TNT ... CHICAGO 1:
1 Had the baby been born AT the hospital instead of on the way TO the hospital, the birth would have been in the papers and the child would have been heralded as the first one born in the brand new year. 2 Instead, some other cute little thing received those honors that year. 3 And Maria was just lucky that the Uber driver had brought along his girlfriend for company that holiday night/morning and that SHE was a nursing student who dove in to deliver the baby in the back seat of the Chevy Cruze.
4 Maria's brother had certainly been no help. 5 He was too inebriated to assist, and moreover, too disgusted at seeing his sister in that position. 6 He was also dealing with his guilt at the fact that he was the reason that his sister was out and about on New Year's Eve in her condition in the first place. 7 Unless you considered the fact that she had always told him to call her if he was ever in trouble, which made the emergency trip to collect him from a bad scene at a party her fault after all.
8 At that moment, Maria was focused on Sharlene, the nursing student, who was guiding her through the delivery. 9 She wasn't thinking about her brother ... she was thinking about the fact that someone should be notifying the father that the event was underway. 10 If only she had known exactly to whom that call should have been placed, she could have directed her brother to do that instead of having him sitting outside the car, fighting back a little regurgitation action.
11 The previous April had been a hard month for Maria. 12 She had been fired from her job at the pharmacy once her affair with the manager was found out by the HR department. 13 Her boyfriend John had left her once her affair with the manager was found out by him -- but then again, his mental health medication from his PTSD had made their private times together extra challenging anyway, hence the affair. 14 That stranger she had met at that bar that night when she went out to get drunk and forget all her problems was a nice enough distraction, but they hadn't exchanged numbers. 15 On top of all of that, the rent had been due, and creepy Mr. Kissinger had accepted affection in exchange for a discount.
16 April had been a hard month indeed, but Maria had no regrets. 17 She was a survivor, and she had been for years -- even long before her mother Maggie's death from cancer. 18 She had faced adversity before and she was never one to run from an unexpected challenge.
19 The immediate challenge at hand was to push when told to, and to breathe deeply in between. 20 As was her style, she rose to the occasion and she pushed her little heart out ... until she pushed her little baby out.
21 Sharlene's boyfriend offered up his jacket and the child was wrapped in it, with his nametag facing up. 22 He looked down at Maria's exhausted face and whispered, "for unto you this morning a child is born ... and it's a girl."
23 Sharlene, still in charge, commanded her boyfriend to get back in the driver's seat and to get them all to the closest hospital. 24 Maria cradled her baby, and despite the fact that the nametag read "Angel", she knew that the tiny hand that grasped her finger belonged to little baby Gabriella April.
