Chapter 6: The Night Labor Began
Elena’s water broke at 2:17 a.m. on a Thursday.
She called Preston three times before he answered. When he finally did, his voice was thick with sleep and something colder.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” he said. “Don’t make a scene in the lobby.”
By the time she arrived, Khloe was already there, standing just behind Preston in the hallway like she belonged at his side.
Elena was admitted, prepped, and given an epidural. For a few hours the pain was manageable. She focused on breathing, on the thought of finally holding her child.
Then the contractions intensified beyond what the epidural could touch.
She asked for more medication.
Preston refused.
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“You’re progressing fine,” he said without looking at the monitors. “Additional medication will only prolong labor. Tough it out.”
Elena stared at the man she had married and felt something inside her fracture that had nothing to do with her body.
