“Enlai,” she cried, tears pouring down her eyes, a deep sorrow and joy falling from her. “Enlai, I love you, please, stop hurting me. You don’t need to ask for my forgiveness. Don’t you ever,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, as he lifted her, holding her tightly. “You are mine, I am yours.”
They lay in bed, beyond words, beyond communication, his arms wrapped around her. She didn’t know how much time had passed only that it was quickly dark and he stroked a fire and brought her some hot soup and tea and made sure she ate every bite.
They didn’t speak of what occurred those nights, her sister’s death, John and Lebna. They enjoyed the peace as they exchanged vows in the living room, their only witnesses each other, the roar of the fire. After he tended to her did she minster unto him, feeding him, giving him bathes, massaging his shoulders.
They stayed there for four months, isolated and enjoying the isolation, the peace as her stomach grew rapidly, the child forming quickly in her body. He kept her busy, showing her how to survive in the woods. They went into town once every month weeks in a large ford diesel for necessities, but the farm had chickens, sheep, a couple of cows, green house attached to the back patio, it also had a panic room with a tunnel that led into the town fifteen miles away.
She enjoyed the peace and quiet, they working together to care for the farm, there was a care keeper, another one from the agency, who tended to the farm but he stayed in a small cabin further from the property.
He kept to himself, Enlai had said the agency killed his family and he kept away from others.
“Enlai,” Rain said as she tended to a batch of spinach in the greenhouse, for the past hour she had been experiencing mild cramps but had tried to ignore them until she was forced to take her gardening gloves off, breathing heavily.
“Five months and I am ready to give birth,” she said, a small smile in her voice as Enlai tracked in mud from outside, dropping wood.
“Ready? Now?” He asked his eyes wide in shock. “Okay, let, me, um, God, what do I need to do?” He stood shocked as Rain smiled gently.
“Why don’t we take a nice hot shower, we both need to get clean,” she said.
“Are you sure? You’ll have time?” He asked, unzipping his jacket and placing it on the hook.
“Okay, let me wash my hands.” He said.
She nodded and went to the bathroom, for the past three weeks she had started nesting, cleaning the house over and over again, buying stacks and stacks of cloth diapers, clothing, blankets, bottles, nipples, rattles, soap, bouncers, swing. Anything and everything she could think of for a baby she bought, the spare bedroom had been changed into a nursery room with a bassinet, a changing table and a dresser and a rocking chair.
She turned on the shower as she cleaned the sink and toilet with Clorox and the doorknobs, light switches. After she finished, she undressed, stepping into the shower, Enlai joining her minutes later.
“How do you feel?” He asked.
“Fine, just cramping,” she said. “The baby knows it is time,” she said, starting to wash him off.
“I should do that to you,” he said.
“No, no, it’ll keep my mind off of what will occur soon enough. Please, talk to me,” she said.
“You are beautiful,” He said. “With a wonderful touch for growing plants and cooking desserts and steak,” he said.
“Good, good,” she said, laughing and smiling, the contractions occurring faster.
“Okay, go boil some water and put fresh sheets on the bed, sanitize everything just like we talked about.”
He nodded, leaving the shower immediately. “Stay, I will be back in fifteen minutes, just relax, breathe,” he said.
“I will,” she said.
He dried off quickly, and put on pants, a plain t-shirt before taking the latex gloves out of the bottom of the bathroom sink and the Clorox bleach.
Everything was already prepared, the sheets freshly bleached and dried that morning, he sterilized everything he would need in preparation for the baby, laid out a pad on the bed, a stack of towels, his hands still, he couldn’t be nervous, although his heart was in his throat. All he wanted was for her to be well, their child to be healthy.
“You ready?” He said, helping to pull her out of the shower, turning off the knobs and drying her off. She looked full term although she was been pregnant just five months.
“Yes, the baby will be born May 10,” she said. “On a beautiful spring day.”
“It is a beautiful spring day,” he said, leading her to the bedroom, where she laid on the bed.
“The baby is ready,” Rain said as the contractions came harder, faster.
He nodded, placing a crisp white sheet over her nude form, he’d built a slight fire in the room, casting away any chill, although May, the cabin was in the north Cascade mountains, there was still snow on the ground in some areas.
“Are you ready?” He asked, placing on latex gloves and opening her legs wide, the crown of the baby’s head was cresting.
She nodded, breathing deeply, the contractions were so fast.
“Then push,” he said, as she moaned in pain, pushing. “More,” he said one hand on her stomach, the other waiting for the baby.
The pain tore through Rain as she pushed, sweat and tears pouring from her face. “More,” Enlai said. “Rain, the baby wants to be born, push,” he commanded.
She did and quicker than she had expected any birth to be the baby came out, crying and wailing as Enlai smiled and laughed in disbelief, quickly suctioning out the matter in the baby’s mouth and nose, wiping her down with a clean towel.
“She’s beautiful,” he cried, cutting the umbilical cord quickly. His methods were quick, precise as if he delivered hundreds of babies every day. He swaddled his daughter, tears forming from his eyes, smiling as he laid the child upon Rain.
“Oh, my God, oh my God,” Rain said in disbelief staring at her daughter as Enlai kissed her, their tears melding. “That was so fast, Enlai, almost painless,” she said.
Her daughter was fat, and wailed loudly before quieting once she was placed at her mother’s breast, Rain comforting her, smiling, touching her precious face. “She has your eyes,” Rain said as Enlai worked on Rain, the afterbirth and cleaning her.
“And your lips,” Rain returned. “Can you stand? I need to change the padding and put on fresh sheets.” He said.
“I think so,” she cried and he quickly changed bedding before placing her and their baby back into the bed, but not before placing cleaning Rain and placing a Robe and underwear on her. He changed his clothes, scrubbed himself down.
He stared at his child, at his wife, a pleasure unlike anything he had ever felt over taking him. He laid down with his wife and daughter, the words seeming so foreign to him and yet so right. He had never thought he would be in this position, never dreamed he would have a family, a daughter, his own child.
He stared at her when she blinked open her green eyes, cooing and waving her hands in the air as Rain cried, kissing her face.
“Our baby, our baby,” she said and Enlai could not respond so choked up with emotion. Her skin was dusky; her hair thick, black silky curls upon her head. Her lips perfectly shaped like her mothers.
“She looks just like you,” Enlai said, as his daughter wrapped one tiny hand around his one finger.
“She’s beautiful,” Rain said.
They stared at her for long moments until all three fell asleep, curled together.
Enlai wakened first, his wife and daughter were still asleep. He put the soiled towels and clothes in the washing machine, scrubbed the already clean house, heated up chicken soup for Rain with muffins and a large glass of cold milk and walked back into the bedroom where Rain was just awaking.
“We should put a diaper on her,” she said. “Luckily she hadn’t done anything yet,” she said.
Enlai nodded, placing the tray next to Rain. “I’ll do it, you start eating and drinking your milk,” he sa
id.
She nodded. “Okay,” she said and reluctantly handed the child to Enlai. “And maybe we should name the baby when you get back.”
He smiled. “Maybe we should,” he said, before taking the baby to the other room.
Rain smiled and took the bowl of chicken soup, already she was feeling fine, a bit weak but after she finished the soup she wanted to get up, walk around, show her baby to the outside nature.
Enlai returned in fifteen minutes. “I gave her a wash off, put on her first shirt, first diaper, first hat and first little booties, making her presentable for her mother.” he said proudly, presenting the bundled up baby back to Rain gallantly.
“Your daughter, my love,” he said, kiss.
“She is so beautiful, Enlai,” Rain said, cuddling her daughter to her. She never wanted to let her go, admiring every curve and line that made up her form.
“What of her name? Have you thought of any?” She asked.
“The naming of the child is your honor,” Enlai returned.
“I,” Rain began, staring at her newborn daughter in her arms. How beautiful she was, perfectly formed as her daughter stared back at her with emerald green eyes surrounded by thick black lashes.
“Emerald,” she said finally. “Emerald May Zhaou.”
Look for Book II of the Zhaou Series with Song and Grey.
The Beginning Of Rain In December Page 15