My Experience on the Route to the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu
I was returning to Vilassar after dropping off a client in Mataró. I enjoyed the trip because it was with someone who loved telling jokes and made me laugh more than once; he had a great way of telling them. I turned onto the street and received a call. The woman on the other end sounded very nervous and asked me to head to her street as quickly as possible because her sister had gone into labor, and although she thought she could handle it, she was too nervous to drive and take her to the hospital.
It took me just a few minutes to arrive. I found a pregnant woman bent forward, leaning against a car and screaming in pain. Another woman was running out of a building with a large bag in her hand and seemed nervous. She approached the pregnant woman, clearly wanting to help but not knowing how, so I parked the taxi as best I could and approached both women, ready to help in any way possible.
They explained that they needed to go to Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, but the contractions were getting stronger and her sister was struggling to get into the car. The young woman’s husband was working and, although they had informed him of what was happening, he had not yet arrived.
I moved my taxi right next to the young woman so she wouldn’t have to walk much. We helped her into the back seat. Her sister ran around the other side of the taxi and got in without hesitation. Before getting back into the taxi, I noticed they had left a large cloth bag on the ground. I figured it contained the things the pregnant woman would need at the hospital and that, amidst all the chaos, they had forgotten to grab it.
I put the bag in my vehicle’s trunk and confirmed with them again which hospital we were going to. I didn’t want to make a mistake and take them to a different one. They both nodded, and without further delay, I started the taxi.
I asked their names to create some closeness with my passengers. It was an intense moment, and I wanted to know them to help calm them. Their names were Marta and María. As the contractions returned, I heard Marta calling her brother-in-law to inform him that they were no longer at home, that a taxi driver had come by and was taking them to the hospital. She repeated several times that she was nervous and that her sister was having very frequent contractions. She asked him to get there as quickly as possible.
She hung up and, looking at me through the rearview mirror, told me he was already on his way to the hospital. Her sister screamed again. I took out a white handkerchief and waved it out the car window as I headed to the hospital as quickly as possible.
“Is this your first baby?” I asked to create some conversation and calm the nerves.
“Yes!” María shouted between contractions. I looked through the rearview mirror and saw her with her eyes closed, in pain, her head thrown back.
Her sister held her hand and tried to calm her by breathing deeply with her. The calm came when the contraction passed.
Marta explained that her sister had been having contractions for several hours. She had felt them in the morning, very spaced out, but didn’t think much of it because it was her first baby and they often say the first takes a long time to arrive. By mid-afternoon, she had informed her sister that the contractions were getting more intense, and since they lived close to each other, she went to her house so she wouldn’t be alone.
And there we were, living a movie-like moment. Even now, when I remember it, it’s hard to assimilate everything that happened in such a short time, and it’s been several years since it happened.
Even now, when I remember it, it’s hard to assimilate everything that happened in such a short time
We arrived at the hospital. It’s funny because it felt like one of the fastest trips I’ve ever made. Finally, I parked the car at the emergency entrance and saw a young man running towards us. It was the husband, who managed to arrive in time and came to help her out. I opened the taxi door, went to the trunk to get the bag, and gave it to the sister of the woman in labor.
In a few seconds, or so it seemed because everything was happening so quickly, I saw Marta enter the hospital and soon after come out accompanied by an orderly with a wheelchair. They all entered the hospital, the doors closed, and I got back in my taxi to continue, unable to avoid wishing them all the best.
The next day, I received a call. It was Marta, thanking me again and telling me everything went well, that both mother and baby were perfectly fine. I couldn’t help but feel happy for them. Since that day, we now have two clients who always contact us for any destination; they’re like family.