Vanessa's POV

Vanessa had lost all sense of time.

The contractions were no longer spaced apart, they came like rolling waves, sharp and deep, gripping her from the inside and twisting until she had to grab the rails of the hospital bed just to keep herself grounded. Sweat clung to her forehead, sliding down the sides of her face, dampening the back of her gown. Her breathing was uneven, fast and shallow, but she forced herself to stay focused.

She didn’t care about the pain.

She cared ...