A scary, life-changing experience

The girl winced and shifted position a little on the mattress on her iron bed, trying to get comfortable, but nothing was comfortable. She was very scared and was trying her best not to panic, although it was difficult not to do so. She was home alone, as her grandmother had gone for a night vigil at her church across town, and it was still going to be a long time before she was back. It was only 11 pm. Her water had broken sometime around noon when her grandmother was still at home, and despite her fearful pleas for the woman to take her to the hospital, she had refused. In fact, all she had gotten was a backhanded slap across the face and a stern warning to be a grown-up for her efforts.