Charles froze for a moment at the sound of her painful whimpers outside the door. Dropping the clothes in his hands, he rushed forward and flung the glass door open. There she was—Janice, clutching her stomach, a wet patch beneath her. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and pressed the call button on the bed. Almost instantly, the prepared doctors and nurses rushed in.
"Her water broke. She's going into labor. Boss, please step out. We've got this!" Janice's lead physician guided Charles out, leaving him pacing anxiously outside. He could hear her faint, restrained sobs through the door—anesthetized, yet still achingly real. The sound gnawed at him, each quiet whimper twisting his heart. For hours, he couldn't sit still, his mind tethered to the sounds and movements behind that door.
