"A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies."
- Oscar Wilde
= 1 =
Face flushed, Laura sucked in a gush of air and squeezed her eyes shut. The baby's leg kicked and left an invisible imprint on her side, but under all the heat, she could only wince in minimal pain, submerged in agony and bittersweet happiness.
Holding the area, the baby kicked once more and, this time, she let out a cry as a newfound bruise formed in the pits and diameter of her stomach. Shifting her hospital gown a bit so that her bulge was exposed, she peered down, and there it was, a light purplish hue against her flushed flesh; a black hole in the center of an opalescent sky.
Her head fell back on the sheets with a light thud and a tear slid down her cheek as one fell after the other like a miniature stream, weaving down the lapping waves of a riverbank, dripping down her skin -sticky as the sweetest honey.
This inexplicable torment was so incomprehensible, even for her chagrin thoughts, that torment itself could have been its own dire and contemptuous villian, ensnaring its own senses to vivacious ends and battering itself into misshapen finick.
The unification between her and Marv, and the heavenly bliss of it all was the reason behind her maritime compulsion. Of course, she'd surpassed the literal affliction on practically every bone on her body, but this hurt so much more, and she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out how fertile women, such as herself, coped so well in the depths of similar circumstances.
She watched, even read about them, to thoroughly understand the concept of pregnancy. She rummaged through any books she laid hands on - whether it'd be fictional or medicinal - and even went as far as to stalking pregnant women before she finally succumbed into Marv's touches. Because when diabolical fingers caressed her skin like the softest down, she could do nothing but fall mercilessly victim to his touches. Touches that were so seductful, and evermore, so sinful that left one impulsively lusting for more.
It was heaven, but actually experiencing the addiction that others believed to be feverishly delectible was another scale of matter altogether. Nothing, not even a lecture, could have prepared her for this.
The contractions escalated, and she clutched tightly on the sheets until her fingernails bit down past the cloth, but the dull pain on her palms could not easily compel the fight residing in her womb.
The doors burst open then, and one-by-one, blurred figures piled in together like cattle, and she looked on with avid intensity that if her eyes could will its way out of her sockets, it would have done so already. This wasn't like the movies when everything clipped into slow motion as the climax reached its peak - where arms flailed at a speed of a turtle before finally making its requited incision. No, it was far from that because this was reality and time would never fall into such dramatic state.
In a flash, a bleary form of a nurse marched up her side, though she couldn't distinguish what she was saying, so when the needle broke through her skin, she wasn't conscious enough to realize what had conquered her until her eyes flickered to a close, and slumber overtook her senses.
No...
That wasn't what happened, but she wished it had. Anything was better than enduring childbirth in the mirth of full consciousness.
"Okay, Mrs. Visazche," Laura could barely hear the doctor, much less breathe. She was lucky she maintained her sanity up to this point. "I want you to take in deep breaths-"
She immediately sucked in a breath, nearly choking herself, before releasing it in a ragged huff.
"No! No!" he exclaimed in a rush, while his co-workers settled around him. They were a bit frazzled, but there nonetheless. "Don't do that. For now, just listen to me please, ma'am."
She nodded her head vigorously as her eyebrows scrunched together and sweat trickled the sides of her face. Unable to hold it longer, she let out an ear-splitting scream - one that could have awoken the dead any day.
This was too much, she thought.
Past her opaque vision, she could faintly trace the figures in the room. The only way to set them apart were their voices, but even her hearing didn't serve well, and it didn't help that everyone was talking simultaneously at once. Evidently, confusion eventually pressed down on her.
It wasn't until the room grew a rather ominous silence that she was able to regain the last bits of apprehension. Bits and pieces of the situation began to fall back into righteous order, but no matter how hard she convinced herself, she succeeded nothing less than she had from the start.
Weren't they going to start on her operation soon?
For a few seconds, she lay in excruciating distress, waiting for the so-called professionals to get on with it. She thought they had left her when the silence stretched onwards, but when the former doctor's voice piped up, she knew they hadn't left, though her idle relief was prompt.
A child was itching to slide out of her body.
"As I said before I was momentarily sidetracked," the doctor said in such a languid voice that if she were conscious enough to do so, she would have strangled him by the neck already. "take in deep breaths and let it-"
"Just get on with it!" Laura screamed, perturbed over the fact that he had yet to start the operation. "I know how to do this. I've read the books informing me about labor!"
The doctor nodded his head frantically before the nurse proceeded with the famous, "Push!"
Scrunching her face together, she gasped and bent forward just the slightest, as she began to push the baby out. In a few seconds, she tumbled backwards; her chest heaving as if she had run a marathon.
"Push!" the nurse exclaimed again.
Laura bent back up and tried to do as told, but it simply wouldn't budge.
Oh god, she thought the worst. don't tell me something went wrong.
It was too early in the operation to seed her questions, but curiosity spurred her, and through shaky breaths, she asked, "Something's wrong...isn't it?"
The rather medium-sized blob that was the nurse's head shook her head back and forth before she exclaimed, "Push!"
She bent forward and tried what she had done precedent times, but there were no other movement, save for afflicted jerks. It felt like the baby was content in its position, since, what seemed to be its head, brushed her abdomen for the twenty-eighth time.
"Come on," the nurse said. "you've got this,"
I've got this? Laura thought. As far as I could tell, I never had this in the first place!
But as soon as those thoughts brushed her mind, a scream erupted from her lips, and it was as if her maternal side decided it was time to kick in on the unlikeliest of moments, and just like that, an unexpected connection grew between her and her nameless baby.
It was as if it were speaking to her, strictly demanding to get out already as if it hadn't already done so for the past hour.
"Push!" the nurse exclaimed with more urgency. She was surprised she even heard that, but she pushed with all her might, even if the deliberate movement felt like donning the number "two" in the restroom.
Brilliant... she thought, grunting and whimpering as she did. If she could have reversed time, she would have held off intercourse for a more later date, but the deed was done, and there was no going back. Well...unless a miracle happened, and I found myself under the throes of time travel.
"Push!"
"Flipping tourniquets!" Laura screeched, fairly aware that tourniquets were not related to the situation whatsoever. "I'm pushing already and nothing is happening!"
"Damn pregnant women..." the doctor muttered under his breath, but her ears were trained to hear even the lisp of whispers, and without a doubt, she was able to hear his rather speculative choice of words.
Laura huffed. "What did you just say?"
She couldn't wholly register the doctor's flummoxed stance, but he seemed to be a great actor for he feigned gusto and said, "Oh, nothing. I was just saying how fine pregnant women are! Nothing to be concerned about my dear."
"And, my name is Jose Jimenez," Laura retorted. She thought it moronic for him to believe she would be deaf enough not to have caught that. Sure, there was a baby dying to sprout out of her stomach, but that didn't mean her senses dimmed any less. "Doctor..."
"Vasquez," he finished for her.
She nodded and winced as the baby kicked again, and now, she had another mission in mind, besides murdering this estranged doctor. This baby needed to get out...now.
"Oh, forget it. The baby...pay attention to the baby!"
Laura looked pointedly over to the nurse who quickly said the magic word.
Grunting, Laura pushed harder than ever, placing her elbows deep within the mattress that it almost appeared as if the mattress would engulf her.
Oh, what fun that could have looked.
Her eyes reduced to minuscule slits and more tears shoveled its way from her eyes and onto her pasty skin.
In the treacherous end, she fell back with her hair mounted in a disarray above her head. The perspiration drenched her from head to toe, and if it weren't for the single cry that rose from the darkness, she wouldn't have been able to hold back the curses that skirted along the edge of her lips.
Hastily wiping the tears from her face, her gaze immediately fell on the nurse's arms where a tiny angel peeked from the green shroud it was encased in.
"Mrs. Visazche," the insolent doctor stated acidly, but she didn't care. She was struck by the baby that even if a person had her at gunpoint, she would have paid them no mind because of this beautiful angel. "you have yourself a baby girl."
So much for showing appreciation, Laura thought with a scowl. You could have at least imposed your more theatrical side. It would have been appropriate alright.
Arms stretched out in front of her, Laura asked for the baby, momentarily ignoring the doctor for her baby's recent arrival lit a motherly spark inside her, but the nurse was already taking her baby away, and it wasn't long until anger replaced the spark.
"Where are you taking her?!" she yelled as the nurse disappeared around the door. The others followed closely behind, until the arrogant jerk was the only person left in the room. Him...me. Alone....
Merlin, she mused.
"This is only for the baby's well being, Mrs. Visazche," he said. "nothing to be worried about. Just relax. It's not good for your health to be in such stress. In the meantime, be patient."
"Patient my ass," Laura said through gritted teeth. "I just had childbirth, and you're taking my daughter away, doing god knows what to her! This isn't how it works, you're supposed to give me my child before you take her away, not the other way around!"
Scuttling out of the bed was proven difficult. After all, her body felt a bit sore from the heavy workout of sorts, but having faced great dangers in the past, it aided her enough in the long run, and now, she was able to block off the pain like it was nothing.
For her, it was beneficial, but to him...it sure wasn't.
Preparing her body for a fight, she straightened up, but relied on the hospital bed for support because if she hadn't, she'd find herself face flat on the floor in a matter of seconds, but she should have stayed put because the nurse came back with her baby safe and sound.
She came to a stop when she realized Laura's current position and gave a quizzical look towards the doctor. It took a moment or so before he nodded approvingly to allow the nurse to close the gap between her and the baby, and soon enough, the baby was in her arms.
It was perfect.
To say Laura was overjoyed was an understatement, she was beyond overjoyed. In fact, she was so immersed in elation that if she were granted the ability to walk on water, she would have taken the opportunity in a heartbeat.
Laura run her hands through her daughter's head, fluffing what little there was to touch.
A tear of delight slipped her cheek, and to her surprise, the baby smiled and reached out to try and touch Laura's face. Laura lowered her head, so the baby could have better access, and she smiled as her baby's soft hands grabbed a hold of her cheek.
At first, she thought the baby meant to poke her, but soon, the hard pinch flamed one side of her face, and she grabbed her daughter's hand and pried it off of her face.
Laughter pronounced the room, and Laura looked up at the doctor's direction.
"Tough cookie you have there," he said, but she only frowned.
"Aren't you supposed to take her away for filing now?" Laura asked as her aggressive baby targeted her shoulder next.
I guess it ran in the family, Laura mused.
"No need," he said which sent Laura into another bout of confusion. "We did that already,"
Laura narrowed her eyes before her attention was switched elsewhere when movement beyond the room caught her attention, and her eyes never lied, even when perspiration and water coated its surface.
She was only able to catch a glimpse of his coal black hat, and the hat indicated only one thing.
Okeef.
"And that," father said. "was how you were born."
He tapped her nose, and Jhiabett giggled as her chocolate brown locks swept around her like a messy curtain. It was pretty unusual for an adult to giggle at something a child would, but she never found childish menageries an unlaughable prospect, but it was difficult, when everything she held precious to her, was being kept on a line.