midwife » michael gray. [completed]

CHAPTER ONE.

→ CHAPTER ONE; FIRST MEETING. 

For a brief moment, Michael thought that the young woman who was down the side of an alley was a working girl until he saw the uniform that she was wearing. It was an easy mistake; she was down the side of an alley, the sweat that had gathered was covering her forehead and causing her hair to become a wild mess as brown locks fell down the side of her face, make-up smudged, and her breath was departing her frame at a rapid and worrying pace.

He should have overlooked the young woman and walked forward until he returned home - wherever that was - but a part of him was fascinated. The night was cold, and the girl was shivering as she struggled to light the cigarette that was dangling from her pouted lips. There was a look of defeat on her face from what Michael could see, he only managed to briefly see her face before the lighter stopped glowing up her heavenly features.

Michael himself was not one to judge the poor women's appearance, he looked a mess, just not as bad as the shadowy girl. Rather large splatters of blood were on his face from the bar fight that him and Isaiah had previously been in. Some blood was on his face, the other guys came out worse, but there were still a few open wounds that could easily be mended with some boiled water and good care - also, a lot of liquor. Isaiah had wondered away after the fight, most likely with a girl attached to his side, leaving Michael to find his own way back home despite being half-drunk and unaware of his surroundings.

After a few moments of debating with himself mutely, Michael finally sauntered down the alley with as much self-confidence as he could muster together until he was directly face-to-face with the young woman. For a moment, she looked afraid of Michael's presence. The other midwives had advised her not to talk to strange men in the dead of night, especially around the rough areas but there was something different about the man in front of her, she could tell instantaneously. She looked down quickly and spotted his blood-spattered knuckles, but his face was a contrast to the bright red knuckles. His face had innocence hidden deep in the features, but the purity was fading, and it was going fast.

"Would you like to use my lighter?" Michael asked as he reached into his pocket. The girl slowly nodded before taking the lighter from his hand when he had retrieved it. The young woman swiftly lit the cigarette before handing it back to the man in front of her. She expected him to just be a friendly man and walk away but after she had puffed on her cigarette a few times, he was still stood in front of her. His hands were placed in his trouser pockets and he was leaning back slightly so he could get a better view. "I'm Michael Gray."

The girl looked at him before smiling. "Hannah Anderson. Thank you for the cigarette. Mine needs filling up with some gas but one of the..."

Hannah trailed off as she spotted Michael screwing up his face, which alarmed her, before slowly reaching up to wipe away some blood from underneath her eyes. "Busy night?" He asked, inspecting the traces of blood that were now on his shirt sleeve.

Hannah's eyelids dropped slightly as she thought about the baby that she had just delivered. It had been draining for everybody involved. It was her first time delivering a baby on her own without any help from other midwives, medics or trained nurses. A breach baby was not what she anticipated for her first time but when the baby eventually arrived into the world, and the sound of crying and screaming was heard, Hannah's own life became complete.

"You could say that," she chuckled, leaning her head on the cold brick wall behind her. Even though the cold weather was causing her to shake slightly, she did not feel the harshness. Her body was on fire with a mixture of enthusiasm and courage. "I delivered my first baby tonight, all on my own. It was breach and lasted a lot longer than it should have done but when I saw the baby in his mother's arms, his father proudly looking down and beaming, I knew that it was worth the agonising pain and fear. They named the baby Lucas, after the mother's father." Hannah did not know why she was chatting to the random man in front of her, but she was thrilled and wanted to share her story with someone. By the time she got back to the convent, all the other midwives would be fast asleep or with their own patients. "I'm sorry, I am just so excited and happy." she whispered with a little giggle.

Michael waved his hands in the air and smiled. "No, it's interesting. I'm glad that you are passionate about something because it's not very often you find that. Women nowadays rely on their husbands and the money that they bring in too much, it's nice to see someone that is independent." In Michael's head, the words sounded stupid as they fell from his mouth, but he was a nervous wreck for some odd reason and he couldn't take the words back, not now. A smile was plastered on Hannah's face as she sucked on the end of the cigarette.

"I guess I am very lucky. I'm sure that things will change one day, and women will be able to get jobs with no trouble." Hannah sighed before eyeing Michael up with concern. "What has happened to your face if you don't mind me asking?" Hannah reached up to run her finger underneath the cut. It was not too deep and could be treated at home, but it didn't stop her from being concerned. Michael looked guiltless in comparison to the other men that strolled around Birmingham but looks were deceiving and, she knew nothing about Michael and his background.

Not wanting Hannah to be put off, at least not yet, Michael came up with the best fib that he could think of when he was under-pressure. "Me and Isaiah, my friend, we were messing about and he caught me, it's no big deal."

Hannah didn't believe him, but she decided not to pursue her concerns. She had taken a liking to Michael in the short few minutes that she had known him and oddly, she did not want to think badly of him. From the injuries he had sustained, it was blatantly obvious that he had been in some brutal bar fight. "You should be more careful. It could have been a lot worse and you wouldn't want it to get infected because then you would be in big trouble. I believe I have some wipes in my bag that will help reduce the chance of infections, but it can be treated - "

"It's fine," he interrupted, raising his hand slightly. "You talk a lot," he said mischievously.

Hannah looked down in embarrassment before shrugging her shoulders. "I'm just so happy that tonight was successful. I didn't think it was going to end well but it did and I'm so thankful."

"I like that you talk a lot. It saves me having to do it and messing up." Michael laughed, his own embarrassment rising but Hannah was too in awe to notice. While Michael tried to compose himself, and regain the self-confidence that was lacking, Hannah was secretly trying to find another cigarette in her uniform pocket, so she could stay and chat for longer. "Have you lost something, Hannah?" Michael asked, his rough accent coming through.

"No, it's fine." Hannah threw the smoked cigarette on the floor before stomping her heel of her shoe on the glowing end. "It was nice to meet you, Michael Gray. Please go and clean up those injuries because it's ruining that face of yours."

"And it was nice to meet you as well, Hannah Anderson." Michael gave her quick nod before turning around to walk back only but quickly stopped himself and turned back to Hannah who collecting her bag from the floor. "I might bump into you again in the near future. My cousin has a habit of getting his wife pregnant every single year."

Hannah chuckled before licking her lips. "I will see you soon."

authors note; hi. ok, so here is the first chapter. i hope you all enjoy it. please vote, comment and leave feedback because it's encouraging. thank you.