Almost Easy

Liz’s POV



On a beach somewhere in California, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint where, but it looked familiar. I smiled, looking down at my flat stomach, tanned legs, barely there bikini with blue strings tied on my hips. My legs were stretched forward on a towel, sand kicked up on to the edges as I looked around, it was peaceful.

“Look at you over here loner.”

I smiled up as Zack landed in the sand beside me out of nowhere, I laughed and accepted the ice cream cone in his hands, “Thanks, and I’m not alone. Colton’s making a sandcastle with Lid.”

“Should have known.” He smiled and cleared his throat, “So, Jacky and Ethan are coming down soon, and he’s really been bugging to ask you if they can have a sleep over, I told him it’s up to you. So heads up.”

“I think it’s fine.” I shrugged, “If you and Jacky are ok with it.”

“Oh we’re fine with it. I just wasn’t sure how you felt about having two five year old boys ransacking your house.”

“Aunty Lizzy!”

I smiled and accepted the gritty, salt water saturated hug from the two small arms currently wrapped around my neck, “Ethan! What’s up buddy?!” I swung him around and sat him beside me, running my hands through his Baker traditional dark brown hair.

“I uhm, I asked daddy and momma if Colton and I could have a uh, a sleep over.” He was fidgeting as I smirked, “Maybe since Colton has more race cars we can sleep in his room?”

I laughed at the reasoning and nodded, “Yeah, you guys can. How about tonight after the beach?” I eyed Jacky as she nodded, “Mom says yes… wanna go tell Colty?”

“Yeah!” Ethan bolted up and ran in the direction of Colton and Lideya, by the looks on their faces the news was welcomed.

“He’s going to be so excited all day now.” Jacky laughed and sat beside me, “I’m glad they’re so close in age, it’s awesome having someone for him to bond with. Liddy’s been a super brat now that he’s older and messes with her.”

“I mean, Zack was definitely a dick to me.” I smirked and kicked his shin with my foot, “I wouldn’t trade Colton growing up with him for anything that’s for sure.”

“I’m really glad you decided to stay, Liz.” Zack piped up from mid-lick in to the ice cream he gave me earlier, “You trying to leave five years ago was the dumbest idea you’ve ever had, I’m glad Michelle stopped over and found out.”

“About that-“

The words about to leave my mouth, ones that would have devastated this moment, were cut off by a bucket of water being dumped over my head.

“Ah!” I laughed, feeling the water soak down my stomach to my legs, “Why is that so warm?”

“Ethan! No way!” Jacky laughed as I felt a sharp pain shoot in to my side, “Liz? Liz are you ok? Liz?”

“AH!”

I shot up in bed and, without having to even turn the lights on I felt it, “Oh, fuck.” I threw the covers off my body and felt the gooey mess between my legs. Shit, shit shit. How did this work? Did I call an ambulance to take me?

Did I drive myself?

The thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to stay calm, another contraction rushing through my stomach, I clenched up and bore down through it, “Ok… phone, lights on… Come on Liz.” I shook my head, the memory of the dream fading quickly from my mind with every effort I put in to pushing it in the first place.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and flipped the light switch on, illuminating the room. I stood from bed and managed to strip off my pajama pants. I grabbed a pair of leggings and pulled them on carefully before another contraction ripped through my body, I winced and held my breath, groaning when it passed and grabbing my hospital bag from the chair beside my bedroom door.

This was it.

“Fuck, ambulance or car..” I looked at my keys and mentally judged how close my contractions were and how strong, I wasn’t calling an ambulance for this so I grabbed my keys from the wall. I opened a new text message in my phone and composed it as a group message to Greg and Anita, it was midnight and I know I wouldn’t be in the right mind to call out of work tomorrow morning.

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Heely, it’s Elizabeth Baker. I’m currently driving myself to the hospital, my water broke, I doubt I’ll be coming in tomorrow I’m so sorry this happened sooner than I planned. I will call you as soon as I can.

I scanned over the poorly written message and sent it regardless, locking the door behind me as I rushed out to my car. I paused at the end of the hallway to let another contraction pass and for a moment questioned my decision to drive.

“Are you ok?”

I looked up at the face of the annoying neighbor to the left of my apartment, he was around my age but always noisy and had people over. Sounds like me circa not-pregnant.

“Uhm, no… I uh, I’m in labor-“

“Oh shit, uhm… did you call like an ambulance?” He asked, looking me over and offering a hand to steady me as yet another twisting of my insides passed my body.

“No, I was going to drive.” I looked up at he laughed, “That’s funny?”

“Yeah, it is. Let me drive you, I promise you won’t want to. My sisters had three kids and my brother in-law said halfway to the hospital she just goes in to this mode of clenched up grunting and swearing. I doubt you’d want to drive like that-“

“We take my car.” I thrust my keys at him and nodded as he helped me the rets of the way through the parking lot, “What are you doing up this late at night anyways? And outside?” I asked.

“I just got back from babysitting my nephews actually, they finally took their honeymoon.” He smiled, “My names Jackson.”

“Liz.” I smiled, “Thanks for doing this I really-“ I gritted my teeth as he put me in the passenger seat, “Appreciate it.”

“No problem at all, I would hate to be the asshole that lets you crash while driving to the hospital.” He climbed in to the drivers seat and took off, at what seemed to be a snails pace, but the speedometer said otherwise.