"ARGGHHHGHGGHHHHHHHH!" An unearthly scream fought its way down the hospital walls. Shortly after, panicked babble filled the hospital room.
"The cord is stuck around her neck!"
"Oh dear Lord, she's turning blue!"
"Faster doggonit!"
Family and friends fearfully barraged the doctor with words as he worked. He knew this unforeseen turn of events could mean permanent trauma to the child. The doctor finally slipped the umbilical cord off. Turning to the man standing next to him he said, "It's a girl," He clipped the cord, tied it off and then whisked the baby away and set her on an examination cradle that was nearby.
"Wh...where are... you going?" A tired voice called out. The doctor and team of nurses that had arrived ignored her, continuing to give the newborn their full attention. "I... I want to see my baby! Let me see my baby!" The new mother's husband came up to her side and held her hand comfortingly.
"Shh, shhh," He cooed. "Everything will be alright ", darling. We have a beautiful baby girl." He said these things to no avail. His wife just became more anxious.
"Then why can't I see her? I want to hold her. And what can't I hear my baby?! Something's wrong!" She began crying. "Let me hold my child!" Each cry became more weak, more desperate.
"Sweetheart, don't overexert yourself," Her husband continued to try and soothe his wife.
Meanwhile, the doctor and nurses all stared at each other in a shared knowledge. They watched the newborn open her mouth to cry, which truly would have been a beautiful sound at this point. But nothing came out. The doctor bit his lip. He feared something like this would happen when he saw the baby's umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck.
"Clean her up," He commanded. "Her mother wants to see her."
"But—"
"But nothing," The doctor cut the nurse off. "Other then this unfortunate event, the child is fine." Without another word, the child was cleaned, weighed, dressed, and then brought over to her mother.
"My baby!" She cried out, bring her child to her chest in a warm embrace. "Oh, there, there," She cooed softly.
"I will have to ask all friends and family except for the father to leave the room." The doctor stated. He was met with ditty glances and protest but they all left. He turned to the new parents, who were still enthralled by their child. The mother's eyebrows seconds together as she watched her baby cry. The child was clearly in distress but so sounds came out from her. Her head snapped up to meet the doctor's gaze.
"What's wrong with her?!" She demanded. The doctor sighed.
"When her umbilical cord was around your child's head, it caused trauma. Both of the baby's vocal cords have been permanently paralyzed. I'm sorry, but your child will never speak."
The mother turned to her husband as tears welled up in her eyes. Then she looked back down at her baby, gently bobbing her up and down as to stop her soundless cries. "That's okay, that's okay. We'll figure it out, yeah?"
"Yeah..." The husband became distant as her stared at his daughter.
