’t allow me to speak. Dear God, please let this pain end.

Still without saying a word, Zacky wrapped on arm around my shoulder and began leading me out of the recording studio. But I realized that I was beginning to support most of Zacky’s weight as long as my own and the baby’s. Oh God, he’s still drunk off his ass. I knew I shouldn’t have allowed him to drink!

I would have called someone else but they wouldn’t be able to get here in time before the baby came. I would just have to trust Zacky was at least sober enough to drive without going into a ditch. Right now, he was the only one that could save me…

Another pang of pain shot through my body. Oh God, put me out of my fucking misery. Zacky finally pushed the last door out to the parking lot. Pounding rain fell onto our heads as Zacky pushed through it to get to our car. He was beginning to support his own weight again, which was a good sign for me.

The parking lot was completely empty except for Zacky’s car. Fog appeared all around, making everything hard to see. The heavy rain and darkness of the night wasn’t helping either. My heart began to pound in my chest as Zacky rested me in the passenger side of his car. I don’t know why he hasn’t said anything yet to me. He pressed his lips to my forehead, his metal snakebites softly going into my skin. Of course they didn’t break the skin, but they did leave indents. But it was sure as hell reassuring to feel Zacky’s lips on my skin. It calmed me for a brief second before my body ached again.

I groaned aloud as Zacky got into the driver’s side of the car. A cold tear streamed down my cheek. Someone end this pain for me…. I looked over that Zacky still hadn’t gotten the key into the keyhole yet to start the engine; frustration forming on his face. The key just simply circled the ignition as he struggled to put it in. Come on Zacky, this isn’t the time for you to be fucking up.

He finally got in and relief flooded over me. The car started and Zacky hit the accelerator. My breathing got deeper and swallower as the pain suddenly got worse and worse. Zacky noticed and he tried to grab my hand, but the car began to swerve so he put his hand back onto the steering wheel. Dear God, Zacky please don’t tell me that you’re too drunk to drive! Nervousness came back to me and my heart began to pound again. I should have just called a fucking ambulance!

The rain began to pound on the roof of the car and it scared the shit out of me. I looked out the windshield through the tears in my eyes and I saw it was nearly impossible to see with the blinding rain and heavy rain. And if I couldn’t see past it, I was sure as hell knew that drunk-ass Zacky wasn’t going to see past it. Even the headlights were useless through the rain. Thank God Zacky took the back roads and there were never cars out at this hour on these roads. And he’s taken this path many times, so I thought we’ll be there in no time.

“Leave out the Rest” by Linkin Park played softy on the radio, breaking the silence in the car. I rested my head on the back of my seat, slowly taken in all the pain. Zacky was concentrating on the road through his tired eyes. But I knew we were going to be at the hospital any minute now, so I relaxed a bit. I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been in labor, but I could tell it felt like an eternity. But I knew all this pain was going to be worth it in the end when I see Zackie’s beautiful eyes looking back at me, her small body cradling in my arms.

A blinding light broke my daydream. I looked up to see a curve up ahead, but Zacky didn’t seem to be slowing down. I nudged him on the arm, hoping that he would slow down just a bit. But he seemed to ignore the whole fact that I was there. The bright light seemed to get brighter and bigger. I looked a lot more closely at the light and I realized it was actually two blinding lights…Headlights!

“ZACK WATCH OUT!” I screamed and it must have startled him because he swerved into the other lane, directly in front of the other oncoming car. Just then everything began to slow down and all noise seemed to disappear. My vision became fuzzy as my life flashed before my eyes…
My birth,
My brothers teasing me late at night while my mother was screaming at us,
My first love in middle school,
Andy, Amber, and me hanging out by the lake in junior high,
Matt and I’s first kiss together,
Amber’s and Andy’s wedding,
My first beer,
The first time I met Zacky,
The first time I figure out I was pregnant…

And it all came back to his moment. The moment I knew I was going to die. I never thought I would go out like this, so early, so young… And what about my baby? I hoped to God that at least Zackie would survive. She would have such a bright life ahead of her. And I knew Zacky would take amazing care of her. I just knew it would be hard to watch my daughter grow up without me being there.

I’ve served my time on this earth. Zacky and the rest of my family will be able to take care of Zackie. I’m not needed anymore.

And nobody could save me from this.

Time began to speed up again to the normal speed. What happened was Zacky fronted the car, causing us to be thrown forward. Zacky had his seatbelt on. But I didn’t. Zacky slammed back in his seat as the airbags deployed. I nearly went out the front windshield, the back of my head and back slammed into the glass. I could hear my bones breaking as the car spun and hit the curve. Hard.

My ears rang loudly as this time I was flung into the windshield again. This time I felt my head slam against the glass again, cracking it. I could just feel the blood rush down the back of my neck. I was laid out between the dashboard and seats. The car seemed crushed around me. I looked over to the seat next to me where Zacky was. He was bleeding from a cut on his forehead and nose, but he was moving. A little relief flooded over me. But I was still in big trouble as my life slowly slipped away from me.

I just noticed Zacky look over at his eyes wide with horror as I began to lose my vision. One thing crossed my mind as it slowly went blank. Zackie. Zackie. Zackie. God, please let her be alright. Please let my baby girl live. She doesn’t deserve to die. Give her a chance at a life I’ve never had. Zacky will be a great dad without me. Please…

“Casey!” I thought I heard Zacky yell, but my ears were ringing too loudly. I wished I could say goodbye to Zacky, but I couldn’t move my mouth to get the words to come out. I began to feel my breathing slow and my muscles relax. I thought I heard Zacky yell in horror again, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I knew I was past saving, but I had a feeling it wasn’t too late for Zackie. In the distance, I thought I heard an ambulance, but then again, it could just be my ears again.

I finally lost all feeling in my body and I felt all the heat escape from me. I looked to the side of my right eye and I thought I saw a bright white light. A tall familiar shape appeared with that light. Jimmy…?

My life was just a moment of slipping away. Red and blue faddily appeared in my vision. I tried to crack a smile cause I knew that the ambulance was finally here. My pain was finally gone. No more nights. No more pain. I could no longer hear. I could no longer feel. I got one last blurred look at Zacky, and then everything went black as my eyes fluttered close. My last thought left my mind was: Goodbye Zacky baby… Please take care of our daughter.

Then my life finally slipped away.

***

“Our cracking voices became part of the music.
The car pressed on faster through the night. As our voices lowered,
The cadence again overtook the air.
Up ahead there was a curve approaching.
He made no indications of slowing.”