EXCERPT FROM BLOOD OF ANGELS II. “How far would you go for love? You’ll never know until the journey begins.” K. Sean Harris CHAPTER 1 The doctor breathed a sigh of relief when the baby finally decided, after twelve hours of labour, to exit its mother’s womb. His relief turned to horror when he felt two feet instead of a head. The baby was coming out feet first. A breech birth, yet the baby had fully turned in the womb. He had never seen anything like this before. He almost panicked. Breech babies were usually delivered by C-section as there was a high risk of it getting stuck in the birth canal and suffering brain damage from oxygen deprivation if delivered vaginally. The couple was obviously wealthy. If this ended badly he could get into a lot of trouble. His mind ran amok with the possibilities. Criminal charges for negligence. Losing his license. His life ruined. Oh mon dieu non! Aidez-moi s’il vous plait! His hands trembled as the mother, with a triumphant scream, finished pushing out the baby. He quickly cut the umbilical cord and one of the two nurses attended to the mother as she delivered the afterbirth. He anxiously evaluated the baby, doing a routine test that measured the baby’s responsiveness and vital signs. There was a peal of thunder and a flash of lightning, so bright that its silhouette imprinted on the thick, closed drapes. One of the nurses gasped out loud. A strange hush came over the room. All eyes were on the baby. He was not crying. He appeared to be smiling. The doctor felt a chill. Laku took the baby. Mon beau prince. Vous serez un dieu parmi les homes. The baby appeared to smile wider in agreement. Dr. Halloran was unsettled. A quick glance at the two nurses confirmed that they too, were ill at ease. He had been a doctor for sixteen years, and this was the strangest experience that he had ever had. It had been a long and difficult labour, and the father had remained by the woman’s side the entire time, silently holding her hand, remaining calm throughout. Then there was the actual birth. The baby had turned around in its mother’s womb and came out feet first. Even though he had witnessed it, he could scarcely believe it. The baby’s body temperature was erratic though all of his vital signs were fine. In fact, he appeared to be in the best possible health. He also had a strange look in his disturbingly beautiful eyes. He seemed aware and focused. It was frightening. And he knew that it wasn’t his imagination. It occurred to him that he had just delivered the anti-Christ. Ridicules! Ridiculous or not, the thought took hold and would not go away. Vous serez un dieu parmi les homes. You will be a god among men, the father had said. Who says that to a newborn baby? The father had paid him and the nurses a tidy sum to deliver the baby at home instead of at the hospital. As far as he was concerned it was money well earned. Tonight was one for the history books. He watched as the baby, freshly scrubbed and wrapped in a Vuitton blanket, was handed to the mother. She was weak and exhausted, but her eyes were alive and luminous with joy. “Anpu, my baby. My son…you gave mama hell but it was all worth it,” she said as she cradled him in her arms. The more he observed the baby, the more he was convinced that something was amiss. This was not a normal child. He remembered the sudden and brief bout of thunder and lightning. Dr. Halloran uttered a prayer inwardly and made the sign of the cross. He had not been to church in awhile but he was definitely going to Mass this Sunday. He needed God’s blessings to remove the stain the night’s events had left on his consciousness. The woman had lost a lot of blood and needed medical attention, but his job was done. He was leaving. He simply could not stay here a moment longer. Something was not right in this house. The father turned and looked at him contemptuously as though he had spoken out loud. Fear, the likes of which he had never felt before, held him in a vice grip. His bowels threatened to embarrass him. “Nous irons maintenant,” Dr. Halloran said nervously, looking away from the man’s hypnotic red eyes as he gestured to the nurses to gather their things. “Oui, vous devez etre fatigue. Je vais vous sortez,” Laku responded. “Merci.” Laku kissed Anpu and Chasity on their foreheads, and led the doctor and his nurses out to the foyer. Laku stared at them intently as they waited for him to open the front door. The three of them experienced a sharp pain in their heads that was so brief it was as though they had imagined it. They walked out to the doctor’s van and got in, wondering why they had made a house call to this lovely home. They had no recollection of anything that had transpired. NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.KSEANHARRIS.COM and bookstores locally.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 23:38:32 +0000