Marcus didn’t panic. He woke the only woman in the group who had midwifery experience from her nursing days. She checked Elena and shook her head. “This baby’s coming fast. We can’t wait for an ambulance out here—the roads are flooded, and help takes too long in this storm.”
Marcus looked around the dim warehouse, then made a decision. He grabbed two old wooden pallets from the corner, some rope and an old metal shopping cart frame someone had dragged in months ago. With help from another man in the shelter, they quickly lashed the pallets together into a rough stretcher, padding it with cardboard and the remaining blankets.
“I’m taking her to the hospital,” Marcus told the group. “It’s only about a mile and a half if we cut through the back lots.”
The older woman nodded grimly. “I’ll come with you. Keep her talking, keep her warm.”