My Wife Could Never Conceive

Midnight. My friends were waiting for me at a twenty-four-hour diner across town.

I had my hand on the doorknob when my heavily pregnant wife suddenly doubled over, clutching her swollen belly, her voice shaking with panic.

"Elton... my water just broke. Please, can you drive me to the hospital?"

I didn't reach for my keys. Instead, I pulled out my phone, unlocked the screen, and brought up my payment app.

"Two hundred bucks for gas and mileage."

She stared at the glowing screen, her face crumpling in disbelief. "You know... I don't have that kind of money."