Before Mindy and Thomas knew it, nine months had passed. Mindy's belly had grown to the size of a watermelon. Thomas continued to fear for his wife and their baby. He saw the size of Mindy's stomach. How was the baby going to get out if it was that big? How was it going to come out? Was he even going to be allowed to watch? In the months Mindy's pregnancy progressed, not once did he leave her side. Except of course for work. The boss still overworked Mindy. Every day they came home from work, she'd collapse on the couch exhausted not only from work, but from their long walk home.

Mindy was exhausted. Her back ached and her feet were swollen from all the walking she did. She was anxious for the baby to arrive. Not only so her body could return to normal, but so she and Thomas could finally have their own family with their own child. They had the baby's room set up. Thomas painted the walls with his favorite animals like dogs, cows, pigs and goats. There was his old crib brought up from the basement all cleaned up and ready for the baby.

Mindy woke up feeling uncomfortable. She felt energized even, which was strange because she was always tired. She smiled as she looked at Thomas who was asleep.

"Tommy", Mindy said kissing his cheek. "Time to get up, honey."

Thomas yawned as he nodded. He sat up and stretched before turning to Mindy. Because of her round belly, she had trouble getting up and sitting down. Thomas took her hands and helped her to her feet.

"I'm going to get some breakfast", Mindy said. "You go ahead and get ready for work. I'll come up when I'm done."

He nodded as he took her hand to help her down the stairs. They found Luda Mae already in the kitchen cooking.

"Morning you two!" she said. "How's my grandbaby today?"

"Same as before", Mindy said. "I feel well-rested for some reason today. I feel up for anything!"

"Honey, stay calm and relax until the baby comes."

"I will. Is breakfast ready yet? I'm starving!"

"You came just in time for the eggs!" Luda Mae chuckled.

She set a plate of eggs in front of Mindy, which she started gobbling down. Mindy stopped as she grabbed her stomach.

"Ow…"

Luda Mae and Thomas knelt by her side worried and excited.

"Are you alright? Is it the baby?"

"No", she said shaking her head. "It feels more like indigestion. I'll be ok. "

Mindy looked at Thomas and held out her hands.

"Come on. Let's get ready for work."

Mindy smiled as she sat at her table and wrapped the meat up. She still felt uncomfortable. During her and Thomas' walk to work, she still kept feeling the indigestion she had at breakfast. She'd feel an uncomfortable twinge of pain in her stomach every 10 minutes. Here at work they started coming back every five minutes.

"Mindy?" one of the workers said calling her back to reality. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah", she sighed wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Just uncomfortable. I've had indigestion all day."

"Have you eaten anything?"

"Just some eggs Mama made."

Mindy stopped as she felt another twinge of pain.

"Ow…ow, this really hurts!"

She wrapped her arms around her round belly. The workers looked at Mindy's stomach and then at each other.

"Mindy, how far along are you?" one asked.

"Nine months", she answered. "But the baby's supposed to be born at the house. Nothing's wrong with it."

"I don't think so."

Mindy cried out in surprise as something wet trickled between her legs, dripping onto the floor.

"Did I just wet myself?" she asked. "What is that?"

"Oh my god", one of the workers said. "Somebody get Hewitt!"

"No!"

The boss came out of his office as soon as he heard the commotion. He stood by the stairs and watched everyone.

"Hewitt's working. You all should be too."

"But sir, Mindy's having her baby now!"

"What?" Mindy asked. "Now? Here, in the factory?"

The boss looked at Mindy in shock. It was Sloan all over again. Mindy cried out in pain as she felt a contraction. The workers abandoned their posts and ran to her side.

"If any of you walk out, you're fired!" the boss yelled.

"She needs to get to a doctor", the workers said ignoring him. "Let's go."

They didn't even make it two steps before Mindy had to stop.

"I can't walk! It hurts!"

She sat down on the floor until another contraction forced her to curl up on the floor.

"I want Tommy!" she said.

"We'll get him for you", one of the workers said.

"No!" the boss said. "Everybody out! Leave her!"

Thomas stood in the slaughterhouse chopping the meat. He couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. He hoped Mindy was alright. They only had to work alone until lunch, and then he'd go and make sure she was ok.

"Hewitt!" he heard.

Thomas turned to see a worker running toward him.

"Hewitt…it's your wife. She's…"

He didn't wait for him to finish. Thomas dropped the meat cleaver and ran to find Mindy.

"It hurts", he heard her moan. "Please help me, boss."

Thomas came into the packaging area and found Mindy alone lying on the floor. Her legs were spread apart ready for the baby. The boss was standing by the stairs not bothering to help. He watched as Mindy laid helplessly on the floor the same way Sloan did.

"Tommy", she said reaching her hand out to him.

Thomas knelt down beside her and took her hand into his.

"The indigestion pains", she started. "They were contractions."

He looked at her confused. What did that mean? Did it even matter now? He moved his arms to try and pick her up.

"You can't carry me", Mindy said. "The baby's coming now."

She cried fresh tears as she felt a contraction.

"I'm sorry! I should've stayed at home with Mama!"

Thomas jumped as she screamed out of nowhere. He watched as blood poured out of Mindy and pooled around her thighs.

"This is it!" she screamed.

She screamed as loud as she could until she couldn't anymore. Thomas watched as a tiny creature came out from between her legs, gently slipping into the blood on the floor. The baby. It gave a few shallow breaths before opening its eyes…looking straight at Thomas. It didn't cry or anything, it just stared at him and blinked.

Thomas reached his hands out and picked up the baby. He looked at it in awe. It was so tiny. The baby had light hair from what he could tell. Two tiny hands with all 10 fingers. Two tiny feet with all 10 toes. The baby continued staring at Thomas with brown eyes like his own. It cooed at him, showing no signs of fear at all.

"Tommy…" Mindy weakly said. "Is the baby…alright? What is it?"

He was so busy looking at everything else, Thomas forgot to check what the baby was. He looked down at the baby.

A girl.

"Tommy…" Mindy weakly called out. "I…I don't think…I can't move…"

He started panicking. What was happening to Mindy?

Mindy felt the life leaving her. It was just as she feared. Just like what happened all those years ago. She was dying.

"Tommy…take the baby…" Mindy said. "Take it…and go…leave me here…"

Thomas shook his head. Up at the top of the stairs the boss sighed as he watched everything.

"Just like Sloan", he murmured.

To be continued...

what will happen next? will Mindy be alright? what'll Tommy do next? what about the baby? To be continued in my next story The Saw is Family