A piercing scream echoed through the hallway followed by the voices of men and women encouraging the owner of the screaming to keep going. The screaming woman huffed and puffed, red -- almost purple -- in the face as she clenched her husband's and a nearby nurse's hands. The woman's dark hair was damp with sweat and her forehead was creased with strain as she forced the being out of her womb. The many people in the room stood quietly watching as the doctor and nurses cooed to the soon-to-be-mother. With a final push, the child was released and the doctor at the mother's feet retrieved the baby. The horror on his face was hidden by the mask he wore from the new parents as he cut the umbilical cord and rushed the baby to the nearest nurse. He quickly said very few words to her and she was off to save the drowning baby. When the doctor turned back to the new mother, she was screaming again. The doctor was anticipating this and he resumed his spot, cooing more encouraging words to the mother. Again, the mother was red and out of breath and her grip was turning all their hands white. Soon enough, the second child was born. It hadn't taken as long as the first child, and that worried the doctor. The baby's cry wasn't as loud as he'd expected, but he was glad that the baby made sounds, whereas the other was too silent. The doctor held the baby toward another nurse for cleaning and told the new mother the genders of her babies; a boy and a girl. Praise and excitement filled the room as the first nurse touched the shoulder of the doctor. She leaned in and shared quiet information. The new mother's eyes widened as she stared at the doctor. She didn't need anyone to tell her something was wrong; she could feel in in her heart.
The family waited in the lobby as the new parents stood near a door, watching as the nurses worked on their new son. Tears were streaming silently down the mother's cheeks and into her hands that were stuck to her face. She wasn't a religious woman, but she was praying at this very moment for the sake of her son. The father was clinging closely to his wife with one arm around her tightly, his other hand gripped his brunette hair. Tears were staining the cheeks of the man who never cried.
The nurses suddenly stopped and they looked to the doctor with terrified eyes. They dared not to look in the direction of the new parents. The doctor solemnly walked to the couple, but he needn't say anything. The mother had already collapsed and the father was kneeling down, holding her tightly against him. The doctor had some nurses take her back to her room to rest and the father turned to inform the family that waited eagerly in the lobby. The man's feet dragged and his shoulders slumped, his eyes puffy and red. This man was unknown to the family. He never cried -- even at birth he was silent. This man needn't say anything, either.
Heartbroken, the new father drug his feet to the infant window, peering inside to find his new daughter. He pressed his hands and forehead to the glass, watching the little girl sleep with her stumpy hands above her head. He smiled when she twitched and rubbed her face with her knuckles. He knew twins had some kind of link to each other and he prayed she would be okay.
infinitygrey Community Member 
|
|
