✞John 1:5✞
✞The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.✞
It has been a handful of days since not only Dr. Arden, known as the doctor of the science's discreet disappearance but also his and Jude's favorite young, vulnerable nun, whose life has been taken by the tender, lethal kiss of Shachath. She took with herself two souls. Mary Eunice's fragile soul and the devil's invincible one. Two sheer contrasts between the pure innocence, naivety, and richness of virtue, and the fiendish evil, remorseless and unsacred sins.
They were like the comparison between light and dark, good and evil, vices and virtues, morality and immorality, war and peace.
The former sister of the church, whose clerical title, belongings and everything else which she once possessed were yanked from her holy hands, although there was only one thing she had even during her darkest and least cheerful days.
The middle-aged lady had been on a roller coaster of three entire trimesters of nausea, mood swings, and somewhat a visible body change. Meantime, she gained extra pounds on some body parts that were once bony until the pregnancy solved her problem with her underweight, food cravings. A bump that carried the fresh, new life that was living inside her for months. On the one hand, good news for the future parents whilst, on the other hand, bad news.
Indeed, they were good news for Jude and Timothy since they would welcome a family member into their small family, even if they were both together at this moment. The blonde hasn't utterly forgiven the love of her life for the betrayal and putting her through the mess which she has the least expected from him.
From a man with a benevolent nature, known for his celibacy and took solemn vows for years by serving steadfastly the church until it was Jude, to whom he gave his virtue and it wasn't the devil, who took it away at first, fortunately.
Remorses over his right hand's betrayal and speculated false hopes were opting to teach a lesson to the aspiring priest by persuading him of what is right and what is better. They were like stern, unwelcoming teachers as he figured out by himself what was out of control for balancing his and Judy's lives as well.
The bad news for the future, yet young parents was that eventually their unborn child, regardless if it is a girl or a boy mustn't be raised in such a place as a nuthouse. It was a residence for criminally insane lunatics, who wander around and their hysterical bewails might unconditionally affect their newborn baby.
Even shortly before their love child's birth, consequently, the Monsignor figured out it would be a better idea, besides wiser to get out of the madhouse not just one harmless, vulnerable soul. But also the other creator of their creation, made of their flesh and blood.
The grim and distressing thoughts whirled as a whirlpool in the patient's head, mingling it up with complex thoughts of what kind of a mother she is going to be to her one-of-a-kind child and how blessed she is with Timothy. Despite blonde has lived for ages with the thought of being infertile and empty in the limbo. It was namely a God's blessing for both of them. The mirth of being a parent was something like a new notion for Jude, herself, numbering her love interest with whom she has a secret love affair.
"Waaaaahhhh!" After the final push of the former holy woman, she spread widely her legs pushing and the agonizing contractions tormented her weary body as its invisible, indestructible pain corrupted each body muscle with its scourge of fatigue and excessive pressure.
In the meanwhile, the newborn child's head just popped up from her core as Timothy was the sole visitor in her ward by helping her with laboring as his mammoth, creamy hands scooped the already-born baby as it blubbered incessantly.
High-pitched cries collided with the dull, grayish walls of Jude's cell as she couldn't help but allow a couple of crystal, rejoiced tears to roll down her palish cheeks. In the interim, her head pitched backward on the plain, white pillow as her lion ringlet of unkempt, nevertheless, still fabulous old Hollywood honey curls were ruffled like a garden of aureate flowers.
In the meanwhile, beaming smiles flashed upon their still youthful faces as Timothy cleaned the newborn by swaddling it a warm, cotton garment, thereafter, handing it to Jude. Even if her hazelish-brown gemstones lost the scintillating nuances they possessed, they lastly glinted dew of joyful pools, flooding her frail eyelids which were puffy and fatigued.
"It is a boy!" The man of the cloth declared jubilantly as Jude had the opportunity to spend the first moments with her newborn son. The recurring high-pitched cries and squeals of their son verged to bleed the content parents' sensitive ears, jingling angelic anthems.
"Aww! Hello, my sweet baby boy!" The blonde was beyond elated of scooping in her petite, secure hands her ray of sunshine as its cries subdued in the vacuum, thanks to his mother's genial voice which was soothing him.
Meanwhile, Timothy sat on the edge of Jude's bed by transfixing his chocolate brown eyes, which once glistened sparks of divine power, selfishness and fanatical brashness, brighter and jollier nuances were twinkling and twinkling like Christmas tree's lights without changing his mood. Both parents' hearts melted at the sight of their baby boy.
"You are as handsome as your father."
She complimented kindheartedly her son as Timothy couldn't suppress a substantially blooming content smile, distorted across his berry-coloured, damp lips. It was her first time to hold an infant in her hands especially in such a doting, kindhearted way as if it was her child. Jude and Timothy indisputably quickly fell in love with their unnamed son by admiring his facial features.
As her honey-brown eyes scanned the unnamed infant, subsequently, she concluded their sweet ray of sunshine resembled equally both parents by inheriting his mother's curly hair texture, reckoning the hazel orbs and perfectly shaped lips. Whereas on the other hand, the nameless child possessed rather his father's ears, nose, eyebrows, milky as cream skin tone and chestnut hair as its sparse hair capped his soft as satin head.
"Isn't he just a beautiful little ray of sunshine?"
"For sure, he is! The most beautiful baby I have ever seen." The former woman of the cloth fussed as her lip curled as its mellow tone lingered on her tongue from being mesmerized by their nameless infant's ethereal beauty whilst Timothy stroked gingerly, his head as his long, dexterous fingers caressed the mossy softness of his head's flesh, without averting his gaze away. "How are we going to name it?"
"Hmm, how about Elliott Henry or Edward Ralph?" She shifted her stare up to his deep chocolate brown pools as their eyes met, locking up his stare. The whisper died on her tongue as she was pensive, bewildered, ecstatic and uncertain at the same time. Pensive, bewildered and uncertain how to name their son. Whereas ecstatic, due to the fact, she was already doted on their creation, even bewitched by its entire being.
In the interim, the young boy happily cooed to their parents by earning two gleeful gapes in awe as the Monsignor waffled between naming their son Elliott or Edward. Little did he know which name sounded better.
"I think Edward Ralph sounds better. How about you too, Jude?"
"I can't disagree there. Edward Ralph is a beautiful name!" She nodded humbly her head in agreement as she nuzzled Edward's nose as he giggled merrily. "Don't ya agree too, Edward Ralph? My precious?"
After a couple of minutes as the baby snuggled in his mother's hands and embrace, consequently, the older woman permitted her love interest to spend some time with Edward by handing the baby to him as he held him in his strong, affectionate hands by raking it with his fingers gently his plumpish cheeks as he lightly giggled with each touch, each delicate skin contact. What was incredibly obvious was the already forming dimples on his babyish face.
"Hello, my sweet little prince. It's so nice to meet you. Do you know who I am? I'm your Daddy. Don't you ever forget who truly loves you." The member of the clergy's hands softened, as its palms commenced building its slimy swamp lubricated them. Meantime, the Bostonian contemplated the scenery of her traitor and love interest holding in his own hands Edward Ralph.
She loved more than anything her newborn son, despite her immensely conflicting feelings she had for Timothy.
Either loving or hating him has been another question by measuring the tremendous respect and unconditional, potent love she had for him, even after being through a blizzard of troubles, sluggishly passing forward as the steps were trudging, imprinting its steps on the sheeted ground with a glacial blanket.
Afterward, Timothy planted a kiss on his son's forehead, a split second before handing it back to his biological mother to breastfeed him for the first time and subsequently rest safely in her arms in the wee hours of midnight.
The other patients were already gathered in their wards for extra good night's sleep and they were constantly guarded by some of the studious security guards, whose schedule included even a night shift instead of getting back at their homes to see their families, wives and children.
Frank survived the attack he was victimized by slitting his throat via Mary Eunice's bare hand with the letter opener after locking up in the solitary back the murderous Santa Claus, Leigh Emerson, who escaped the asylum months ago as the carte blanche was a déjà-vu for him.
The former Irish cop suffered for days by healing his physical attack, despite his concern over Jude's unpredictable pregnancy left him speechlessly a bolt from the blue.
The months of the first three trimesters which were arduous for her, resurrected his immense concern as the middle-aged man found some of his questions answered, despite Jude never confessing to her favorite employee who's the father of the unborn child.
Even when Frank didn't receive the answer to his question about the biological father of the former sister of the church's baby that was inside her bump, consequently, he thought, pondered the greater chance of the unborn infant's father would be the Monsignor since it was apparent how close he was with his right hand.
Furthermore, the former police officer, himself, wasn't very fond of the Monsignor and felt scorching zealousy over their platonic, discreetly romantic and more than professional relationship which united them as a bond.
He was indeed doted on his boss and all he hankered was not seeing Judy impotent and hurt since her former life as a licentious nightclub jazz singer webbed her in a venomous spiderweb of trouble. Thanks to the one-night-stand lovers who used her youthful, insatiable body for their own needs, besides her inebriety caused her double trouble though it temporarily numbed the pain and apocalyptically colliding asteroids of heartbreaks and sorrow as she was feeling nothing.
Even worse, fearing falling in love and being more than just a lover to the men.
"Jude, I am arranging your release tomorrow morning," In the interval, the younger man earned Jude's enquiring, incredulous piercing glare into him, which flamed her eyeballs with its blistering heat as they tickled, causing itchy motions reluctantly. The baby boy rested safely, and peacefully in her arms by falling asleep in his mother's warm, protective embrace. "And I promise I will get you and Edward out of Briarcliff at any cost."
Initially, the blonde didn't believe her former colleague's exclamation as a sarcastic, hoarse chuckle danced on her tongue like a symphony.
"The cruelest thing of all, Timothy, is false hope!" Judy heaved a sigh from the top of her brittle, enervated lungs as she couldn't move almost any single muscle of her body after the morbid contractions, pushes and laboring process. A grotesque frown curled up in the corner of her naturally rosy-coloured lips.
"I promise!" Timothy declared once again, seconds before walking away from the ward by peppering the newborn with loving, tender kisses on the temple and plump cheeks as he cooed happily. "Good night and sleep tight to both of you! See you tomorrow!"
"Good night, Timothy! Sleep tight too and see ya in the morning!" Thereafter, the man of the cloth strolled up to the ward's old, rusty iron door by opening the doorknob, hence, shutting the door by locking the patient inside the cell with the baby boy.
After the door slammed, all of a sudden, Edward began blubbering in his mother's arms as even the faintest unpleasant sound was ringing horrors in his ears.
"Waaaaaahhhh!"
"Shu, shu, shu, my little angel! Mommy's got ya." The middle-aged mother attempted to alleviate the little boy by kissing his forehead and cheeks just seconds before starting to unbutton her patient's rigid, threadbare stone blue gown by giving a breastfeeding try as his famine was exceedingly evident. "Everything's going to be alright, baby boy! Mommy will feed ya now and probably yar Daddy will get us out of this hellhole as soon as possible."
Jude rocked her son as his blubbers subjugated, thanks to the mellowness, softness as velvet her voice, the soft, doting maternal caresses as if it felt like paradise. Her slim, long fingers mildly brushed his sparse dark hair admiring its softness, without taking her eyes off her creation.
After she undid a couple of bland buttons of her patient robe, throughout the advancing time she breastfed for the first time her sweet ray of sunshine and thereafter buttoned back the buttons all over again as the ultimate depletion of her physical and mental stamina peaked.
Reckoned is its final motion as she unwillingly shut her eyelids by collapsing back on the pillow, Edward Ralph's face nestled in the crook of his mother's neck as they drowned themselves in the slumber's journey. Their hearts were throbbing lightly, composedly in their chests.
Tomorrow was awaiting her a big day with just one promise, blocking her path of hesitancy as she had the ultimate opportunity, whether believing it or considering it as a lie, enveloped in syrup as much as it looked. A couple of questions resurfaced in her mind as if they were icebergs at last.
For example, the former holy woman wonders if he eventually is going to pay a visit to her ward in the wee hours of the morning and keep his promise. Does he genuinely mean it?
✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞
Author's Note: I'd like candidly to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for taking their time to read the very first chapter and being ready to unfold the true wings of the light.
✞What are your actual first impressions of our first three protagonists? ✞
✞Do you think Timothy will keep his promise to grant his rare bird its pearly deserved freedom along with their baby son?✞
✞ Last but not least, if you encounter words in Jude's lines in the sort of "yar", " Fathah" and etc., subsequently that is her Boston accent and I can ideally spell the words. ✞
✞Don't be shy and feel free to leave your honest feedbacks! ✞