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bleeding!”
    Cassi didn’t know what that meant, but she did know that a woman generally wasn’t supposed to bleed until after a birth. She put her arms around Renae.
    “I didn’t want to get you out of the auction,” her friend sobbed. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
    “I don’t care about the auction.” Cassi fought to keep her voice calm.
    “The ambulance is here,” one of the hotel workers said. Even as she spoke, two men and a stretcher moved quickly toward them. In moments they had Renae on the stretcher and in the ambulance.
    “Why is she bleeding?” Cassi asked, wishing her heart would quit beating so frantically.
    “The placenta is probably pulling away from the uterus,” one of the EMTs explained. “That means we have to get the baby out before it comes off altogether or he won’t be able to breathe.”
    “She,” Cassi corrected. “It’s a girl. But what if she doesn’t come?”
    “Then the doctor will take her by C-section,” the man said. “But don’t worry too much. Her heartbeat’s still strong, and that means we have time.”
    Not wanting to retrieve her own car or worry about finding the hospital, Cassi hurried to one of the taxis that waited in front of the hotel. As the car raced through the streets of Los Angeles, Cassi’s mind was far removed from the auction and all its comparatively unimportant matters. At the hospital, she finally remembered to call Trent while the doctor on call examined Renae.
    “I’ll find someone to stay with the kids and be right there,” he said after Cassi explained the situation.
    “Just bring them. I can take care of them. Renae needs you now!” Cassi’s tears were near the surface. She felt terrible that not only was the baby’s life threatened, but that Renae had to face the situation with a strange doctor and without her husband.
    Cassi filled out the papers she was handed, and then went to sit with Renae as the doctor explained the problem. He was rather short and bald, his demeanor calm, and Cassi liked him immediately.
    “The placenta has come partly loose,” he said to Renae. “That’s why you have the bleeding. But your baby is in no immediate danger. We can keep an eye on you and see if we can’t get the baby here naturally. If his heart rate drops, we’ll have to take him caesarean, though I’m hoping that won’t be necessary. You’re already dilated to a four.”
    “Her,” puffed Renae as another contraction took over. “My doctor said it was a girl.”
    “Well, he may be wrong,” the doctor said with a smile. “Our ultrasound indicates that it’s a boy. I hope that isn’t a disappointment.”
    Cassi had to smile. “She has one boy and three girls. I don’t think she’ll be too unhappy to have another boy.”
    Renae nodded but was too busy breathing through the contraction to answer aloud. When it was over, she began to sob softly. “I want Trent.”
    “He’s on his way,” Cassi said.
    “Would you like something for the pain?” the doctor asked.
    Renae shook her head. “I heard it can slow down labor. I don’t want to risk that.”
    “That is true, but I’m keeping an eye on your baby. Let me know if you change your mind.”
    Renae’s jaw clenched in determination. “I won’t.”
    The doctor left them in the care of several nurses who seemed to know what they were doing. Renae’s obvious pain made Cassi nervous. Birth was something she had never been close to before.
    “Is there anything I can do?” she asked.
    Renae didn’t answer. Her tear-streaked face twisted in a grimace and deep lines etched around her mouth. She panted and writhed on the bed. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
    When the contraction was over, she looked up at Cassi. “I’m so afraid. I don’t want to lose my baby. I need Trent. I can’t do this without him!” She gave a long, shuddering sigh, and Cassi patted her shoulder awkwardly.
    “I’m so sorry.”
    “It’s just that I can’t stop this feeling of