Healing An Illness

Chapter 18

A couple of months later, it was time for the baby to be born. Mrs. Baker was in labour and the whole family was waiting in the waiting room while the doctors attended to her. A couple of hours later, some nurses walked by and each member of the family was trying desperately to get some information about Mrs. Baker and the baby, but it was all for naught. The nurses’ lips were sealed with their ‘I am very busy’ and ‘I need to go right now’ expressions. Mr. Baker was the one who was the most worried. At some point, he looked as if he was going to collapse, he was shaking all over, he took off his tie and buttoned the top two buttons on his white long sleeve shirt that went over his navy blue trousers.

The girls looked scared and tears were streaming down their cheeks, and as time went on, Felicia began to cry less and more, and she had to take over the role of eldest daughter and comfort her sisters, who were sitting on a long bench.
Mr. Baker’s mother sat on the bench, thinking about all the events of the past months, thinking about how unhappy her son was going to be without his daughter-in-law, thinking about how she was the cause of her daughter’s suffering because she kept insisting on a son. She was not thinking clearly at that moment.

While she was deep in thought, Mabel arrived with her husband; the girls were astonished that the woman who hated her mother could suddenly come to her senses when she was in such pain and suffering.

Mabel ignored them and tried to ask her father or mother how her sister-in-law was taking care of the baby, but of course, they were both too hurt to answer.

Mabel hugged her husband, Damien, who cradled her in his arms and rubbed her back as tears rolled down her cheeks.

The doctor finally arrived to meet them in the waiting room and asked for Mr. Baker. Mr. Baker was on his feet as soon as he saw the doctor and walked over to him to hear what the doctor had to say about his wife.

The doctor told Mr. Baker that Mrs. Baker had not been able to push and that he would like to give the go-ahead for the Caesarean to be performed.

Before Mr. Baker could say anything, his mother jumped on the table and informed him that no one in his family had ever had a baby by Caesarean but by natural birth.

Mr. Baker was angry while the girls expression was twisted, one of complete contempt and confusion.

He told his mother to get out of the hospital or he would find a nasty way to drive her out of the hospital and out of their lives forever and told her that he meant it.

With that, the doctor excused himself from the room and left them to work out their differences.
Mr Baker’s mother was discharged from the hospital. This time Mabel supported her brother’s decision, not contradicting his mother’s words or the doctor’s instructions. Mr Baker soon signed some (consent) documents to allow the doctor to perform the caesarean. The Baker’s stayed at the hospital until the next morning, but the doctor was still not out of the theatre room.

Mabel and Damien went home to change their clothes and eat, returning three hours later.

The girls still sat, looking very unhappy as time went on.