Two hours later, a loud squeal of a cry came from the other side of the bathroom door. Both Rick and Jonathan stopped their pacing and stood staring at the door. Seconds ticked by as their hearts pounded louder and louder. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes seemed to turn into hours then finally, the door began to open.
After what seemed like an eternity to Rick, Sister Katherine emerged from the bathroom with a fluffy, cotton white bundle in her arms.
"You have a son" she announced as she held the baby out for Rick to see.
Rick stood transfixed for a moment and his breathing became labored as excitement, pure excitement began to run through his veins. He had a kid, a son. He could hardly believe it. He was a father. He did not believe it.
Then he saw the bundle begin to squirm and a tiny fist rise out of the fluffy, cotton white towel.
"He's an active one for a newborn" Sister Katherine commented with a smile as she looked at the infant in her arms.
Still transfixed but not completely immobile, Rick reached out and touched the little fist with his finger. Tears began to unashamedly slide down his cheeks as Rick felt the soft skin. Then watery eyes traveled to the tiny face. Tiny eyes were shut tight. A tiny nose breathed air in and out. Tiny cheeks blushed a rosy red. Tiny lips seemed to grin mischievously.
"He's a cheeky little fellow" Uncle Jon observed from next to Rick as he gazed in amazement at his new nephew.
"Would you like to hold him now?" Sister Katherine asked Rick, still keeping her eyes on the baby.
"OH heavens no!" Jonathan answered as he backed up a step. "Afraid I might drop the little tike. Evy'd never forgive me for that. No. No. I'd better pass."
"Richard?" Sister Katherine inquired again, looking up at Rick.
"Ah..." Rick stuttered, more frightened than Jonathan. "I'd better... I'd better wait for Evy. When can I see Evy" Rick looked up from his son to Sister Katherine.
"Sister Abigail is taking care of her now. Do you have a bassinet?"
"Yes ma'am. In the bedroom" Rick said then lead Sister Katherine back to his and Evelyn's bedroom.
"I need to put fresh linens on the bed" Sister Katherine said after she set the baby in the bassinet.
"Jonathan" Rick said as he peeked inside the bassinet.
"Right" Jonathan said, knowing Rick was ordering him to get the bed sheets for Sister Katherine.
Jonathan left to get the fresh bed sheets and returned in a matter of moments. Rick was still standing and staring down at his new son. Both father and uncle stood glued next to the bassinet while Sister Katherine stripped the bed then put the fresh sheets on it. After Sister Katherine finished making the bed, she told Rick that she was going back to help Sister Abigail with Evelyn.
Rick and Jonathan stood gazing down at the baby until Sister Katherine returned to retrieve the baby.
"The little one needs to suckle" Sister Katherine announced as she picked up the baby.
Rick and Jonathan watched as Sister Katherine lifted the baby from the bassinet and left the room. Both men stayed in the room, Rick sitting on the bed and Jonathan pacing the floor, until Sister Abigail appeared at the door.
"Richard" Sister Abigail called and Rick turned toward her. "I need your help with Evelyn."
Rick did not hesitate. He leaped off the bed and practically ran past Sister Abigail. When he burst into the bathroom, he stopped in his tracks. Evelyn was lying in the tub, naked. Her eyes were closed and she looked pale. So pale, almost like she was... dead.
"I need to you help me dress her" Sister Abigail said as she rounded Rick and passed Sister Katherine, who was holding the baby.
"What's wrong with her?" Rick asked, still standing just inside the doorway. "Why does she look so pale? Why isn't she awake?" he asked anxiously.
"Quickly Richard" Sister Abigail said as she grabbed the towel she had been using and bent down next to the bathtub. "I want to get her dry and dressed."
Rick snapped out of his semi trance and rushed, heart pounding over to help Sister Abigail with Evelyn. Rick worked silently as he did what Sister Abigail commanded. Once Evelyn was dried and dressed, Rick lifted her out of the tub and turned and walked out of the bathroom.
"Evy!" Jonathan said excitedly when Rick entered the room. "What's wrong?" he asked apprehensively when he saw his deathly pale sister in her husband's arms. "What's wrong with my sister?" he asked anxiously, his heart pounding with dread as he watched Rick lay Evelyn in the bed and pulled the covers up over her chest.
"Heaven only knows what that quack of a doctor did" Sister Abigail said quite vehemently. "Because of the complication of the birth" Sister Abigail continued in a softer tone. "Evelyn lost a lot of blood. She is very weak."
"Will she... when will..." Rick, who had sat down next to Evelyn, asked in a cracked voice as he stroked the side of her face. "When will she wake up?"
Sister Abigail was silent for harrowing moments.
Rick refused to ask 'if' she would wake up. It had to be 'when' she would wake up.
"When will she wake up Sister Abigail?" Rick pleaded softly, desperately as anguished tears began to streak down his cheeks.
"Son" Sister Abigail began, regret filtering through her voice. "I wish I could but... honestly... I can not say."
"She has to wake up" Rick tearfully insisted as he gazed at her ashen face. "She has too..." he said, not to anyone particular.
The next moments, hours went by in a haze for Rick. He was oblivious to everything and everybody else in the room except Evelyn.
He barely noticed when Sister Katherine, then Sister Abigail left the room. He did not notice when Jonathan left the room. He barely heard when the baby would begin to cry. In a daze he would watch as either Sister Abigail or Sister Katherine would lift the crying baby from the bassinet and place him at his mother's breast.
Two days had passed and Evelyn still had not woken up. Two days had passed since Rick pulled the rocking next to the bed and took Evelyn's hand in his.
For two days, he sat looking at his wife, pleading with her to come back to him.
"Richard" he heard Sister Abigail's voice. "Richard, I'm sorry. She's gone."
After what seemed like an eternity to Rick, Sister Katherine emerged from the bathroom with a fluffy, cotton white bundle in her arms.
"You have a son" she announced as she held the baby out for Rick to see.
Rick stood transfixed for a moment and his breathing became labored as excitement, pure excitement began to run through his veins. He had a kid, a son. He could hardly believe it. He was a father. He did not believe it.
Then he saw the bundle begin to squirm and a tiny fist rise out of the fluffy, cotton white towel.
"He's an active one for a newborn" Sister Katherine commented with a smile as she looked at the infant in her arms.
Still transfixed but not completely immobile, Rick reached out and touched the little fist with his finger. Tears began to unashamedly slide down his cheeks as Rick felt the soft skin. Then watery eyes traveled to the tiny face. Tiny eyes were shut tight. A tiny nose breathed air in and out. Tiny cheeks blushed a rosy red. Tiny lips seemed to grin mischievously.
"He's a cheeky little fellow" Uncle Jon observed from next to Rick as he gazed in amazement at his new nephew.
"Would you like to hold him now?" Sister Katherine asked Rick, still keeping her eyes on the baby.
"OH heavens no!" Jonathan answered as he backed up a step. "Afraid I might drop the little tike. Evy'd never forgive me for that. No. No. I'd better pass."
"Richard?" Sister Katherine inquired again, looking up at Rick.
"Ah..." Rick stuttered, more frightened than Jonathan. "I'd better... I'd better wait for Evy. When can I see Evy" Rick looked up from his son to Sister Katherine.
"Sister Abigail is taking care of her now. Do you have a bassinet?"
"Yes ma'am. In the bedroom" Rick said then lead Sister Katherine back to his and Evelyn's bedroom.
"I need to put fresh linens on the bed" Sister Katherine said after she set the baby in the bassinet.
"Jonathan" Rick said as he peeked inside the bassinet.
"Right" Jonathan said, knowing Rick was ordering him to get the bed sheets for Sister Katherine.
Jonathan left to get the fresh bed sheets and returned in a matter of moments. Rick was still standing and staring down at his new son. Both father and uncle stood glued next to the bassinet while Sister Katherine stripped the bed then put the fresh sheets on it. After Sister Katherine finished making the bed, she told Rick that she was going back to help Sister Abigail with Evelyn.
Rick and Jonathan stood gazing down at the baby until Sister Katherine returned to retrieve the baby.
"The little one needs to suckle" Sister Katherine announced as she picked up the baby.
Rick and Jonathan watched as Sister Katherine lifted the baby from the bassinet and left the room. Both men stayed in the room, Rick sitting on the bed and Jonathan pacing the floor, until Sister Abigail appeared at the door.
"Richard" Sister Abigail called and Rick turned toward her. "I need your help with Evelyn."
Rick did not hesitate. He leaped off the bed and practically ran past Sister Abigail. When he burst into the bathroom, he stopped in his tracks. Evelyn was lying in the tub, naked. Her eyes were closed and she looked pale. So pale, almost like she was... dead.
"I need to you help me dress her" Sister Abigail said as she rounded Rick and passed Sister Katherine, who was holding the baby.
"What's wrong with her?" Rick asked, still standing just inside the doorway. "Why does she look so pale? Why isn't she awake?" he asked anxiously.
"Quickly Richard" Sister Abigail said as she grabbed the towel she had been using and bent down next to the bathtub. "I want to get her dry and dressed."
Rick snapped out of his semi trance and rushed, heart pounding over to help Sister Abigail with Evelyn. Rick worked silently as he did what Sister Abigail commanded. Once Evelyn was dried and dressed, Rick lifted her out of the tub and turned and walked out of the bathroom.
"Evy!" Jonathan said excitedly when Rick entered the room. "What's wrong?" he asked apprehensively when he saw his deathly pale sister in her husband's arms. "What's wrong with my sister?" he asked anxiously, his heart pounding with dread as he watched Rick lay Evelyn in the bed and pulled the covers up over her chest.
"Heaven only knows what that quack of a doctor did" Sister Abigail said quite vehemently. "Because of the complication of the birth" Sister Abigail continued in a softer tone. "Evelyn lost a lot of blood. She is very weak."
"Will she... when will..." Rick, who had sat down next to Evelyn, asked in a cracked voice as he stroked the side of her face. "When will she wake up?"
Sister Abigail was silent for harrowing moments.
Rick refused to ask 'if' she would wake up. It had to be 'when' she would wake up.
"When will she wake up Sister Abigail?" Rick pleaded softly, desperately as anguished tears began to streak down his cheeks.
"Son" Sister Abigail began, regret filtering through her voice. "I wish I could but... honestly... I can not say."
"She has to wake up" Rick tearfully insisted as he gazed at her ashen face. "She has too..." he said, not to anyone particular.
The next moments, hours went by in a haze for Rick. He was oblivious to everything and everybody else in the room except Evelyn.
He barely noticed when Sister Katherine, then Sister Abigail left the room. He did not notice when Jonathan left the room. He barely heard when the baby would begin to cry. In a daze he would watch as either Sister Abigail or Sister Katherine would lift the crying baby from the bassinet and place him at his mother's breast.
Two days had passed and Evelyn still had not woken up. Two days had passed since Rick pulled the rocking next to the bed and took Evelyn's hand in his.
For two days, he sat looking at his wife, pleading with her to come back to him.
"Richard" he heard Sister Abigail's voice. "Richard, I'm sorry. She's gone."