Chapter XII
Health Freaks Are Going To Feel Stupid. Lying In Hospitals, Dying Of Nothing
"One more push," The doctor urged as Jane let out a scream, her face gleaming with sweat and tears.
A blue, paper sheet was laid across her knees so she couldn't see what was going on, but she did know that this hurt like hell.
She could see Eddie standing next to her and stroking her hair, but she couldn't feel his hand in her ironclad grip.
She felt like there was a building settling down on her stomach and the concrete foundation was slowly shifting and cutting off her legs.
With one final push, giving it everything she had left, she collapsed back in the bed, gasping for air and calming her screaming abdominal muscles. She watched as they carried away a small, pink mass.
After about five minutes, Jane had regained her breath and the room had turned desperately silent. The machines were off and the doctors had summoned Eddie over to them and were talking quietly amongst themselves.
"What?" Jane asked hoarsely as Eddie made a sad glance to her.
"What's going on? Why isn't she crying?" From everything she had learned, a baby was suppose to cry.
"Eddie, tell me what's wrong." Jane's voice turned frantic as she tried to push her beaten body from the bed, and Eddie immediately steered back towards her, pushing her carefully back into the bed and catching hold of her hand.
"Eddie, god dammit, tell me what's going on! Please!" Jane began to cry and trying to pull away from Eddie's hand.
"Jane, calm down." Eddie said chillingly. There was a strange stream of sadness playing through his eyes, but he had no emotion on his face.
Jane succumbed, trying to catch her sobs again as she quieted herself.
"There's a problem."
"Tell me." Jane whimpered
"Jane, she's deaf."
*MOO*
"Bu…Wha…what do you mean, deaf?"
It seemed absurd to her, she had followed every pregnant mother book she could get her hands on, she had eaten right, done no physical exertions, hadn't drunken alcohol, and even got Eddie to stop smoking, it seemed impossible.
"They're saying that the muscles in her ears didn't develop fully." Eddie translated for her, mentally cursing himself as he saw tears fill her eyes.
"But, I did everything…" Jane argued, as if that was going to change anything. "Everything! It can't be true! She can't be deaf. It's not fair!" Jane suddenly went into a fit of sobbing and Eddie gently cradled her against his shoulders, his shirt soaking up her tears.
She wanted it to be like she had always seen it, the mother waiting patiently while doctors in unusually clean garb brought a tiny, wiggling, pink mass that was quiet with huge, glassy blue eyes and set it gently in the mother's arms, everything perfect.
Reality sucked.
"Jane." She could here Eddie's unusually calm voice floating into her ear and she slowly calmed her body-racking sobs, but did not lift her head. "She's alive, and healthy. That's all that matters."
He took her by the shoulders and made her look into his face, though she tried to twist away, he held her firm. "Jane, she's beautiful are you're beautiful and that will never change."
Jane couldn't help but smile through her tears as she once again collapsed against Eddie's chest to cry.
After venting her extra tears, she began to calm down again, Eddie gently settled her back in the bed, propping up the pillows so that Jane was somewhat sitting up. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as she saw them bringing the wiggling mass toward her.
Without taking her eyes off of her baby, Jane gently reached over and latched onto Eddie's arm and drug him down so he was squatting/sitting at the same height as Jane.
She reached out her hands as the doctors gently laid the baby in her arms, the tiny pink head with blue/green eyes peeked up out of a bundle of pink blankets and a couple strands of jet black hair shadowed her round head.
Eddie straightened up and leaned over to the side of Jane's head, admiring the tiny creature flexing tiredly in her mother's securing arms.
"What are we going to name her?" Eddie asked, smiling gently at the blue/green eyed pink thing that seemed to stifle a yawn and giggle silently back. He wagged a finger in front of her, and she latched onto it, his fingertip immediately lost in her mouth.
"I think…" Jane thought it over for a moment, ever so gently bouncing the new weight in her arms. "I'll call her China…"
"China…" Eddie let it ring through his ears as he brought his forehead against Jane's, looking at her from beneath his eyebrows and back to the baby with an agreeing nod.
Then he raised his head and kissed Jane delicately on the lips - the baby still orally latched to his finger - and agreed. "She's beautiful."
Health Freaks Are Going To Feel Stupid. Lying In Hospitals, Dying Of Nothing
"One more push," The doctor urged as Jane let out a scream, her face gleaming with sweat and tears.
A blue, paper sheet was laid across her knees so she couldn't see what was going on, but she did know that this hurt like hell.
She could see Eddie standing next to her and stroking her hair, but she couldn't feel his hand in her ironclad grip.
She felt like there was a building settling down on her stomach and the concrete foundation was slowly shifting and cutting off her legs.
With one final push, giving it everything she had left, she collapsed back in the bed, gasping for air and calming her screaming abdominal muscles. She watched as they carried away a small, pink mass.
After about five minutes, Jane had regained her breath and the room had turned desperately silent. The machines were off and the doctors had summoned Eddie over to them and were talking quietly amongst themselves.
"What?" Jane asked hoarsely as Eddie made a sad glance to her.
"What's going on? Why isn't she crying?" From everything she had learned, a baby was suppose to cry.
"Eddie, tell me what's wrong." Jane's voice turned frantic as she tried to push her beaten body from the bed, and Eddie immediately steered back towards her, pushing her carefully back into the bed and catching hold of her hand.
"Eddie, god dammit, tell me what's going on! Please!" Jane began to cry and trying to pull away from Eddie's hand.
"Jane, calm down." Eddie said chillingly. There was a strange stream of sadness playing through his eyes, but he had no emotion on his face.
Jane succumbed, trying to catch her sobs again as she quieted herself.
"There's a problem."
"Tell me." Jane whimpered
"Jane, she's deaf."
*MOO*
"Bu…Wha…what do you mean, deaf?"
It seemed absurd to her, she had followed every pregnant mother book she could get her hands on, she had eaten right, done no physical exertions, hadn't drunken alcohol, and even got Eddie to stop smoking, it seemed impossible.
"They're saying that the muscles in her ears didn't develop fully." Eddie translated for her, mentally cursing himself as he saw tears fill her eyes.
"But, I did everything…" Jane argued, as if that was going to change anything. "Everything! It can't be true! She can't be deaf. It's not fair!" Jane suddenly went into a fit of sobbing and Eddie gently cradled her against his shoulders, his shirt soaking up her tears.
She wanted it to be like she had always seen it, the mother waiting patiently while doctors in unusually clean garb brought a tiny, wiggling, pink mass that was quiet with huge, glassy blue eyes and set it gently in the mother's arms, everything perfect.
Reality sucked.
"Jane." She could here Eddie's unusually calm voice floating into her ear and she slowly calmed her body-racking sobs, but did not lift her head. "She's alive, and healthy. That's all that matters."
He took her by the shoulders and made her look into his face, though she tried to twist away, he held her firm. "Jane, she's beautiful are you're beautiful and that will never change."
Jane couldn't help but smile through her tears as she once again collapsed against Eddie's chest to cry.
After venting her extra tears, she began to calm down again, Eddie gently settled her back in the bed, propping up the pillows so that Jane was somewhat sitting up. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as she saw them bringing the wiggling mass toward her.
Without taking her eyes off of her baby, Jane gently reached over and latched onto Eddie's arm and drug him down so he was squatting/sitting at the same height as Jane.
She reached out her hands as the doctors gently laid the baby in her arms, the tiny pink head with blue/green eyes peeked up out of a bundle of pink blankets and a couple strands of jet black hair shadowed her round head.
Eddie straightened up and leaned over to the side of Jane's head, admiring the tiny creature flexing tiredly in her mother's securing arms.
"What are we going to name her?" Eddie asked, smiling gently at the blue/green eyed pink thing that seemed to stifle a yawn and giggle silently back. He wagged a finger in front of her, and she latched onto it, his fingertip immediately lost in her mouth.
"I think…" Jane thought it over for a moment, ever so gently bouncing the new weight in her arms. "I'll call her China…"
"China…" Eddie let it ring through his ears as he brought his forehead against Jane's, looking at her from beneath his eyebrows and back to the baby with an agreeing nod.
Then he raised his head and kissed Jane delicately on the lips - the baby still orally latched to his finger - and agreed. "She's beautiful."