Pulled
Page 19
Marilyn is practically panting from the amount of exertion she put into the story. “I can't believe you haven't heard this, Brenda. The entire hospital is in a tizzy about this!”
Brenda smiles politely. “I'm sorry, Marilyn, I guess I've got a lot on my mind right now. In case you didn't notice, we've had a busy night here, too.”
Walking over to the door nearest her, she pushes it open with her bottom. Tormented cries instantly fill the room.
“Have you been crying all night honey?” Brenda asks, walking among the other empty bassinets to get to the infant who is wailing. “Hush now, Jada, there’s no need to cry. Your mama’s gonna be just fine. She’ll be out of surgery soon and then your papa will come down to see you.”
She hugs the small child in her arms and tries to soothe the infant who had been whisked away from her mother just moments after birth in a hurried attempt to save the young woman’s life.
“Hush now,” she whispers again, “you’re not alone. I’m here now.”
She continues to try and calm the screaming child without success.
“Hush now, or you’ll wake up the whole town,” she teases gently.
Just then, another RN, Julie, walks into the nursery carrying Tobias, born just a few hours ago. Tobias is screaming almost as loudly as Jada.
“It’s not easy being a baby, is it?” Julie jokes. As Julie inches around Brenda to put Tobias down, both babies instantly stop crying and small, gentle coos escape the babies’ lips.
“Well, I guess you just were waiting for Tobias to show up, huh?” Brenda chuckles.
Julie laughs too, but then moves away from Brenda and places Tobias in his bassinet. The moment she sets him down, the cries of misery begin erupting again from each of the babies.
“Now don’t that just beat all?” Brenda exclaimed. “Let’s try something.”
Shifting Jada in her hands, Brenda places Jada next to Tobias in his bassinet. All at once both of the infants' cries stop.
Brenda stands over them, amazed. Her lips curve into a smile watching the two lovebirds, astonished that even though each child has its limbs swaddled snuggly inside its hospital blankets, they each manage to turn their tiny bodies toward the other.
“Looks like they fancy each other,” Brenda sighs.
“Looks like,” Julie agrees. “But wait till she gets a look at the little one in Room 111.”
Brenda nods. “True. That boy has got the most amazing blue eyes. He’s going to be quite the lady-killer when he grows up.”
Brenda crosses her arms and shakes her head in awe of the two infants who lie side by side, drinking each other in.
The End?
Or the Beginning?
Danielle Bannister lives with her two small children and her husband in Searsmont, Maine. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern Maine and is currently working on a Masters Degree from the University of Orono. This is her first novel. She is currently working on the sequel to Pulled.
You can visit her website at:
daniellebannister@wordpress.com