Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 51
Edward knew there would be challenges on the way for Carmen to adapt to Ella's arrival. However, he couldn't help but harbor the hope that perhaps Ella's mere presence would cause a shift in his wife the way it had changed him. That holding their daughter in her arms would magically dispel all chemical imbalances and the emotional turmoils Carmen suffered.
His hope took flight when Carmen, on her own volition, inquired about the baby when she regained consciousness. She seemed eager and was downright impatient when the nurse rolled Ella's crib into her room.
She listened to the instructions the nurse murmured to her on how to hold a newborn as Ella was passed into her waiting arms.
She held her baby as if she was handling priceless and fragile china. Anticipation was clear in her eyes as though she was expecting to find the answer to a puzzle she had been wrestling with for eons.
"I named her Ella when you were out cold," Edward said with cautious hope.
Carmen nodded her head, barely heeding his words. Her complete attention was still trained on the infant in her arms. Ella mewled and wriggled as newborns do.
"It's a nice name, don't you think?" he tried again to gauge her state of mind.
"Yah, yah, whatever," she said, brushing aside his words, signaling that she didn't want to be interrupted. She was far too absorbed, looking for some kind of affirmation in the small form she held. Her eyes twinkled with the brightness of stars.
Edward had never seen her like this. He took it as a good sign. Maybe everything would work out after all.
He edged closer and put his arms around Carmen and waited patiently for her epiphany to register in full.
One minute. Then five.
He spotted the uneven breathing before the tremors in her arms. He quickly placed his own hands under Carmen's to reinforce her hold on Ella.
"Carmen," he said with alarm. The light had gone out of her eyes. Whatever miracle she was hoping to find in her baby had proved to be a mirage.
"I can't... I can't... I can't do this," Carmen said in a broken voice as her arms went limp, relinquishing her grip over Ella.
"It's okay, sweetie. You're still exhausted. Demerol is running low and I know you are in a lot of pain still. You can spend time with Ella later, okay? Just rest up. Everything will be alright when you wake up next," Edward said gently in an effort to relieve Carmen's distress.
Carmen shook her head, disappointment and unbound sorrow etched across her face.
"You lied..." she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Nothing will be okay. Nothing will ever be alright."
Her prophetic words ignited a cold fear in his heart. Holding his tiny daughter in his arms, Edward pleaded with God to prove the ominous uttering wrong, knowing in his heart his prayers would go unheeded.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.
