Among my young patients, I also had the joy of looking after babies that were, as yet, too weak to be at home. They were among my favourites and if I was on night shift, I would sometimes rock them to sleep and perhaps sing a lullaby or two.
As it happened, I was called in for night shift relief the day I had my revelation. The night started just like any other, me going around to all the children and bidding them goodnight. Alexandria, surprisingly, was one of the first to fall asleep. It had not yet struck midnight, when, as I was walking among the beds, I heard one of the babies in the nursery begin to cry. Letting out a soft sigh, I quietly make my way over and begin to coo softly as I approach the cot. Normally, I would sit with them and sing quietly until they dropped off to sleep, this time was different however. Looking down, I see that the baby is a little girl and I feel a smile begin to form. Hearing the baby's cries shook me from my trance and I immediately reached down and picked the baby girl up into my arms; it was against the rules for me to do this, but right now I didn't care. Holding the child close, I gently begin to rock her and hum under my breath.
I then begin to walk, the child still in my arms, towards the doors. The night is not too warm and there was a slight breeze.
Once we were outside, I began to walk around the main courtyard and my humming grew a little louder. Smiling down at the baby in my arms, I begin to sing a favourite lullaby of mine, one my mother used to sing to me:
"Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay
Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay
And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you'll go
May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet
And may you need never to banish misfortune
May you find kindness in all that you meet
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
May you bring love and may you bring happiness
Be loved in return to the end of your days
Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you
I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay
Loo-li, lai-lay."
I kept my eyes on the child as I sang, unaware that two people, that I assumed to be asleep, were in fact awake and listening to me and one of these was watching me. I smiled when I saw that the little girl in my arms had stopped crying and had fallen asleep. Sometime during the song, I had taken off my nurse's headdress and let my long blonde hair fall loose from the tight bun that I put it in every day. Leaning down, I let my hair create a curtain between the cool breeze and the baby and gently kiss its forehead before turning back to the ward.
Having placed the now sleeping baby back in her cot, I re-did my bun and once again wore my headdress. With a slight smile and a small nod, I rejoined the nurse I had left with the children.
The next day dawned bright and beautiful and once again, Alexandria was off after breakfast. I was tempted to follow her but soon decided against it, knowing that my work schedule was not exactly empty.
The day passed by quickly and I only saw Alexandria once, when she came for lunch and then she was off again. Smiling, I made a mental note to ask her more about her friend that evening. That evening, having said goodnight to the other children, I came to Alexandria last. "So," I asked, helping her into bed, "did you have a good day today?"
She nodded and smiled up at me, "yes. Roy told me more of his story."
I raised an eyebrow, "his story?"
"Yes, and today he made a new character."
Laughing a little at her terminology, I enquired further, "a new character? And who might this new character be?"
She seemed to think about my question for sometime before answering, her tone a little shy, "he calls her the Singing Angel."
"She sounds lovely," I tucked the blanket around her before pressing a kiss to her forehead, "does she have another name? Like the ones you and I have?"
Alexandria shook her head, "no, not yet."
This sparked my curiosity, "oh? Is there a reason?"
She nodded sleepily, "because he doesn't know it yet."
Knowing that she'd be asleep any second, I smiled gently before standing up and leaving her to dream of Roy's story and it's new character.
Music & Lyrics credit:
Sleepsong - Secret Garden