The blue scraf

The blue scarf

She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf. Janette could barely think as she tried to gulp down her latté. The adrenaline that still raced through her nerves did nothing to unfreeze her mind. She had never imagined that her first project would be her own child. How cruel the world was.
She stared down at her scarf, which held the blood-splattered knife. Her child's blood. Her little baby's blood.

The flashes came back again and again. They wouldn't go away.
She had skinned her baby alive. She had seen the absolute terror in her frozen eyes.
Suddenly all those memories came rushing at her.
Joy's first giggle.
Her first word.
Her first step.
Her monkeyness.
Her stubborness.
Her tantrums.
It all seemed centuries ago.
Then came the nightmares.
When she had been angry on Joy just because she'd had a long day at work. That once when she had slapped her, hard. When she had been angry with her for being childish, afterall her little Joy was a child.
Tears streamed down her face relentlessly. She didn't even notice.
Janette was now in her own little hell.
She held her head in her arms before slumping completely.
Timothy, her retriever licked her soothingly.
And then the images started.

She had been transferred to Princetown and the shifting had been completed. Her little baby had been admant on the purple wallpapers and the princess canopy bed. She had given her everything. Everything her little baby ever wanted.

That evening as the last of the boxes were delivered, Janette lay down on the new sofa set as Joy raced down the stairs and clammered onto her tummy.
"Mummy, please lets go see the garden. I want to go on the huge swings we saw yesterday. Lets go, mumma. Lets go!", said Joy, who had been keen on investigating her new neighbourhood the moment they had arrived. "Not today, baby. Mum's really tired. Daddy's on his way, you can take him when he comes," she had sighed, amazed at the amount of energy that coursed through her little girl's body.
"Mumma, please please please. Pretty please?", Joy had cried, opening her huge brown eyes beckoning the very spirit of motherhood to take her to the gardens. "Oh, Joy," Janette sighed happily kissing her forehead and then picking her up princess style. "To the park we go!", she announced tickling Joy. Joy yelped giggling loudly. "Stop! Stop, mum!".
They quickly put on their shoes, put Timothy on her lead and then raced through the lane to the park which was a few blocks away.
Janette sat Joy on the swing and pushed her up. "Higher! Higher!," Joy cried.
After a good 15 mins, Joy clammered down. "Look mumma! Ice cream van!," she cried out in happiness. "Joy! No sweets this late.", she had told her sternly. "Mummy, once. Just this once!",she pleaded. Oh, she was so sweet. "This one last time, okay? Race you to the van, girl!".
Joy's hand slipped out of her arms as she ran ahead, wanting to win the race. Janette fell back, looking at her proudly as Joy ran ahead. Joy had almost reached the road when she turned around to see where her mum was.
Janette yelled in horror as a car crashed into Joy's little frame. She watched her baby's body recoil at such a force and saw her eyes frozen in terror, not yet comprehending what had happened. She watched her baby fall in a heap as the car screeched to a halt and the driver came running out. Timothy was barking madly and she was propelled forward as it ran towards her mistress. The driver had picked up her baby and put her in the back seat. "Are you the mother?", he asked, his voice panicky and his face beaded in sweat. She must have nodded because he pushed her in the passenger seat and drove her to the the Princetown hospital.

"Dr. Janette! What are you doing here?," asked the receptionist. Looking at the little girl in the man's arms, the receptionist's eyes widened in horror as she yelled into her microphone," Strecher to entrance 2. Stretcher to entrance 2."
Janette stood transfixed as two helpers put Joy onto the stretcher lift her up and run towards the emergency theatre.

"Dr. Janette! Are you listening?! There is no doctor availabe right now. You will have to take it. Janette, go! Go! Go! Go!".
The doctor in her snapped in action.
She broke away from the shock and commanded the receptionist. "Ana, call Dr. Vikram and Dr. Mehnaz. Tell them its an emergency. Get them to be here within twenty minutes". And then she ran to the theatre.

Before she started the check-up and what she feared, surgery, she did something she hadn't done in a long, long time. She closed her eyes and prayed.

After what seemed like hours, Dr. Mehnaz gently pushed Janette away and told her to rest. "I've got it, don't worry," she'd whispered soothingly.
And then she had been led away by Ana still holding the bloody knife that now lay on the table besides her. She sat her down in the waiting room but Janette had needed to get away.
She had walked out to the Café where she relived everything again and again.

Her latté had turned cold. Somebody had draped a shawl over her.

She didn't even realize when her husband joined her.
He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He silently came over and put his arms around her. His strong arms held her. That was all she needed and the tears sprung free again.
They silently cried together, beseeching god to save their little one's life.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Mehnaz came to Janette.
"Jane? Are you okay?", she asked pulling both of them in a hug.
"Is my baby alive? Is she going to die? Can i see her for the last time? Can i touch her?", sobbed Janette.

"You stupid girl, you stupid girl," Mehnaz said, as tears streamed down her face as well.
"She's okay", Mehnaz whispered,
"She just had a good cut and a fractured leg. She'll live. But by the way you are crying i am afraid you are going to need a CT scan later," she
scolded.
But Janette didn't hear all of that.
"My baby's going to be okay?", she asked again, as if it was too much to apprehend.
"Yes, dodo!", Mehnaz said smiling.
"Jay! Do you hear that! Our baby's going to live! Our baby's okay!", Janette danced.
All of them were smiling like crazy psychos as they left the café.

Janette stood over Joy, ruffling her hair for the hundreth time.
Joy had kept turning and twisting all night long, probably hung up in a nightmare but all Janette could do was kiss her and keep her warm. She didn't know what would happen when Joy woke up. Would she be able to bear the pain? Janette physically shivered at the thought of her baby in so much pain.

Joy suddenly opened her eyes.
"Mum?", she whimpered.
"Oh baby!," cried Janette, literally flunging herself onto Joy. "Mum, where are we? Where's daddy? Mum, can i have an icec cream? You promised me you would let me have one!", cried the toddler.
Janette grinned in relief.
"Oh you stupid girl! You almost scared Mumma and Dadda to death! Promise me you'll never run away like that again!", whimpered Janette, starting to cry again, as Jay came forward to hug his little girl. "You stupid little thing! I love you so much!," he told her, hugging her tight.
"Mum, my leg hurts but my tummy hearts worse. I am hungry, mama", Joy cried.
"You always are," laughed Janette as she left the room to get her little girl the thing she liked the most.

Janette entered Joy's hospital room with the biggest Dark chocolate fudge ice cream box she could find. The corridor nurse had been giving her the bad eye for getting such things in the children's ward but she didn't care about rules right now. All she cared about was seeing Joy happy.

Janette had left Joy telling Jay all about her accident. Every few minutes the incedent changed, when finally Joy had come to terms that she had fallen trying to save Timothy from the crash, the naughty little girl!

As soon as Janette entered, Joy screamed in absolute delight seeing the huge box of ice cream.
Jay rolled his eyes as Joy lunged for the box, giving Janette a bonecrushing hug. Jay rolled his eyes at Joy's antics and put his arms around his soulmate. He kissed her lightly and sat her down on the sofa as they both watched their little parcel of happiness enjoy her ice cream.
"Mum! This is the best ice cream ever! Ever! Ever!", Joy groaned licking the box lid.
"You dirty monkey," scolded her mum as Joy force-fed them both with the ice cream.

"Mum? You know what?", said little Joy as she licked the ice cream off her spoon.
"Yes, baby?", said her parents together.
"I sure like ice cream," she stated hugging them both.
" but I like you even more that Dark chocolate Fudge, swear!"