Rida Zaidi

Hydrophobia

The last thing I heard as I pulled out of the driveway was the sound of my sister’s screams ricocheting in my ears. Ever since Emma’s water had broken early yesterday evening, I had been trying my best to monitor the progression of her labor. My obstetric expertise was limited to delivering puppies, kittens, cattle, and the like; human babies were unfortunately not a part of my veterinary repertoire. Still, even I had enough sense to know that zero contractions when you were nearing the 24-hour mark since your water had broken was not a good sign. If Emma’s contractions didn’t show up on their own very soon, I knew that we’d have to make the trip to the hospital in Eureka to get her induced—and fast.