6. Accident

The morning sun painted the sky, casting a warm glow over the bustling city of Kentucky, a heavily pregnant young lady stepped out of the grocery shop, her blonde hair blended in with the bright rays of the sun, the gentle breeze played with her hair, and the air carried the sweet scent of fresh blooming flowers outside the nearby stall.

A gentle smile grazed Sophia's lips as she felt a slight kick in her abdomen, at the same time, her face pulled into a frown as she felt a sharp pain in her lower back, she released a sharp breath and sat on the bench placed outside the grocery shop.

She recently found out she was going to have twins, and as her due date came closer, she had been receiving strong kicks from her babies, still unsure of what gender they were.

It's been eight months already, Sophia sighed, and looked around the car driving past.

Eight months since she left Evermore. Eight months from the night that Alex accused her of infidelity and ended their marriage. Eight months since her father disowned her. How has life been for her? Hectic. And how was she coping? she wasn't even sure.

Just that, she had been struggling from hands to mouth.

Realizing she was delving too deep into the past, Sophia gently rubbed her palm on her tummy, shrugging off the bitter thoughts threatening to invade her mind.

As she sat on a bench in silence, her phone rang, disrupting the silence. Sophia glanced at the screen and a smile flashed across her face as she answered the call.

"Hey, Beth..."

"Soph, where are you?!” A worried voice questioned from the other end and Sophia chuckled at the nickname, "You promised us you'd stay home for the next few weeks. But we came around, and you're not here!"

"I thought we already agreed on settling on ‘Sophie’ as her final nickname?" a voice, that was unmistakably Evelyn's, whispered from the background.

"Oh. I think I prefer this new one." Beth murmured in response.

Sophia's lips broke into a bright smile. Her friends finding the best way to shortcut her name wasn't a new thing.

"Where are you? We've been at your door knocking for the last thirty minutes thinking you were at home." A voice, bearing a noticeable Korean accent, chimed in.

"I stopped by a grocery store because I ran out of food. I'll be home in the next three hours; I still have a check-up at the hospital," Sophia explained.

She brushed her hands through her hair and looked up at the sky, "I thought you both mentioned coming to Kentucky next week? What happened? Why the change of plans?" Her brow creased into a frown as she gently stood up, ready to hail a cab.

"Evelyn caused the change of plans. We wanted to surprise you, but we got surprised instead," Beth grumbled.

Sophia chuckled, feeling a sense of peace. She hadn't seen her friends in a while. They'd planned to visit next week, but Evelyn's impatience had led to the surprise visit.

The past few months were chaotic as she has been looking for places where she could work. Job opportunities for a heavily pregnant woman were scarce.

She was away from her family, and the only support she had was from her friends, Beth and Evelyn, and also Finn who made sure to visit her occasionally.

"I'll hail a cab and come meet you guys."

"No!" Beth shouted from the other end and Sophia had to move the phone away from her ears. "You don't need to come back just because of us, just go straight to the hospital; we'll meet you there. Your check-up with the doctor is more important than your grandma-grumpy friends."

Evelyn and Beth reassured her that they were fine before the call ended, Sophia hailed a taxi to make her way to the hospital.

She felt uneasy for some reason but the peacefulness of the day soothed her nerves and she decided to calm down, maybe she was worrying over nothing. The cab driver greeted her with a warm smile as they set off.

The city's scenery passed by her window and she closed her eyes attempting to get a little rest, but the growing unease buried in her heart didn't let her get the rest she wanted.

As they approached a busy intersection, the taxi driver's gaze darted to the side, his face contorted with alarm.

Before Sophia could react or understand what was going on, the screeching sound of a tire filled the air, and a car careened into them, crashing into the taxi's side.

Sophia was thrown sideways in her seat and she instinctively wrapped her hands around her belly when a sharp pain coursed through her.

She winced sharply and saw the other car driving off after hitting them and throwing their car across the intersection. It was a hit-and-run!

"Someone,” She whispered, wrapping her hands around her tightly as her vision blurred. “Someone please help my babies!" She cried out, clutching her belly tightly in fear as the pain tightened.

She lay cramped in the small space, and the world around her turned empty as different thoughts invaded her mind, and at that moment, the thought of Alex flooded her mind.

Although he wasn't here, he was still the first person that came to her mind.

A tear found its way out of her eyes as she realized that she hadn't gotten over him yet. He wasn't here and even if he were to be with her, what would he do? Has she not still gotten over him after this past few months? Why were things so difficult for her? Why did she have to face life bitterly? Why...?

Tears welled in her eyes as the realization knocked her breathless; she hadn't moved on.

Her gaze darted to the driver’s seat, blood trickled the driver's forehead and his head lay on the steering wheel.

Paramedics soon arrived at the scene. And they gently helped Sophia out of the wrecked taxi and onto a stretcher.

Her breaths came in hard gasps, and she couldn't shake the fear of losing her babies. The pain in her abdomen was a reminder of the lives she was carrying.

The thought of something happening to her babies or them being born prematurely sent worry through her already exhausted mind.

Sophia's thoughts drifted to her husband, or rather, ex-husband; the one person who should have been by her side. But he had turned his back on her, leaving her to face her pregnancy alone.

The worst thing was Alex didn't even know about any of this.

He didn't know about the pregnancy. And she had made sure to go far out of a Evermore where he could easily track her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she clung to the hope that, somehow, he would find out about her condition and come rushing to be with her. But she knew it was unlikely, as she had gone to great lengths to keep her pregnancy a secret, flying out of the country to avoid him finding out.

She longed for the presence of someone, anyone, to hold her hand and offer comfort. She desperately wanted to close her eyes and sleep, her eyes were feeling heavy.

After what felt like a n eternity, they finally arrived at the hospital and she was rushed into the operating room.

The doctors informed her that the babies needed to be born prematurely to improve their chances of survival.

Sophia's mind raced with anxiety at the thought. Survival? Prematurely? She couldn't comprehend what was happening.

A doctor patted her hand as a form of assurance "I know this is a difficult moment for you, but we need to act swiftly to give your babies the best chance. The accident has put stress on their tiny bodies, although their health is stable."

The doctor was a middle aged woman, with brown hair and a soft smile.

"We must deliver them prematurely to minimize any potential harm. We can proceed with either a natural birth or c-section." Another doctor added.

Sophia breathed heavily "I want to try a natural birth," her voice trembled, "Please do whatever you can to help them. I just want them to be okay."

Sophia's eyes filled with tears as she thought about what might happen to her babies. The female doctor noticed her distress and gently held her hand.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought about how she had ended up in this situation; alone, abandoned, and facing one of the most challenging moments of her life without a partner to hold her hand.

She was tired. She didn't want to be alone.

The memories of her husband leaving her, the pain of their broken marriage, and the loneliness that followed all came rushing back, intensifying her anguish.

As the doctors began the procedure, Sophia felt relief engulf her senses. Relief that her babies would soon have a chance at life outside the womb, but terror that they might not be strong enough to survive the premature birth.

The pain was excruciating, and at this moment the face of Alex flashed in her eyes again. She still loved him and her heart ached badly, yearning for some sort of way to pay him back in a thousand folds.

From sweet love to burning hate.

She pushed with all her strength, her breaths became labored, and her vision blurred. The accident had taken a toll on her body and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep.

No; she refused to close her eyes as she kept on pushing after hearing the cue from the doctor. Sophia felt a moment of isolation wash over her as she battled the pain.

Hurt. Exhausted. Pained and weak

“You can only let one person in.” A doctor shouted.

Just when she felt alone, she sensed a presence near her. Someone's warm palms wrapped around her own, and a soft voice whispered into her ear.

"Sophia, I'm sorry for arriving late, you are a strong woman. Please don't close your eyes. You can do it, you are doing great and you're not alone. Sophia, I promise ..." the voice broke at the end.

Sophia couldn't discern who it was, but the words and the presence of whoever it was comforted her and her heart eased as she tried harder.

The room grew hazy. One of the vigilant nurses noticed an alarming sign. "Doctor, she's bleeding a lot!” she shouted urgently.

Hearing those words weakened Sophia, and she didn't realize when tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down uncontrollably.

Her… babies.