Caught In between

Chapter 16: Betrayed

Marlise could hear and feel everything around her but something was wrong. She could neither open her eyes nor move her body. She could hear people whispering beside her.

"So will she wake up? Its been 3 days," A female voice she recognised as Christy asked.

"Shhh! She may hear us," That was definitely Elad.

"You're being paranoid, have you forgotten that she's been unconscious since the nurse told her that she had a still baby? Now is our chance. When she wakes up, we'll be gone and they'll present her with the still girl," Christy said.

"I think that we should reconsider," Elad said.
"Why, are you having cold feet or wait? are you in love with her? I knew it!" Christy hissed.

"Lower your voice, I'm not in love with anyone but you. I just think we should continue trying the IVF. This particular baby is sick, " He said.

"Easy for you to say. I'm the one who has carried five failed attempts," she hissed.

Marlise wanted to scream but she was trapped while people she trusted had betrayed her. So Elad and Christy were in some sort of relationship and they'd helped her all along to steal her baby?
How could people be this callous to steal her baby after all she'd been through.

God, if I've ever done any terrible thing to deserve this, forgive me! she cried within herself.

Then the door burst open and she heard footsteps rushing out. The room went quiet. She remained in silence trying to scream and pull herself out of her bed. She wanted to get to her baby before these people. Soon the door opened and footsteps approached.

"Do you understand why we can't take her? She's been on oxygen since she was born and the doctor says she may not make it through the week," Elad said in a low voice.

Her baby was dying?

"Can you see something? A tear is running down her eyes!" Christy said. They were silent. She was weeping as her heart broke over everything that was happening.

"Let's get out of here now. She is probably waking up!" Elad said and she heard footsteps retreating then the door closed. A few seconds later, the door opened again, footsteps approached her. Someone lifted her pillow and then let it down gently.

***
All through the drive to the hospital, Levi hadn't uttered a word. Cherish noticed how he stepped into the hospital lobby like a robot on mission. She was almost out of breath just trying to keep up with him. At the nurse's station, he slammed his bare palms on their desk.
"Marlise Ayah," as if this single line was supposed to explain everything.
One of the nurses raised her eyebrows in surprise and twisted her lips to one side. Cherish could smell trouble as the nurse looked like she was about to give them a hard time.
"Good evening ma, I apologise on behalf of my husband but we received a call from this hospital that my sister is here. We would love to see her," Cherish said.
The nurse rolled her eyes at Levi before picking up the phone and making a call. A few minutes later, a woman in white overalls walked up to them and introduced herself as Doctor Sylvie. She asked them to follow her. 
The walked down a corridor and into a room where Marlise lay on her back with an intravenous drip connected to her arm.

"Who brought her here?" Cherish asked. The woman looked like she was withholding information as she paused for a second before answering. Someone who doesn't want to be named but she's been here for a week since she had the baby," 

"Baby?" Levi spoke for the first time, echoing her own question.
"You didn't know? She was delivered of a girl last week and has since been unconscious except for a few minutes when she was awake. However, the baby was born with some complications so she's presently in the neonatal ICU, fighting for her life," The doctor said. Cherish looked at her sister and back at the doctor."

"I want to see the baby," She said quickly.  Levi did not move from his position where he stood like a planted pole. At the door, she turned and looked at him, questioning with her eyes if he wouldn't follow to see his child. He just stared into space. She walked out with the doctor.

When Cherish walked out of the room, he turned to look at Marlise whose only sign of life was the rising of her chest. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, making his heart beat faster. this was the one true thing remaining in his life and she'd just given him another beautiful thing, a daughter but he was afraid. He was afraid he would lose them both and his world would be meaningless. His parents or supposed parents had betrayed him and his whole life was a lie. He had made decisions out of their deceit and now he had nothing. Not the mutanda wealth, not Marlise since he'd married her sister and maybe the baby wasn't even going to survive. As he thought, his chest felt tighter and tighter. He walked towards the door and as he opened, Cherish was right in front of him with tears in  her eyes and a smile on her face.

"Oh Levi, she's beautiful. You should see her. I know she's covered in tubes and plasters but she's..." Cherish was saying when he brushed past her and continued walking down the corridor.
"Baby, where are you going?" She called and was about to follow him when she heard Marlise moan. Caught between following her husband and checking on her sister, she rushed to her sisters side while it felt like her heart was walking away from her. For the first time in her life, she choose her sister. Pulling a stool closer to the bed, she took her sister's hand and rubbed it gently. Soon, Marlise was blinking and then her eyes slowly opened.
"Hey sis," Cherish said, the words sounding strange in her mouth. Even Marlise frowned at the endearment.
"I know this is strange coming from me but I will explain everything. First, I want you to know that you have a beautiful baby and she'll be okay. She's only sick because she misses her mother," Cherish said.
While she was talking to her sister, the same doctor walked in and was surprised but pleased to see that Marlise had woken up.
"I want to ask if we can take her to the NICU. Maybe, if she hears her baby, she would recover faster," she asked the doctor who agreed.
They lifted Marlise out of her bed, placed her on a wheelchair and rolled her to the ICU. As  soon as she entered into the room, she heard a few babies crying and then one cry, hit her deep in her spirit like when someone played the perfect chords.
"My baby! She's alive!" She thought she screamed it out loud but in reality, she said it under her breath.
"She's asking for her baby, can she hold her?" Cherish  asked.
The doctor opened the incubator and carefully lifted the newborn, making sure not to disrupt the IVs connected to her body. She brought her close to Marlise so her skin touched her mother's cheeks.

"Viva my baby!" Marlise said with joy as she felt her child's skin against her cheeks.

The doctor's eyebrows came up in confusion as she didn't understand what she meant.
"She's saying viva. Growing up, we used to watch Spanish movies where they'll say it Viva la president to mean long live the president. She'll be okay! They'll be okay!" Cherish explained, wiping a tear from her eyes.
They returned to the room and Marlise was helped into the bed. When Cherished tried to adjust her pillow so she could sleep better, she noticed a white envelope with Marlise's name was written at the back.
"Are you okay?" Marlise noticed a confused look on her sister's face.
"I think everything is okay, someone left a cheque of 10 million under your pillow for you,"

TO BE CONTINUED!
THANKS FOR READING!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER?