Father Simon rushed into the hospital ward; Gus greeted him with a worried expression. Nurses and doctors rushed around the tiled floor; the machines beeped loudly, the lines spiking up and down rapidly.
On the bed, Gladys was rigid, her body vibrating wildly. Her mouth was open. Blood curdling screams escaped her mouth, her eyes were rolled back in their sockets and her veins had turned black. A nurse held on to her on either side, while another injected sedatives into her drip.
"It's not working! We need more sedatives!" Doctor Yussuf barked over his shoulder. A nurse scampered off.
"Make way," Father Simon said, making his way up to Gladys's hospital bed through the frenzy of hospital attendants.
Doctor Yussuf reached for the old man. "Father, don't-"
The man placed his Bible on her chest. She arched her back, her hands breaking free from the two nurses. She gasped for breath then her neck snapped towards the priest. She spat at him.
"Gustav is mine!" Her eyes rolled back into position, all colour gone. They searched the room for Gustav.
Father Simon poured holy water on her face. He drew a cross on her forehead, gripped her head with both hands and began to pray. She struggled to free herself from his firm grip. She screamed, her skin seering under his hot touch.
"Unhand me!"
Gladys reached out to scratch him but he tightened his grip, shaking her hear and causing her to scream yet again. Her eyes rolled back once again and she stopped.
Father Simon let go, but continued to pray. Everybody else had stepped away from the bed. Gus stood in a corner with his head in his hands.
The beeping stopped.
Gladys shot up and a thick black liquid poured out of her mouth. The smell of rotten fish and low tide took over the room. People found themselves gagging and gasping for fresh air. The murky liquid filled the hospital bed and dripped to the floor. Everyone watched in horror.
Slowly, the black in her veins began to fade away and her eyes were back in place. Gladys scrunched her face in disgust when she took a taste of whatever substance was in her mouth. It was on her bed too. She scanned the room for a familiar face among the many scared ones that looked at her, all drained of colour.
Gus strode over, picking his pace as he neared her. He took her in his arms, and she immediately gave away to tears. She shook there. He ran his hand through her hair and rocked her.
"Shh... Shh... It's okay now. Everything is going to be alright."
*
Gladys leaned back into the body of the man she loves. She nuzzled closer, shutting her eyes as he kissed her forehead. She had missed this. This was right. This was very right. This was the way it should be. This was-
"Mama!"
-over.
She opened her eyes to face the miniature clone of Gustav, Jonathan. The two-year-old threw himself into his mother's open arms and wrapped his arms around her neck. It was impossible for her not to fall in love with the dear child.
"Tu est trè mignon enfant, Jonathan..."
As much as she loved the child, she couldn't fight him feeling foreign to her. She wanted a child with Gustav. One that felt more her own.
"I did not know you speak French, Gladys," Gus commented with a chuckle.
Her mind flashed to her ghostly encounter. She did not know just how much she loved him until then. She was glad she won. She always won. She smirked and shook her head. Boy, was she glad to feel alive again.
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
FIN
