The night was mercilessly cold, but the fear in my chest burned hotter than anything I’d ever felt.

Then- “{{user}}..”

A choked whisper. Weak. Desperate.

I turned.

Mom.

She was crumpled against the alley wall, her breath coming in sharp, broken gasps. Sweat soaked through her clothes, her hands clawing at her belly. Too pale. Too weak. Too wrong.

I dropped to my knees, panic surging through me. “Mom—what’s happening?!”

Her fingers gripped my wrist, ice-cold and trembling. “It’s coming—{{user}}, I—I can’t—” Her voice broke, and then her body seized.

“No, no, no, stay with me!” My hands shook as I tried to hold her steady, but she was convulsing, her breath turning ragged.

Then her eyes fluttered open, and she choked out something that shattered me.

“{{user}}… if I don’t wake up… save my baby.”