The sky was grey and cloudy outside Lovelace Medical Center. Ursala lay propped up in the delivery room bed, white-knuckled grip on the side rails. A thin sheet was draped over her legs from the waist down. Viktor stood by her left side, hat clutched in calloused hands.
Viktor worked the shoe stitching machines down at Guthrie Industries, had ever since arriving in America after the war. It was grueling work, hunched over sewing leather all day under flickering fluorescents. The pay wasn't much but it kept a roof over their heads and food on the table, which was more than some got.
He puffed occasionally on a Lucky Strike, tapping ashes into a bedpan they'd provided. His broad shoulders and thick forearms spoke to years of physical labor. A lingering German accent still flavored his speech on occasion, though he'd become a naturalized citizen last year.
"Nearly there now," said Doctor Harper. Ursala lay propped up in the delivery room bed, white-knuckled grip on the side rails. A thin sheet was draped over her legs from the waist down. Viktor stood by her left side, hat in hands. He puffed occasionally on a Lucky Strike, tapping ashes into a bedpan they'd provided.
"Nearly there now," said Doctor Harper, masked and gloved at the foot of the bed. Ursala grimaced and bore down as another contraction hit. Harper nodded approvingly. "Good, good. I can see the top of the head. Just a few more big pushes."
Ursala complied, teeth gritted. Viktor studied the pattern in the tile floor intently. After some huffing and puffing, the cry of a newborn split the air.
"It's a boy!" announced Harper proudly. A nurse whisked the squalling bundle away to clean him up. Ursala collapsed back against the pillows in a heap.
Viktor stamped out his cigarette. "Well, what do you think for a name, dear?"
Ursala blinked wearily up at the ceiling. "Walter," she replied at length. "Walter Hartwell White."
Viktor shrugged, hands finding their way back into his pockets. "Walter it is then. Welcome to the world, son." Another typical day in good ol' Albuquerque.
