Our Ghost Adventures

***Zak’s POV***

Everything started out normal. Well, kind of normal anyway. I was making scrambled eggs for Adri, just because that was what she wanted for breakfast and I wasn’t allowing her to be on her feet for too long. She was in the living room with both of the dogs, watching TV.

“Z-Zak…come here…”

“Just a second baby your eggs are-”

“Now!” she yelled. “The baby…” I sprang into action. I turned off the stove and ran to the living room.

“Come on, I’ve gotta get you in the car,” I told her leading her that way. “I’ll come back in and get the bags.” We’d packed bags to take with us to the hospital a couple days ago, knowing that she could go into labor any day now.

After grabbing the bags and going out to the car, I drove to the hospital. I was speeding the whole way, praying that I didn’t get pulled over. That would only slow everything down that much more, and I just wanted to stop the pain that Adrina was in. I couldn’t stand to see the pained expression on her face or the whimpers she was trying to retain.

“You can slow down…” she told me.

“I gotta get you there,” I told her. I felt her hand on my arm and looked over at her briefly. She was looking at me with a small smile on her beautiful face.

“Zak, I’ll be fine. We don’t need to be pulled over. It’s not like the baby’s even going to be here in the next few hours, so just relax…”

How was she more level headed than me? “Okay,” I agreed, starting to slow down. But, no sooner than I did, I heard a siren behind me. “Fuck,” I cursed.

“Stay calm and explain the situation,” she said. “It’ll be just fine…”

“Can you hand me my registration form from the glove box?” I asked, getting my wallet out of my pocket (luckily, I’d grabbed it). She handed me the paper, I rolled down my window and put my hands on the steering wheel.

“License and registration please,” the male cop said. I handed him the paper. “May I ask what the hurry is, Mr. Bagans?” he asked in an annoyed tone.

“My fiancée’s in labor…I’m just trying to get her to the hospital…”

“Your first, I take it?”

“Yes sir.”

“I have three, it gets easier. But go-follow the speed limit,” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much, officer!” he handed me back my license and registration. I threw them both in the glove box and went a head to the hospital.

When we got there, I grabbed a wheelchair and made her sit in it, then pushed it to the front desk.

“How can I help you?” the receptionist asked.

“She’s in labor.”

“Name?”

“McMurphy-Adrina McMurphy.”

“Spell that please?”

“A-D-R-I-N-A M-C-M-U-R-P-H-Y.” A nurse came over a moment later and took the wheelchair.

“Here, take my phone-call people,” she handed me her iPhone and I put it in my pocket before following the nurse. She wasn’t going to get put in the room without me. “Zak, really go on just make some phone calls.”

“But-”

“Go…”

I sighed, and walked back outside, pausing to take note of the room number-41.

***

Hours later, my mom, my step dad, Stephanie, Aaron, and Ariel were all here, all just in the hospital room that Adrina was in. Everything was happening so fast…The baby was coming, she was almost here, I was beyond ecstatic. With one small crying and a few more moments, a nurse stood with a small swaddled bundle in her arms.

“Ms. McMurphy, Mr. Bagans, would you like to meet your daughter?”

“I would love to,” Adrina said, holding out her arms. The nurse handed the baby over to her and I saw a look of pure bliss on Adrina’s face. This was the moment we’d been waiting months for, and now I was sure that everything was worth all of the struggle. “She’s beautiful.”

“Hold on, let me get a picture, hold her close,” I said. I wanted to capture this moment on film and cherish it forever. She gave me a soft smile and a nod before looking back down at Lorelei with the same smile gracing her features. I snapped the photo with my phone before slipping it back into my pocket.

“Here, you wanna hold her?” Adrina asked, holding the baby up to me. I accepted the small bundle. “Careful, make sure you support her head.”

“Oh my God,” I was in awe. I had never thought that I would see anything so perfect. “She is amazing…” She still hadn’t opened her little eyes yet, but I knew that they would be as flawless as the rest of her.

“Isn’t she?” Adrina smiled.

“Aw, let’s get a picture of the happy family, so I can hold the baby!” Ariel exclaimed. Adrina smiled and laughed softly. I leaned down next to her and had Lorelei between us. Ariel snapped the photo and then moved over to us quickly. “As your best friend, I reserve the right to hold the baby before the rest of the people,” Ariel said.

“Ariel, relax. Lorelei’s going to be terrified of you before she even sees you!” Adrina warned.

“Whatever!”

As the hours past, more people held Adri, and there were less and less people were in the hospital room with us. Actually, it was just Adri, Lorelei, and I for a while.

“Hey Zak,” my fiancée said. She was fighting sleep and had been for a while. Now, her voice was tired and she was nearly asleep.

“What baby?” I asked.

“When she’s supposed to start school…how’re we gonna do that? Do we home school her or-”

“Adri, baby, I love hearing your voice, but you need to sleep for a while, okay? You’re worn out and Lorelei and I will both be here when you wake up.

“You promise?” she asked.

“Of course,” I nodded and kissed her forehead. “I would never leave you.”

***Adrina’s POV***

When I woke up, Zak wasn’t in the room. Lorelei was in the plastic hospital crib thing next to my bed and my phone was on the table beside me. I picked it up and went to Twitter. I didn’t have anything better to do and if Zak hadn’t already I was going to mention how this was one of the happiest days of my life. I scrolled down until I saw his name about two hours earlier.

Zak Bagans @Zak_Bagans
I will always remember this day as the best day of my life.

Below, it showed the picture he took of myself and Lorelei from earlier. I couldn’t help but smiled. I decided to retweet what he had said because I couldn’t put it any better myself. I put my phone down and begin to sit there awkwardly. I didn’t want to wake the baby if I didn’t need to. I suddenly swore I heard the door open so I looked that way, but there was nothing. No one. I looked behind me and noticed the bathroom door for the first time. I swore it was closed before. The light was now on and erupting into the room. “Zak?” I called.

There was no response. The room suddenly cooled off. I shivered even under the blanket. “Is there somebody here?” I called out. All of a sudden, I swore that I heard some voice, a disembodied voce more specifically. I couldn’t make out what it was saying, but I heard Lorelei whine suddenly. “Whoever’s here, make yourself known to me, talk to me. Leave my baby alone.”

“Baby…” I heard. It was a female voice and it wasn’t like the term of endearment like Zak used for me, but like referring to an actual baby.

“Yes, that’s my baby. Who are you?”

“Susan.” It was so clear, I had to keep myself from jumping. My feet felt like someone was sitting on them and all the hairs on by body were standing up straight.

“What’s your last name, Susan, I’m Adrina.”

“Cole.”

“It’s nice to-” Everything stopped as soon as the door opened and Zak walked over the threshold.

“Babe, who’re you talking to?” he asked, holding two Starbuck’s coffees.

“Uh…There was somebody here.”

“Was it the shadow man?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

“No,” I said. “It was a woman, Susan Cole. She was here, I heard her with my own ears. I think Lorelei even sensed it…She whined right as I noticed the presence.”

“I leave for five minutes and you catch more paranormal evidence than we did on our last lockdown,” he joked. “I thought you’d want this.”

He held the coffee out to me and I took a sip. It was so nice to have caffeine in my system again. It had been so long… “Maybe I’m just better at this job then you are,” I grinned at him. He rolled his eyes and sat down next to the bed.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, actually,” I said. “I’m really happy though, I’m happy she’s here, finally.”

“Mm, me too. And guess what babe?”

“What?”

“Things are just gonna get better from here, we’ve got a wedding to plan.”