"It's nice to see you doing homework, Adrienne," her mother joked as she sturred the pea soup for a heart-warming dinner that evening.

"Funny, Mom," was Rina's reply as she sprawled out on the couch, decked out in grey leggins and white tube socks tackling the intricate subject of Chemistry. "Why do I have to learn this stuff? I mean, is my life really that effected by..." She looked closely at a word in her Chemistry book..."isotopes?"

"It's just general knowledge one must trudge through to graduate high school," Cindy replied in a teacher's tone, carefully adding the salt and the pepper to the boiling concaution.

"Great," Adrienne moaned, attempting to refocuse on isotopes. Suddenly, she felt her stomach pulling together in a tight ball. Slicing discomfort wrenched through her stomach. She grabbed her stomach, the contractions growing faster and more painful. 'What the hell,' she thought to herself, her brain not triggering what was happening. She peered at her tummy, her whole body beginning to panic. Her eyes popped out of her head, her hands became clammy. "Mom," she maganed to squeak, turning to her mother.

Cindy's smile vanished as she peered at her daughter. "No way," she whispered, turning the fire off and sprinting from the stove over to the couch, "it's too soon, only April!"

"Mom," she repeated, her breathing becoming short and heavy.

"OK, OK! Let me get my keys," her mom replied with forced calmness. She helped Rina struiggle to her feet, Rina's face contorted with pain and worry. Rina grasped the couch so hard, her knucked turned pure white. Cindy lunged for the keys, cradeling her daughter in her left arm as they exited the apartment.

The walk to the car seemed like eternities. The contractions were becoming faster and faster like the beating of a drum and Rina thought her insides were going to explode through her belly button. "911?" Cindy shouted into the phone, her mind being pumped with adrenaline. Sweat glistened on her forehead and her glasses began to fog up. "My daughter is going to have her baby," she said, glancing at Rina with concern.

"Shit," Rina shreiked, clenching onto her stomach as she felt water spill down her legs like a waterfall, "My water just broke!"

"Yes, we're about 3 minuetes from the hospital. Please be ready." Cindy tossed the phone onto the ground, trying her best to keep her eyes on the road. "Rina, Baby," she said calmy, taking Rina's hand in hers. Rina peered over at her, fear shining in her eyes and pain sparking on her face. "Do your breathing. HeeHeeHeeWho...HeeHeeHeeWho." Rina nodded, not able to speak and began to breath, but every breath just fueled the contractions to spread the burden.

Everything was hazy around Rina as her mother pushed her into the emergency room. Wheels smacked the floor as a stretcher drove through the waiting room. She was rolled onto the stretcher, sweat blinding her vision. "Mom," she whispered taking Cindy's hand as the nurses wheeled her fast down the hall. "Chris, where's Chris?"

"I'm going to call Devon and Devon will call Chris," Cindy said becalmly. "Everything will be fine."

Rina only nodded slightly. Nothing made sense at that point. She left like she was being rolled down the white hallway to her death. A white light would be awaiting her to take her to a better place, but the stretcher was thrown to the left through grey double doors as Dr. Jing looked at Rina with consern. A wolf-like cry escaped Rina's throat raspily as she was lifted to the bed. "Rina, Rina," Dr. Jing yelled at her, "You have to listen to me." Rina nodded, sweat pouring from every extermity and breath forcing in and out her mouth sharply. "Breath, Breath," Dr. Jing commanded, clenching her hand roughly in Rina's.

"Mom...where is she?" Rina screamed, another series of contractions cutting through her stomach.

"She's calling your dad and Nate," Dr. Jing assured Adrienne, grazing her hand over Rina's parched forehead. "OK, it's time," Dr. Jing said as Cindy jumped through the doors. The lights were burning at Rina's eyes as Cindy rested her hand on Rina's shoulder and holding Rina's hand tenderly.

"Now Adrienne, I need you to push," Dr. Jing shouted to her, taking her position in front of Rina's sprawled legs.

"I can't, I can't!" Rina screamed shrilly, wiggling like a fish under this blinding sun above her, "It hurts!"

"Please Baby," Cindy whispered, yanking her glasses off her face and dropping them onto a medical tray. "You can do it. The pain will stop. It won't last." Rina's eyes were pasted to the door, praying Chris would bust through it.

"Adrienne, Adrienne," Dr. Jing yelled, looking to the left at Rina's jumping heart beat in the monitor, "You have to calm down. You'll give yourself an asthma attack."

Rina nodded like a bopping car decoration, taking in a few slow breaths, but her body was shaking uncontrollably. Her hands couldn't stay attached to the metal railing; they slipped and shooked like children falling on winter's ice.

"OK, good girl," Dr. Jing complimented. "Now push...1...2...3."

Rina gritted her teeth and pushed, causing her mother to cry in pain as Rina's grip tightened on her frail hand. Air shot from Rina's lungs, followed by a shower of sweat.

"C'Mon, again Adrienne," Dr. Jing insisted, looking deep into her abyss.

She pushed again, the pain surging through her stomach to her intestines. She felt like she was out of her body, the pain not real, this situation not real.

"Great, Honey," Cindy smiled, patting her clammy hand. "You can do it. C'Mon."

"It hurts!!!!" Rina panicking voice pierced her mother's ears like an eagle's cry. Rina locked her hand on her mother's yellow shirt like a machine claw. Cindy wasn't shocked; she was a mother a few times.

"One more should do it, Adrienne," Dr. Jing told her over the noise and commotion the hospital brings to a young mother. "Let's go."

Adrienne took in one final breath, pushing as hard as possible, pain escaping from her grinding teeth and unrecognizable, bloodshot eyes. She felt something fall from her body, but it didn't cry. It wasn't like in 'Look Who's Talking' when Mikey was spitting words like there was no tomorrow. Cindy layed a kiss on Rina's slimy head as Rina peered with fear at the huddle of doctors working on the unmoving mass. Dr. Jing started to frown as she laid her mouth on the baby's lifeless lips and blew. Rina's tears fell bitterly to her lips because she could tell it wasn't working. Her baby was falling from her grasp and she couldn't do anything. The nurses wrapped the baby in a white blanket and a short man sprinted from the room, cuddling it to his chest. She couldn't hear what Dr. Jing told him; her eardrums felt like they popped permanently from the scortching heat and pain. "Mom," Rina shreiked, her body unable to lift from the cold table. She struggled to sit up, but dizziness demanded her to lay down. "Where are they taking my baby?! What's happened!"