I was lying in a hospital bed, screaming in pain. A friend from high school was sitting by my side, as we waited for the doctor. A nurse came in and asked me if I knew how far along I was. Confused, I asked her what she meant, and she informed me that I was pregnant, and pretty far along. Another nurse came in with a sonogram machine, followed by a technician, and they checked my stomach. The nurse asked me if I really didn’t know that I was pregnant, and I shook my head. The technician whispered something to one of the nurses, who then rushed out of the room. My friend squeazed my hand, and asked what was wrong. They did not answer, and we sat in silence for a long time.
The doctor came in, and was angry with me, and scolded me for not being safe, or prepared, to have a baby. I asked him how far along I was, and he told me I was having my baby today. I started to cry, and my friend left the room to call my husband. The nurses told me to push, and just a few minutes later, I was being handed a baby girl. She looked up at me with her big, dark blue eyes, and I couldn’t stop crying.
My friend came back in the room, my husband and our toddler were both with her. My son started cheering happily, and as soon as my husband saw the baby, he started to cry. I handed her to him, and he smiled. The doctor told me that we could go home at any time, since there were no complications with delivery, and we immediately started gathering our things. Kyle started packing my bag up, which I didn’t even know I had, and I sat on the bed to nurse the baby. My friend commented that it seemed a lot easier to nurse him than it was to nurse my son, and I agreed with her.
Kyle and I were driving away from the hospital, and decided that we needed to stop at the store, since we were hopelessly unprepared for this new baby. He asked me what we were going to name her, and I told him I didn’t know. We got to Target, and as we were getting out of the car, someone stopped us, and started asking us questions for a survey. Kyle got our son out of the car, but before he could get our new daughter out, someone shoved him out of the way, got into our car, and drove off. We started screaming and chasing after the car, but it was going too fast, and we lost it in the distance. I got my phone out to call the police, and the person who had been asking us questions starting bolting in the other direction.
The police told us they would get there as soon as they could, but we seemed to be standing in the parking lot for a very long time, surrounded by strangers who kept asking us the same questions over and over again. I saw my high school friend walk by us, trying to avoid us, and I ran to her, demanding to know what she did. She got angry, and told me that she had told someone where we would be, so they could steal our car, but she didn’t know that we would leave the baby in the car. Then she called me a bad parent, and I punched her in the face. I kept hitting her, demanding to know who hadour car, and our daughter, but she wouldn’t say. She pushed me off of her and ran. I went back to Kyle and told him what she said.
Next to Target was a rundown gas station/diner. I went in and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attenetion. I asked if anyone know about what happened in the parking lot next door, and people averted their eyes. I saw two guys sitting by a window, whispering to each other, and looking at me. I walked over to them and asked them what they knew. One of the guys stood up and walked away, but the other stayed, and hesitantly told me that he knew who had my car, and my daughter.
Kyle, our son, and I were in the back of a cab, speeding down the street, following closely behind our own, stolen car. We followed the car to a large, abandoned warehouse, where the driver jumped out, and ran. I rushed to the car, but could not see the carrier in the back. Then I saw it on the floor. I broke the window, unlocked the door, and picked up the carrier, expecting my baby to be gone, but she was still in the carrier. She skin was pale, and almost looked blue. I couldn’t tell if she was breathing. I held her close, and wrapped her in my shirt. I tried to nurse her, and her eyes opened. She latched on to me, and as she drank, the color came back into her skin, and she came alive again.
An army of police cruisers pulled up, and descended on the warehouse. I could hear gunfire in the distance, but I turned away, and walked back to the cab, where Kyle and Liam were waiting. A doctor climbed out of one of the cruisers, and looked over the baby. He gave her the OK, and said we could go home. Just like that. Kyle asked me if I wanted to go back to Target, and I just laughed. The cab driver told me his wife was having a baby soon, too, and asked what our daughter’s name was. I shrugged, and he looked confused.
That’s the last thing I remember.
My Life as Jan 