Chapter 3 Shadows In The Ward

Gloria was shocked to find the dress she had priced the previous week had suddenly gone up in price. She wished she had bought it then. Despite not knowing the baby's gender, she insisted on Gerald coming along with her to the local store which was many steps away from their house. She chose a unisex dress which was similar to the initial one she planned to buy. She showed it to the woman in charge and requested for the price but the price made her retreat at once. The price was out of their budget.

She wondered what a mall would be like if local vendors were pricing their goods too high in such a way.

This suddenly reminded her of Vanessa. She was sure her best friend wouldn't have a hard time purchasing dresses for her own child. Had she been as wealthy as her friend, then she wouldn't be here looking for cheap clothes. She shot Gerald a frustrated glance. They had only been here for a few minutes and she was already tired with the market issue.

Gerald looked at her and gave her a shrug instead. In fact, he never agreed to the idea of buying the baby's things when it was still in the womb, especially given her fragile condition. Besides, he hated being forced to do something against his will. His wife was becoming slower with every passing day as her belly grew. And now, he was forced to walk slowly with her to the market just to please her. He had told her earlier that he preferred to do the shopping alone, but she insisted on coming along since it was her idea after all. This made him feel uncomfortable.

"Are you still getting this ma'am?" the vendors voice cut through the silence, capturing their attention back to her.

"No need. We were leaving already," Gloria shook her head slowly in embarrassment as they turned away.

An awkward silence followed as they walked further past the vendor woman. Gerald shot Gloria a glance, noticing she was still sad for not getting those dresses. He could have gotten it for her but he didn't have enough at hand either. "You love those dresses, right?"

"It's fine. I can understand. We are probably not meant to get it," she replied gloomily.

"Don't worry, I will get it for you. It's for the baby anyway. And he's our first child, so we need to do everything just to get him what he deserves," he said to her.

A smile spread across Gloria's face. "Are you sure?"

"Of course... Anything for you and the baby," he nodded and reciprocated the smile.

"Thank you so much, honey."

"Don't mention it. You know what, once I get back from work tomorrow, I will make sure I come back here to buy them."

Gloria paused for a moment and stared at him gratefully. Even though they didn't have much, he always found a way to make her feel special in every way he could. "I don't know what I would do without you in my life. I'm indeed so lucky to have you."

"And so am I."

All of a sudden, a contraction gripped her belly and she held it tightly. She winced in discomfort. Her legs went still, grasping Gerald for support.

"What is it? Are you alright?" Gerald asked her.

"I think... I think the baby is coming," she replied with a strained voice.

Gerald appeared shocked by the sudden timing. "What?... You mean now? What are we going to do?" He wasn't prepared for the baby to come out so soon. As a matter of fact, he hadn't saved up enough money for the hospital bills.

"Are you asking me that?" she vented out.

Gerald himself knew his question was silly but he just couldn't admit it. He knew the next step was to bring her to the hospital. He was just confused because of the money he would spend. The only cash left with him now was to bring them back to their home. He clearly understood what his wife must be going through. She wouldn't have talked to him that way if she wasn't in so much pain. They had lived for a couple of years now, but not once had she ever raised a voice at him. "I'm sorry. Hold on, I will go get a cab." He extricated himself and ran as fast as he could to get a cab. Soon, a white taxi pulled over at Gloria's front and Gerald hopped out. He assisted Gloria into the back seat, then he sat beside her for support.

The cab eventually pulled over at a large medical center with an inscription at the top of the building 'Santos Medical Center' which was named after the owner. It was one of the largest hospitals in Bristol. And since it was the only hospital closer to the market area, they had no choice but to go there. Gerald thought about how he would pay for the bills now that he was broke. He felt it was a bad idea to come here, but at the same time, he couldn't afford to risk his wife and the baby's life all because of the high bills. In no time, the driver emerged from the car and came to the back door to hold the door so the couples could get out. Afterward, he shut back the door closed and assisted Gerald in bringing his wife in.

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In an hour, shortly after Vanessa had delivered a baby girl, Madam Anita decided to go check how the baby was doing. She slipped into Vanessa's ward and went straight to her bed first where she lay unconscious. She gently took Vanessa's wrist, and stared at the plastered injection passed into her for a while. Her eyes were shifted to the pint of blood hung on the IV pole beside her bed, its red liquid glowing in the dim hospital light. Vanessa really lost so much blood during the delivery process. It was no surprise though. This happened whenever she was about to give birth. Though it could lead to over reduction of weight just like before, she would eventually be fine again. She let go of her wrist and walked a few steps to the bassinet. She stared at the baby for some moment and smiled to herself.

'Finally, this one survived.'

She had always prayed every blessed day for the outcome to turn positive. Thankfully, the heavens had just answered her prayers. She stared at the baby's beautiful face and imagined how it would feel to carry her first great-grandchild once she woke up. Just then, she noticed the baby looked pale. Her hands trembled as she reached into the bassinet. She gently touched the baby's cheek, hoping to feel a gentle stir or a soft breath on her skin but there was no sign of that. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in horror as she realized the unthinkable.

'This one too is gone again.'

She hastened out of the ward to see the doctor immediately. She initially thought the baby was in her sleep, not knowing the baby was dead already.

While she returned, a medical professional in his white lab coat led the way in hurried steps along the empty corridor. Eduardo walked anxiously by her side with a little bit terrified about the incident. He couldn't afford to lose another child again, especially when the consequence was certainly going to destroy his life.

As soon as they got to the ward, the doctor rushed in and Eduardo followed behind him. Madam Anita suddenly stopped at the doorway as she spotted a young nurse who seemed to be carrying something in her arm, rushing down the corridor. The way she moved so fast was something to be suspicious about. Before she knew it, the young nurse had already vanished around the corner and out of sight.

She immediately dismissed that thought as it was none of her business. What she had on her mind was enough to be worried about. Besides, she felt she was probably feeling paranoid over nothing, and maybe the nurse wasn't up to anything dubious just as she thought. By the time she entered, the doctor was already examining the baby. She shut the door closed behind her and swiftly went to stand by the doctor's side. Looking confused, she gazed at the baby intently as the doctor examined her heartbeat. The baby looked completely different from the one she had just seen earlier.

'How is this possible? Is this a dream or am I just overthinking due to my fear of losing another baby?'

It was a question she was trying to find an answer to before the doctor jolted her back to reality.

"Everything is fine, madam. Nothing is wrong with the baby. She's just sleeping. You don't need to be worried about anything."

On hearing that, Eduardo's racing heart stopped. Fortunately, his hopes and expectations were not shattered. The baby was still alive after all. Even with the doctor's words, Madam Anita still remained constant in her doubt. She was still not convinced about what had just transpired.

"But why does the baby seem different?" she mumbled within her, catching the doctor's attention. Though he was unable to catch any word.

"You said something?" he asked her.

And this time, she expressed it openly. "I don't know. I just feel like something is odd about the child. She looks...different."

The doctor couldn't hold back his grin at the woman's facial expression. "You are so funny, Madam. We know that's not possible. All babies are generally the same when they are born, except they are deferred by complexion. Besides, how can you be so sure the baby is not the same when you've only just met her for a short while. I can assure you nothing has gone wrong here."

In the middle of the conversation, Vanessa opened her eyes half awake, still in the realms of both sleep and wakefulness. She sighted the white ceiling which was quite blurry to her at that moment. She actually thought it was a nightmare when she heard different voices from her sleep, until she shifted her gaze and saw strange people surrounding her baby. This was when her eyes opened widely. It became vivid to her that it was her husband, grandmother and the doctor himself. She swiftly rose in nervousness as unprepared tears began to stream down her eyes.

"What happened to my baby?" Her trembling voice shook the air, driving the attention of the trio to her.

They all looked so scared to see her reaction. It was clearly shown on Vanessa's face that she could go insane if fate ever repeated itself again. How would they tell her about Madam Anita's opinion on the child? It was a bad idea to bring that up at this time.

Eduardo joined her on the bed, reaching out a comforting hand around her shoulder. "Relax, Vanessa. The baby is fine. You don't have to worry about her. She's doing okay."

"No, I want to see her. Let me see my baby even if it's just for now."

Madam Anita and the doctor exchanged meaningful glances, and the doctor tossed his head in the baby's direction, giving her a go signal. With an effort to console her granddaughter, Madam Anita carried the baby gently in her arms and brought her to Vanessa. Momentarily, it occurred to her that she could be mistaken about the child. Perhaps she felt that way because she wasn't used to being a great grandmother yet. Then she thought to herself, 'It's best to set aside my suspicions and come to terms with the baby's identity. It's going to be the best for everyone, especially Vanessa.'

"Eduardo is right. Your baby is doing fine," she said aloud, handing over the baby to Vanessa.

The last drop of tears rolled down to the corner of Vanessa's lips as she looked at the baby with a relieved smile. She gave the baby a gentle touch on her cheek and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I love you baby... Don't worry, your daddy and I are here for you. We'll never abandon you, I promise," she exchanged a smile with Eduardo, and then to her grandma. "Look, grandma. Your great grandchild is here now. Now our family is going to be complete."

Seeing how happy Vanessa was, madam Anita believed she made the right decision by dismissing her thoughts about the baby. It would only devastate Vanessa. She didn't have any evidence to back up her suspicions anyway, so she could be mistaken about it. "Yes you are right, Vanessa. The baby is cute, isn't she? I'm so excited for the new addition to the family. And together, we are going to raise baby Hannah with so much love and happiness."

With the baby's name pronounced, Eduardo shot madam Anita a surprising gaze before turning back to his wife. "She knows about it already?"

"Yeah I told her about it," Vanessa chuckled.

Eduardo mirrored Madam Anita's smile. This was the first time they would share a genuine smile, and he felt happy about it. There was nothing else he could ever wish for than this. Now he finally fulfilled his dream to become a father.