It was on my phone.
Still vibrating.
My mother’s name flashing again and again.
Diane Carter.
I declined the call.
Hard.
The ride to the hospital blurred into fragments—sirens screaming, the medic calling out vitals, Sarah’s strained breathing counting seconds between contractions or spasms or something worse.
I sat beside her, holding her hand, but my thumb kept brushing against my phone screen.
That second name.