by Amy Field
“Hey Camellia, sorry for disturbing you,” Tracy was saying. “I wanted to tell you that we had a job offer and it seems like a good one. I know you aren’t taking any jobs at the moment for obvious reasons but this one seems like a good one so I wondered if you would reconsider. I’ll be sending over the details tomorrow. I hope you are alright.”
The message ended and Camellia picked up her bowl. The news wasn’t that important to her at the moment. Camellia had a couple of job offers and she had done a job in the beginning but she hadn’t continued in fear that it would put strain on the baby. There was another reason and that was Jared. Jared knew where her job place was and she had no doubt that he would pester her for it. At that time, she hadn’t wanted to see him so she had avoided going to her work address but soon she got calls from her client that Jared had visited them asking if they knew where she was. That was the last straw for Camellia and she had stopped working altogether.
She had to cut down on some expenses and she was running low on money but Camellia was still reluctant to go back to work. For now, she put the thought out of her mind and continued to eat her bowl of pasta. She turned on the TV and tuned onto an educational channel. She had read somewhere that babies could hear what you were seeing and she didn’t want to influence her baby to the wrong direction without it being born yet.
Already she was being a tough mom and she reveled in it.
Feeling tired, Camellia skipped washing her bowl and went to bed. She yawned as she snuggled under the covers and drifted off to sleep.
Camellia didn’t know what time it was and she didn’t care.
The pain that had woken her was akin to being stabbed in the stomach and she jolted up, her hand going to her stomach as her eyes looked around frantically. It took her ten minutes to calm down but her heart continued to race as she mulled over the pain that had radiated from her belly. Was something wrong with the baby?
It was a kick, Camellia told herself. The baby is a bit energetic and wanted to tell me that.
She barely finished that thought as another stab of pain radiated. It was definitely coming from the baby and it was more painful than the last one. For a second, she feared that something was wrong and then it hit her. It was the labor pains. It was starting.
Camellia painstakingly got up and took baby steps to the living room. She had promised her doctor that she would call him when the pain started so that he could send an ambulance for her. He was well aware of her status as a single mother. The pain started again half way and she had to stop to lean against the wall, breathing heavily. Camellia knew she was supposed to time them but for now, her priority was calling the ambulance.
Hold on baby, Camellia thought.
She reached the telephone and dialled the doctor’s number. He answered in the second ring.
“Hello?” Dr Hill’s voice was tired and Camellia knew she had woke him up.
“It’s me, Camellia,” Camellia gasped.
“Camellia? What’s wrong?” Dr Hill asked, his voice sounding alert.
“I am in labor,” Camellia said through gritted teeth.
“I’ll get an ambulance. Sit tight and time it,” Dr Hill ordered and hung up.
Camellia collapsed on the sofa and managed to get onto an upright position. She kept her eye on the clock as she followed Dr Hill’s instructions. They were still far apart and Camellia knew she had time yet for the actual birth but it really was unbearable. She would feel better in the hospital than alone at home, suffering through the pain.
The ambulance came in fifteen minutes and she heard them pull up in front of the apartment. She couldn’t help but smile at what her neighbors would think but then again, she didn’t care. She was a lady about to give birth, who cared about the neighbors?
She managed to open the door for them and the paramedic sat her down in a wheelchair to wheel her out to the ambulance. Camellia much preferred it to being carried out in a stretcher. As they wheeled her out, her eyes fell on her neighbor’s door and it was open. She saw him staring at her and couldn’t look away.
She had no time to think of it as the pain started again. The journey to the hospital was a blur as she spent it timing her contractions. As soon as they entered the hospital, she was transferred to a nurse.
“My contractions are ten minutes apart,” Camellia said.
“We have time. I am afraid you are going to the ward to wait,” the nurse said.
Camellia nodded, hoping that she wouldn’t be alone. She wasn’t alone but the women around her were wrapped up in their own pain so no one talked to each other. The silence in the ward would occasionally be permeated with the sound of groans and gasps, Camellia’s being among them.
One by one, the ladies disappeared leaving her alone in the ward. Camellia had been stuck in the ward for five hours by then and she couldn’t handle seeing the husbands or boyfriends who were there with the women. It was a harsh reminder of her circumstance.
Idly, she thought that she should have told Tracy when her bed felt wet. Mortified, she sat up and saw the wet spot. Camellia knew what that meant but that didn’t stop her from blushing when she pressed the button to call the nurse.
“What’s wrong?” the nurse asked as she came in.
“I think I am ready,” Camellia looked pointedly at the wet spot and the nurse nodded, taking her bed and wheeling her out the door. She was taken inside the operating room where two other nurses were gathered. This time the pain was completely different from before. It was more potent and she felt like she was being ripped apart as it coursed through her.
“Please hold on for the doctor,” the nurse told her and Camellia’s eyes bugged out.
The doctor arrived soon and one of the nurses took Camellia’s hands.
“Hold onto me and push,” the nurse said.
“But…the epidural…” Camellia managed to say.
“No time,” the nurse said brusquely.
Camellia couldn’t answer as the pressure on her lower stomach increased. She gritted her teeth, pushing with all her might. She was soon breathless and sweating but the baby was showing no signs of leaving its safe haven.
“A bit more,” Dr. Hill said, looking under the gown. “I see the head.”
Bolstered by the words, Camellia put more force into pushing. Time lost all its meaning as she continued to push. The pain was unimaginable but she bore through it, crying out sparsely. At one point, she began to weep but it finally came to an end.
The cry pierced the operating room and Camellia’s head fell back in relief.
“Congratulations,” Dr. Hill said, his eyes twinkling. “You have a daughter.”
“Can-can I hold her?” Camellia whispered hoarsely.
“Let’s clean her up first.”
Her daughter was cleaned and then placed into her arms. Her eyes were closed but she was breathing. Camellia felt her breath tickle her face and smiled gently at her. She stroked the soft skin of her daughter’s cheek and kissed her forehead.
“Welcome to the world, Amelia,” she said and leant back to relax with her baby.
Chapter Four
As Camellia had a normal delivery, she was declared fit to go home in two days.
Tracy had come by to drop her home and she had the papers with her. While Camellia was glad to see her friend, she wasn’t very glad to see the papers that she held.
“I know what you are going to say,” Tracy said.
“Do you?” Camellia said testily, cradling Amelia in her arms.
“Give it a look!” Tracy insisted. “I know you have Amelia to take care of but you need the money and this is a good job.”
“Fine, I’ll give it a look,” Camellia said tiredly.
Tracy grinned and leaned over to pat Amelia as if Amelia had helped convince Camellia. Camellia handed off Amelia to Tracy as she took the papers. They weren’t inside her apartment yet so Camellia didn’t open the envelope to see the papers. As she passed by her neighbor’s door, his face flashed t
o her mind and she remembered how he had watched her. Now she remembered his face, he had dark hair with bangs that had hidden his eyes and a well formed jaw. Features that was neither appealing nor unappealing.
Tracy noticed her looking and looked at her quizzically but Camellia shook her head. They walked into her apartment.
Her thoughts were still on her neighbor and she began to think how strange it was that in all the two months that her neighbor had moved in, she had never seen him. He rarely came out and sometimes Camellia would get his mail delivered to hers.
She remembered one instance when that had happened. It had been a month ago and the delivery man had given her the letter, ignoring her protests as he did so. The man left and she was left clutching it, indignant. Camellia hadn’t opened it but she was tempted to. The front of the letter was stamped with the word ‘Confidential’ and it had his address on it. Still, she had taken the letter and slid it under his door. The next day she had thought he would thank her but there was no such indication.
Camellia put away the thought of her neighbor.
Tracy helped her put Amelia down in her crib. As her apartment had one bedroom, Camellia had put up the crib right beside her bed so that she could be accessible to Amelia at night. She knew the tough days were ahead of her as Amelia would surely cry all night.
At the moment, her little angel had gone off to sleep. Camellia went with Tracy to the living room and as Tracy fixed them a cup of coffee, she thumbed through the contract. Tracy hadn’t been lying about it; it really was a standard contract. The job was the designing of an apartment complex owned by a socialite. The job required her to be on site four times a week and look over the building process. It paid well and Camellia did need the money for Amelia. She mused on it as Tracy waited anxiously beside her.
After deliberating for a few minutes, Camellia picked up her pen and signed the contract.
“Nice work,” Tracy said.
“It’s a good job and I can handle being away from Amelia.”
“I’ll tell the client. I think work starts from next month.”
“I would have liked to stay with Amelia a while longer,” Camellia said longingly.
“You’ll have time,” Tracy said awkwardly.
“I will,” Camellia laughed.
She had a good feeling about this job.
Camellia’s first night with Amelia went as expected.
Amelia started crying at one in the morning. Camellia got up and went to prepare her first feeding. After she fed Amelia, she placed Amelia in bed, examining her perfect features. Her soft tuft of dark hair and pink rosy cheeks which made Camellia grin. She was everything Camellia had imagined her to be and more. The best thing was that she didn’t look a bit like Jared. Amelia shared a lot of her features but had Jared’s eyes. Well they were a minor thing and besides nothing could destroy the love she had for Amelia. She loved her more that she could express.
And Camellia cuddled to her daughter, knowing that she was going to cry out again but taking advantage of the silence. They were going to have a wonderful life together.
Camellia’s month with Amelia was the best she had ever experienced. She learned each day. Amelia wasn’t a very fussy baby; she was very obliging as if she knew how tough Camellia had it on her own. Camellia loved taking care of Amelia. She loved the feeling of holding her and watching her gurgle with joy. The small smile or wide-eyed look that she gave Camellia…every one of her expressions was imprinted onto Camellia’s mind. Unlike some mothers, she longed for night when she could cuddle up to Amelia and chat about her day.
Camellia went to routine check-ups for Amelia’s sake, to make sure that she was healthy. Her zeal made the doctor shake his head but smile. She had her stamp for being an over-protective mother.
But as soon as the month ended, it was time to get back to reality. Her job started and Camellia had to start looking for a babysitter. She couldn’t find a permanent one but she used an agency which sent her a sitter by the name of Rita Pickett.
Camellia felt ill as she took Rita’s interview. Rita looked barely out of her teens with jet black hair and a shining nose ring. She had an almost disgusted look on her face as Camellia took her interview but seeing as no one else had come for the job, Camellia had no choice but to accept her. Rita picked up Amelia queasily and Camellia’s fear deepened.
Her cell rang and she picked it up.
“Where are you?” Tracy asked.
“I am on my way,” Camellia said, still looking at Rita handling Amelia.
“Go ahead,” Rita said bluntly.
“I might be late so don’t leave before I get home.”
She got no answer from that statement but her heart heavy, Camellia left for work hoping that everything would turn out okay.
Nick Prescott woke with a start.
His phone was buzzing beside him but as he was accustomed to do, he let it ring. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to Sam’s fears. Sam had pestered him for the last few days, panicking over what to do about the legal notice while Nick knew that it wouldn’t amount to anything. He was content with letting it pass them by but in the recesses of his heart, he was scared as well. If the lawyer pursued this…
Nick put that thought of his mind and sat up, wondering why he had woken up. His apartment was deadly quiet and empty. His computer glowed and he realized that he had forgotten to shut it off before he had fallen asleep.
The sofa had caused a cramp on his neck and he massaged it as he stood up and went to shut off the computer. The living room was a mess, the table was littered with takeout boxes that he hadn’t bothered to throw out and the floor was covered with his clothes that he hadn’t washed. Truly the bachelor life.
The sight made him annoyed but Nick didn’t make any attempt to clean up. He put it off, as he always did because he never felt like it.
Though with my money, Nick thought. I could hire a maid.
It was tempting but Nick didn’t pursue it. He knew he loved his anonymity more than anything and a maid would be troublesome. He didn’t need any help. He was fine on his own.
As he thought that, a cry pierced the air and he tilted his head to the side. It was the neighbor’s kid again. A month or so ago, his neighbor to the right had a kid. He recalled the night she had been wheeled away to the hospital.
Nick had been lying awake, checking out maintenance issues when he heard the sirens. He had gone out and seen the woman being taken. He also remembered, vividly, the way his heart had jumped when her sapphire eyes had met his. He couldn’t recall her face; it had been dark but her eyes still made him lose his train of thought.
I wonder what kind of impression I made on her.
Nick smiled at that. He ran his fingers through his long hair, he hadn’t gone to cut it and the bangs flopped back onto his eyes. Yes, he really should go for a haircut.
He waited, as he usually did, for the cry to disappear but there was no indication of it. The baby continued to cry and Nick started to feel uncomfortable. Where was her mother or father? Why weren’t they taking care of her? Nick didn’t like to hear the sounds of the baby crying and he found himself walking to the door. Maybe the parents had fallen asleep?
Highly unlikely. With that cry, they would have woken up in an instant. Nick was outside his apartment and he saw that it was near night. He turned to go back inside his apartment and with a start; he saw that his neighbour’s door was left ajar. He looked around, but seeing no-one familiar, he walked in, closing the door behind him. What was wrong with the mother? Why on earth did she leave the door open?
He felt weird trespassing but as he looked around the apartment, it was evident that the apartment was empty. She had gone out and left her baby alone. Strange.
The baby in question was lying on the couch, still crying. Nick took tentative steps towards the baby and was awed by the look on its face.
He hadn’t had interactions with babies but now he realized he should have. The baby was very cute, beauti
ful actually. She didn’t have the blue eyes that her mother did and he found himself leaning forward and picking her up. The baby stopped crying and looked at him with tear filled eyes. The sight endeared her to him and he hugged her, making her smile. The smile caught him off guard and Nick gave a smile back. The baby wasn’t so bad and since he had already taken the step, he should wait until the mother came back. To be sure, he shouldn’t have entered her apartment, but he couldn’t leave the baby crying inside. That went against his morals.
Nick sat down and rocked the baby. She continued to smile and he caressed her cheek. Had she eaten? It didn’t look like she was hungry and he didn’t want to run the risk of poisoning her. He wasn’t well versed on baby care but he sniffed the air, to make sure she hadn’t soiled her diapers. There wasn’t any smell indication so he figured it was alright.
He continued to play with her, picking up her rattle and rocking her in his arms. It was the first time in a while that Nick felt absolute peace. He didn’t worry about anything else as he had the baby in his arms.
“What’s your name, baby girl?” Nick asked.
The baby gurgled.
“That’s right, you can’t speak. Should I give you a name?”
The baby touched his beard.
“I’ll call you…” Nick mused and was about to announce a name when the doorbell rang. He hesitated, who would that be? He didn’t want to be caught by someone who was visiting the apartment but it could be the mother. He would have to face this sooner or later so he got up, the baby in his arms, to open the door. He shifted her weight from one arm to another and pulled the door open.
The woman on the other side was undoubtedly the mother. She had long wavy brown hair, those blue eyes that had mesmerized him and a tired look on her face. Somehow, she looked beautiful to him and had an air of dignity about her.
The woman’s eyes focused on him and her mouth dropped open.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “What are you doing with my baby?”
Nick recoiled from the accusations and moved aside.