Skeleton Beats the Clock

Chapter 7: Heart Dreams

"Zin Swada was...is such a dedicated and exceptional midwife. One of the youngest in her field completing her midwifery degree qualifying at the age of nineteen," the employer said walking through the hospital corridors with Pricilla alongside. "Completing your midwifery degree qualifying at the current age of eighteen and to be invited to Parliament earlier this year to discuss maternal mental health and maternity discrimination, you're quite impressive, too, dearie," the employer added glancing at Pricilla. Pricilla gave a gracious nod.

"I know Zin has worked here for a year already. And I'd only worked six months at this hospital before I left for Camp Hypnos but I assure you my recovery there won't interfere with my midwifery duties here. I can balance them both."

"I have no doubt you can. You did quite well when you were here. You were honest from the start about your reasons for requesting an absence. And you've only been gone for such a short time. Relax, Pricilla."

After finishing her dayshift in the delivery suite at the hospital, Pricilla stopped in the ICU to sit at Zin's bedside.

"There's been no change in the past week. I'm sorry," the doctor said to Pricilla.

The doctor left. Pricilla held back her tears. "Meron will be here tonight for a visit," she said clearing her throat. "I helped deliver so many newborns today I lost count. I was a bit nervous coming back here to hospital. But it's like I never left. I felt so at home. Being able to bless them with the Bone Doctrine again gave me peace of mind." Her brows furrowed. "Giving you back your doctrine should've awakened you by now, Zin."

"Code pink..." a voice said over the PA system. Pricilla rushed out of Zin's room, ran down the corridor as the alert continued, directing her to where the emergency is located. All the babies seemed to be crying simultaneously in their sleep. Nurses, doctors and other midwives swarmed the area tending to them.

"Let me see what's in plain sight, bring it in my purview. Light it with my firelight," she whispered amongst the chaos as she held one of the babies in her arms. Her voice illuminated a large black marshmallow ring encompassing the newborns. There was a salty stench in the air. "Keep this discovery from the naked eye, only let me see what's inside, set it alight. Protect all those new to life and those who give life to the world," at this calm urgency of her voice the dismal ring burned away leaving only the faint odor of smoke. The cries stopped and the babies' sleep sound again.

"We'd better move the newborns and their mothers to another floor, until we can find out where the smoky odor is coming from," one of the doctors advised.

After those patients were relocated, Pricilla checked the rest of the maternity and pediatric areas of the hospital before returning to Camp Hypnos. There seemed to be no sign of the entity.

The next day, the campers gathered at the lake on a hot July afternoon. Meron was on his riding lawn mower mowing the grass. He wore a face mask and googles on his eyes to keep the smell of and flying of grass from his nose, lungs and allergy eyes. He wore a wide brimmed sun hat with neck flap, long sleeved flannel shirt and jeans to keep the grass from irritating his skin.

"I've got the peppermint!" Stevfan shouted like a kid on Christmas morning, running down the lakeshore, holding an opened envelope in one hand and a wrapped blood red peppermint in the other. "I get to switch places with Benjamina Kafoshi, Selasi Herry and Rosegf Stybbs for a week on my favourite cooking show, The Great Qualinan Baking Kind of Show. I've been a member of their pen pal programme since I was six. Fans choose their favourite chef on the show to be pen pals with. I chose Rosegf Stybbs. We've been pen pals for twelve years. After the week is over, I get to cook a special dish with them in a live broadcast on the show."