Slicing Me Open

The train attendant rushed over and knocked on the door. "Ma'am, are you alright? Please open up if everything's fine. We'll force the door open in one minute for your safety!"

I had no choice but to step out.

The moment I did, Kyle grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, his voice tight with frustration. "Why didn't you say something if you were fine, Sylvia? You nearly scared me to death!"

He was helping me back to my seat when a child suddenly bolted down the carriage. I felt Kyle's grip loosen intentionally.

The child slammed into me, sending me crashing to the floor. A sharp pain tore through my lower abdomen. My water broke, and my mind went blank.

I clung to Kyle's sleeve, gritting my teeth as I said, "I'm fine. Just help me get back to my seat."

But Kyle feigned panic and shouted, "Help! Someone help! Is there a doctor on board? My wife is about to give birth!"

Across the carriage, a man sprang to his feet and rushed over. "I'm a doctor! I'm coming!"

Relief washed over me—until, out of nowhere, the child suddenly collapsed.

A woman's wail tore through the air, her voice twice as loud as Kyle's. "Billy! What's wrong, Billy? Don't scare me!"

The train erupted into chaos.

The woman latched onto the doctor, sobbing. "Please check on Billy, doctor! What's happening to him?"

Fighting through the pain, I forced out the words. "My water broke, doctor. Can you please check on me first?"

I barely finished speaking when the woman wailed even louder. "Billy has a history of heart disease! What if that bump made it worse? You have to check on Billy first, doctor. His lips are turning blue!"

The other passengers hesitated, their eyes darting between Billy and me. I was pale, but at least I was still conscious. Billy was completely out, and his breathing was growing weaker.

They wasted no time dragging the doctor over to check on him.

"Why are you fighting a kid for the doctor?"

"You're about to be a mother. How can you be this coldhearted?"

I was still fighting it when Stella came over and exchanged a glance with Kyle. She made a quick decision, just like she did in my past life.

"I'm an OB-GYN! We have to perform an emergency C-section immediately, or the baby could suffocate!" she declared.

I refused immediately. "You can't operate on a moving train! I could get a serious infection if you perform a C-section—"

Stella cut me off sharply. "Who's the doctor here, you or me? It doesn't matter where we are. We have to save lives! Do you want to risk both your life and your baby's? This is your child. Are you going to stand by and let the baby die inside you?"

Kyle jumped in. "This is our first child, Sylvia. Trust the doctor. No matter what happens, I'll be right here with you!"

He and Stella were clearly in this together. There was no way I could trust him.

I turned to Stella and said, "You claim to be a doctor—prove it then. Where's your medical license? How can we be sure you're not lying if you won't even show it?"

A passenger who saw my repeated refusals stepped forward in support. "Yeah, that other doctor showed us his medical license before treating Billy. Show us yours if you want us to trust you to deliver this baby."

Stella's expression flickered, but she held her ground. "I-I'm on vacation! I don't have it with me. Who carries their medical license everywhere? But you can look me up. I'm a real medical school graduate. You shouldn't doubt me."