Lila was put on a strict diet and had an exercise regime. But she had started to notice pain in her pubic area. It got so bad that it made her cry.

"What's wrong?" Olga had asked one day, during a visit to the doctor.

"I have so much pain, I can barely walk," she said.

"Where abouts?" the doctor asked.

"Here," she said, indicating to her pubic area. "It feels like it's being torn apart. And my ribs ache so bad, too."

"Hmm, symphystic pubic dysfunction," the doctor said.

"What's that?" Lila asked, worried. "Is it bad?"

"Your body is producing the hormone relaxin," she explained. "All the muscles and ligaments in your body will be getting softer, preparing itself for birth. The pain in your ribs is probably the baby pushing them apart."

"My ribs?" Lila asked, shocked.

"Have you been reading anything I have given you?" the doctor asked.

"A bit," Lila admitted. She had tried, but she got bored with it. The doctor sighed.

"I will give you a sheet that has ways to minimise the pain. For starters, keep your knees together when you get in and out of cars, or even up from a chair or bed," the doctor told her, showing her what she meant. "Don't forget your pelvic tilts. Sitting down to get dressed will help, too. Try using slip on shoes."

Lila nodded, taking it all in.

"Hopefully it will all be gone after the baby is born," she told her smiling.

"Only ten weeks to go," Olga said excitedly.

Lila smiled. She didn't know how to tell Olga.

But she still wanted her to take the baby.

"In good news, your glucose levels have come down, and so had your blood pressure. This is all very good, but that doesn't mean you can ditch the diet yet, okay?" the doctor told her.

Lila breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankyou," she said.

"Not a problem."

On the way home Lila decided to tell Olga.

"I still want to give the baby up to you," she said.

"Lila-"

"We've talked this over with my dad," she said. "And my mind hasn't changed."

"Lila, you haven't held the baby yet," Olga said. "Your mind may completely change."

"No, Olga, it wont," she said. "I know it wont."

They were quiet the rest of the way.

…..

…..

"Hey," Helga said. "Trial date."

"What are you talking about?" Lila asked.

"They've made a date for Ludwig and Wolfgang," Helga told her.

"Oh, do I need to be there?" Lila asked.

"No, honey, you don't," her dad told her. "You just need to write out a victim impact statement, which will be read to the judge. They have no choice but to plead guilty. The video they took of themselves damned them."

There was something that they weren't telling her, and she told them so.

"Another girl came forward," her father admitted. "She didn't get pregnant, but still."

"Oh my gosh!"

"So you weren't the first," Helga said.

"And you wouldn't have been the last, no doubt," her father said.

"Well, at least they wont be able to do that to anymore young woman," Olga said.

"We can only hope," her father said. "May I have a word to you?"

Olga nodded and followed him into the lounge. Helga and Lila crept up and eavesdropped.

"Have you made a decision on adopting the baby?" they heard him ask.

"Lila told me in the car she still wants to adopt it out to me," Olga told him.

"No pressure or anything, but it would be really good if you could," he said.

"I understand Mr. Sawyer, I want to, very much, but I don't want to get my hopes up, only for Lila to change her mind," Olga told him.

"I understand that, I do, but even if she did, she cannot keep it," he told her.

Lila gasped and took a step backwards. Helga straightened up and looked at her in alarm.

"Excuse me? But I really think that should be Lila's choice," Olga said.

"Lila is a child herself," he told Olga harshly. "She doesn't know what she wants."

There was a tense silence, the Lila turned around and took off upstairs. She closed her door behind her quietly, so there was no way that the adults would know she may have heard. She couldn't believe her father felt that way! What right did he have to take such a choice away from her?

Five minutes later Helga entered.

"Can you believe him?" Lila almost shouted.

"Good thing you didn't stick around then," Helga told her, sitting down on her bed.

"Why?" Lila asked.

"He's basically told Olga that if she doesn't say yes or no either way, Child Services will be waiting outside the birthing room," Helga told her.

"Oh my God!" she gasped. "He's been so supportive though!"

Helga just shrugged.

"Olga will take the baby, Lila," Helga told her. "She will probably take you too, if need be."

There was a knock on the door, and Lila called out for the person to come in. Olga entered, looking less then cheery.

"Well now," she said, putting on a smile. "I've made the decision to take the baby when it's born."

Lila got up and gave her a hug.

"I know she will be safe and happy with you," Lila said, starting to cry.

"That doesn't mean you get off scott free though," Olga warned. "You still have your senior year before you go trotting off the University."

"I know," Lila said.

"So that means you can breastfeed, at least for a few months," Olga said.

"Breastfeed?" Lila said. "I hadn't thought about it."

"Well, I took the liberty of going out and buying a pump, so you can pump milk for the baby while your at school," Olga said. "I mean, pump the milk before you go to school, and I can feed the baby while your away."

…

…

In her dream, Lila was rushing to the toilet, sat down, and ahhhh.

In reality, at thirty seven and a half weeks, her eyes flew open as she felt a bit of pee come out. Clenching her pelvic floor muscles and getting up fast, ran to the toilet, while it dribbled down her leg. It wasn't til she sat down that she realised that her bladder wasn't telling her she needed to pee. Some fluid gushed out, then trickled, then stopped.

"What the hell?" she asked, looking down. When she was sure she was done she got up flushed the toilet and went back to her bed. She could see where she had leaked. Helga was still fast asleep on the other side. Lila felt so embarrassed. She leaned down though to sniff it, and found there was no smell.

"Weird," she whispered. Then she felt more fluid dribbling down her leg. "Seriously?

"Huh? What's wrong?" Helga murmured, rolling over to look at her. "What are you doing?"

"I think I peed the bed, but it doesn't smell like pee," Lila said. Helga hot up like a shot and scrunched her face up.

"Oh, gross, Lila! You could have told me before," she whispered harshly. "What if I had rolled into it?"

"I don't think it's pee though," Lila said. She turned on her heel and went back to the toilet and sat down. She felt like a clot came out, heard a plop, looked down and saw that something had indeed come out. It was in the toilet. "Oh my God! My plug!"

"Lila, what's going on?" her father asked, rushing in.

"My waters!" she cried out, going into a panic. "We need to get to the hospital, my waters have broken. I'm going to have the baby any minute!"

"Yeah, if you were on T.V or in a movie," Helga said, yawning. "Remember what the doc said. Just because your water breaks, doesn't mean the baby is going to come flying out any minute. Your just going into labour maybe?"

Lila started to cry. "I'm not ready! It's too early, we haven't got the bassinette set up or anything! I haven't even picked those clothes up from layaway."

"I'll go call your obstetrician," her father said, rushing off.

"Your going to be fine," Helga said, coming forward, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her back to the bedroom. "I'll change the sheets, throw down a mattress protector, and you get some more sleep. You'll need it."

Lila nodded. She felt a small ache, like she used to have before her period came. But nothing serious. After Helga had the sheets changed, and helped Lila back into bed, her father came back.

"He said not to come to the hospital unless there is blood in the fluid, it's green or smelly," he told her. "Was it any of that?"

"No," she said.

"Then we wait," he said.

Lila looked at the time. 2.45am.

So at 2.20am her waters had broke.

…

"I feel ill," Lila said, later that morning.

"Want something to eat?" Helga asked.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Ohh."

"What's wrong?" Helga asked, sounding and looking relaxed.

"It's hurting a bit more now," she said.

All of a sudden there was a strong powerful cramping pain across her stomach that seemed to shoot straight through to her back.

"Owwwwwwwwwww!" she cried out, doubling over. She was crouching low, but hanging onto the table. Now Helga looked alarmed. Which alarmed Lila more.

"Are you okay? Of course your not okay, what a stupid question Helga!" she berated herself. "Here."

"No, no, it's hurts too much to stand. I need the toilet!"

Lila pushed herself up, looking at the time as she rushed past the clock. 12.37pm. When she got to the toilet, she pulled her pants down, sat down and whooooooooooosh!

"Ahhhhhhh," she cried out as her bowels emptied themselves. Where had all this poo come from? It just kept coming.

"Are you okay?" she heard Helga asked on the other side of the door.

"I have diareoh!" she yelled. "It wont stop!"

It finally did, after what felt like forever. She stayed still for a few minutes, and when she was sure there would be no more, she got up, wiped herself clean, flushed the toilet, and was washing her hands when she suddenly threw up in the sink. Helga had come into the bathroom at this point and was holding her hair while she gagged and threw up. When she was able to straighten herself up she saw Helga was holding a glass of water for her.

"Here, I brought you some water. Your dad was just on the phone with your doctor. They said keep your fluids up," she told her. "He also wants you to go in now. Check to see if it was for sure your waters that broke."

She just nodded.

"Everything is in the car already, including the capsule!" Helga said excitedly.

Lila made her way down between contractions. Helga helped her the whole way, steadying her down the stairs, practically carrying her out to the car, and helping her in. She sat in the back seat with her, holding her hand, and talking to her soothingly. Lila could feel herself panicking.

Getting to the hospital, she was put in a wheelchair, which was just as well, and wheeled into the maternity unit.

Helga called Olga.

Her doctor and a nurse came in, and handed her a pad.

It came back blue.

"It appears it was your waters," she said, smiling at Lila.

"Oh no, no it's too soon!" Lila yelled. "I'm not ready!"

"Your body is telling us otherwise," the doctor told her, smiling. "I need to see how dilated you are. This will require me to put my hand inside. It will be pretty uncomfortable."

Lila looked over as Helga came rushing in.

"My waters, Helga," Lila said. "I'm in labour!"

"Already?" Helga asked, looking at the doctor.

"It happens," she said, shrugging.

The contractions were getting closer and closer, but then stopped. Lila started by sucking gas. By three the next morning, Lila was exhausted, and starting to get a fever. Her contractions were all over the place. She blanked out a few times, but then came to. Oxytocin was given to her, and the needle hurt like hell going in. At four twenty seven, an anaesthetist came in with an epidural, because Lila couldn't stand the pain. She felt coldness going down her spine. She did manage to feel embarrassed as she wee'd everywhere afterwards. But the pain didn't let up. This worried her doctor, who then put her hand up there.

"Shoot," she said, coming out.

"What's wrong?" Olga asked.

"The baby is stuck in her hip bone," she told her. "I can't move it."

She could see the doctor thinking. "I'll be right back."

As she left the room, Lila began to cry.

"What's going on? Is the baby okay?" she asked. A few minutes later she returned with a nurse, wheeling in some type of machine.

"I need to monitor your baby's heartbeat," she explained. "The best way for me to this is from the inside. If the baby is in distress we may need to look at a caesarean section."

Olga covered her mouth with her hand. Helga grabbed Lila's hand and squeezed.

"Didn't you have a date with Arnold last night?" Lila asked her.

"Yeah, but he understood, and sends you his best wishes," she told her smiling. Lila just nodded. She watched apprehensive as the nurse took some kind of little clamps and inserted them into her. She was glad for the epidural now, as she felt none of it.

"Try to relax," the nurse told her. She started doing some breathing techniques she had read about.

But by seven am the doctor had disappeared out the door again. When she came back an different anaesthetist was with her, with another epidural.

"We're going to prep you for a ceaser," she told Lila. "The baby is in distress, and can't move on it's own, and I can't move it. It needs to come out now."

"Oh God," Lila moaned. The second epidural was put in, and again she felt the coolness go down her spine. Ten minutes later they were wheeling her into surgery.

It occurred to her then that her father wasn't there.

…..

…..

At eight nineteen am her little girl was in her arms.

...

...

I know there's a spelling mistake in here somewhere, I just can't find it now. So frustrating!