Avenoir

Avenoir - Laura

Laura

My appointment was a no-show, which is annoying but also gives me time to think. There is something bothering me. Something more than Kristen being a devious troll, and something more than John and Marlena being sweet but frustrating and adorable idiots.

I wander back to the nursery, trying to work out what it is that is niggling at me, and I see a woman whom I don't recognize standing and looking at the babies, a look of loss and longing on her... well, her unfortunate face. I try not to be judgemental but homely is probably the kindest statement I could come up with to describe her.

I stand next to her at the nursery window and watch the babies. John Jr. is sleeping now, his little face scrunched in what I hope is contentment and not discomfort.

I hear my companion whimper next to me and I look at her, side-on. She really is quite ugly, but there is something about her that makes me feel uneasy. There is something... I don't know what it is.

"Do you know one of the babies in the nursery?" I ask her softly.

"Ma bayby," she says in a very twangy southern accent. "Ma Elvis Jr."

"Oh," I look at her again. She is not a patient here, she's not wearing a hospital gown, nor does she sport a statband around her wrist. She wears a dowdy, oversized denim pinafore and an old gray cardigan peppered with pilling bobbles. "Is he..." I look back at the field of pink and blue hats. "When did you have him?"

"Yesterdaaay," she draws out the word, as though it is stretching around her unfortunate bucked teeth. "Ma bayby, he's sick." With that, she seems to suffer a dizzy spell and I catch her as her knees start to buckle.

"Shouldn't you still be in hospital?" I ask her, concerned as I lead her over to the chairs where I spoke to Marlena earlie,r and help her sit down. "If you've just had a baby, you need to let the doctors monitor you. And they can bring him to you. You don't have to come down here."

"No!" she shakes her head, her stringy brown hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Ah can't...." She looks at me and I get the impression that she is suddenly very afraid. She bites her lip and squeezes my hand before pulling it away. "You're very kind an' all. But ah need to be goin' now."

"No!" I clutch at her hand. "I'm concerned about you. I think you need to be seen by a doctor."

"Ah'm fine," she gives me a watery smile as she stands. "Ah just needed to check on ma boy. But ah need to go."

"Wait!" I call after her as she skitters down the hall, her shoulders hunched over. "What's your name?"

"Soo-san," she turns and gives me an awkward smile, revealing her awful teeth in all their protruding glory. "Soo-san Banks."