H A I L E Y
“Hailey!" one of the invigilators rushed over, his face drained of color. "Are you okay?"
But I couldn’t answer. Another contraction hit, and I doubled over, a strangled cry escaping my throat. The entire exam hall was in chaos now, papers fluttered, chairs scraped loudly as students turned in alarm. Some gasped. Others stood frozen.
"She's in labor! Someone call the paramedics!" A female invigilator shouted, kneeling beside me.
I tried to breathe in, out, in, out just like they taught in prenatal class. But I couldn’t. The pain was overwhelming, stealing the breath from my lungs. My hands clutched my belly, my face contorted in agony as sweat dripped down my temples.
"I—I can’t..." I sobbed. "It’s too soon, I'm not ready..."
“You’re going to be fine,” the woman said, gri
