The Birth

7 years ago

The Birth

She didn't know when Georgiana arrived. All she heard was her scream and felt Jules' hands wrapping around her.

Her eyes we're closing. It was too much work to keep them open. Surely, surely she had the right to rest a bit.

Hands patted her cheeks.

"Open you eyes, Sana. Open your eyes.", Georgiana begged.

"Baby.", she whispered.

" Save....save...my baby...."

"Don't close your eyes, Sana. If you lose consciousness, it's over. You have to strong for the baby.", she kept saying.

But, she couldn't be strong. It hurt....so much.

I couldn't even move.

" Get the car!", Georgiana shouted.

They must be taking her to the hospital. Her hands were an iron grip on her belly.

Somebody lifted her up. The storm was still raging outside. The rain was furious. The skies were weeping.

She could see through her blurry vision, the interior of the car. Her head lay on Georgiana's lap.

"Save the baby", she whispered.

" It's okay. It's all okay. The baby will be fine. You will be fine.", she whispered.

Hot drops landed on my face. Was Georgiana crying?

The world was dizzy.

"Hurry! Jules", Georgiana shouted. " She can't hold on much longer."

"I can't go faster than this. There is no visibility in the fucking storm!", she shouted back to be heard over the wind.

I moaned.

" Shhh! ", she soothed me. " You have been so strong. You have been so brave. A moment longer."

But, she was fast losing grip on reality. Was this how she was supposed to die?

Her tiny office came into her mind. That was her last thought.

Moments later the world went black again.

"Sana, Sana! Open your eyes! God fucking dammit!", Georgiana exclaimed in despair. She checked the pulse on her wrist. It was weak. Her heart was slowing down from bloss loss.

Clenching Jules' shoulder in the driver's seat.

"Jules, we're never going to make it to the hospital.", she said. The storm was intensifying outside. "She's gonna die. We're never gonna make it in this weather. She has already lost consciousness twice. "

"Let me think.", Jules said. "What is the next best place you can think of? She must have said something? Georgiana? Think. "

Her mind was already racing. The hospital was a no go. Where else could she deliver? Where else could there be women trained enough to deliver babies?

"I got it! She.....she used to visit an order of nuns. Sisters of St. John, I think. They are trained nurses. She once spoke of then.....they were kind to her when she came in as an immigrant. She used to volunteer at that church. They might....they might know what to do."

"The Sisters of St. John....I think I know where it is.", Jules said with increasing urgency in her tone.

She checked the street sign on the corner.

" That's five minutes down the road.", she said relieved. It was a miracle! A sheer miracle!

"We can't drive.", she said. " There's no way, I can control the car. We have to take her walking."

As best as she could she wrapped Sana up in a blanket to protect her from the rain a bit. It wasn't going to help but at least it was protection.

"Sana", she whispered.

Her boss's white chaped lips moved soundlessly.

"Sana, we are going to lift you up, querida. You will be fine. We are going to take care of you, I promise. Please try to hold up. ", she said and kissed her hand.

Jules locked the car and came to the back to help her hold Sana. Both of them lifted her up between their shoulders and in the roaring rain and the fast blowing wind, they set out on the deserted road for the most crucial walk of their lives.

The walk that would determine two lives. Only Someone watched from above as the skies broke down crying and the thunder screamed.

_________

Georgiana had never been so scared before. Carrying her bleeding, pregnant boss on her shoulders was not how she envisioned spending her Wednesday night. It was the single most horrific thing she had seen in her life. The wind was so strong that her eyes closed involuntarily. Sana's head was lolling on her shoulders. There was no way to know if they would even make it to the church. They progressed slowly against the ferocious storm.

But they didn't stop. Jules and Georgiana didn't stop when something huge, probably a tin shed came flying out of nowhere and scared the living soul out of them. They didn't stop when their legs were leaden weights refusing to move.

They didn't stop and they made it to the door of the church.

Her entire skirt was soaked from Sana's blood and her hands were red too. Georgiana was shaking from the emotional exertion. The surroundings seemed blurry. It was probably shock.

"Help! Somebody please help!", she screamed at the top of her voice banging on the great iron door in the front. Her hands left bloody prints on the surface. The frame vibrated like a great bell.

"Open the door! ", she screamed on top of the voice. She banged on the door for what felt like hours while Jules held on tightly to Sana.

Then as if some spell had been unleashed on the door it open from the inside like open sesame with a great, painful cringe.

Two shell-shocked sisters stood on the other side. Georgiana cried in relief at their side. One had an electric light in her hand.

She fell on her knees involuntarily.

"Help! Please help us!", she begged.

The sisters saw her bloody hands and immediately realised something was very wrong. They poked their heads out of the gate.

"Dear God!", the older one muttered when she saw them standing outside. Her hand flew to her chest.

"She is pregnant, sister! We have nowhere to go!", Jules said.

"Come in at once!", the older one ordered.

"Sister Sylvia, wake everyone up at once. It is an emergency.", she ordered to the younger girl standing in the corner.

She guided them inside after closing the gate.

With astonishing speed, the old sister walked into a spacious room through the main chapel. Sana's blood fell in a trail on the stone tiles.

She helped them lay her down and moved to switch on the overhead light. She had not seen them well in the dark. In light, she gasped again.

"Sana! I know that girl. What happened?", she demanded with authority.

"She fell down the stairs, I think.", Jules said. " We didn't have time to ask her, she was already unconscious in the car. We couldn't make it to the hospital."

"Well, my dears....not to worry.", she assured in a gentle voice. " We will take good care of her."

Five other sisters came running into the room. They all gasped but their eyes hardened in resolve when the older nun spoke,

"The Lord has brought her to our doorsteps. We must do everything in our power to save her and the baby."

They nodded and replied. "Yes, Mother Superior."

"Quick, Sister Atike, set up the table. Sister Janine, bring up towels, clips and warm water. Sister Rosa bring something to cover her up and escort them out of the room."

Mother Superior began conducting the process with experienced grace.

But, Jules and Georgiana did not move.

Mother Superior glanced at them.

"I did five years of volunteering service in Haiti with pregnant women. It is an understatement to say that I'm somewhat of an expert in delivering babies. Go! Pray! Trust in us to handle your friend."

The quiet confidence in her tone got through to them. Sister Rosa tugged them out of the room and into the chapel.

She made the sit in one of the pews under the stained glass windows.

Georgiana slumped down on the bench with a cry of pain. Jules sat beside her in horrified silence.

Sister Rosa scurried away.

There were incapable of words. In silence, they digested the impossibility of what had taken place in the last two hours. Harrowed and weary, they sat. Jules fished her lighter out and after five tries, she managed to light her cigarette. She took a long deep drag and passed it onto Georgiana. The glass windows rattled with the force of the wind.

"What a night!", she whispered. Jules laughed without humor.

"What if...", she started. Jules shushed her.

" Don't say it, Georgy...don't fucking say it.", she said smoking like a chimney.

"We should probably not smoke here.", Georgiana muttered.

"Yeah!", she said but made no move to stop.

Sister Rosa came in again, this time with a pot of water and some linens.

"You should wash your hands. It might take hours for her to give birth. It's a long and difficult process.", she explained.

The first of Sana's bloodcurdling screams reached them. After a couple of shouts, Georgiana asked,

" Can't we ease her pain?"

"We have given her a small dose of morphine but it's no help. We can't give her too much as it will cause problems with the baby's health. The birth will have to be a natural one, I'm afraid.", she said gently.

" Will she at least be okay?", Jules asked.

Sister Rosa smiled.

"I know we don't look like much, but we are all trained nurses. Sister Atike used to an army surgeon. We have all done our fair share of risky pregnancies. Sister Sheila was a member of the German Red Cross. This order the Community of St. John the Divine, is still involved in healthcare. We have a history of nursing service."she assured me. Her voice was a study in kindness. "Your friend will fine. ", she said enfolding Georgiana's hands in hers.

She smiled a little at her.

"Now, you are soaked to the bone. We don't have much in the way of worldly attire but I think Kiara might be hiding some jeans in her personal things. That one is of the opinion that all nuns should wear jeans and t-shirts nstead of this dreadful grey habit. It would help in recruitment massively. Of course, you can tell mother Superior had a slightly different opinion.", she joked.

It was odd to have her joke in such a difficult time and it was exactly what was needed to lighten the situation.

They both laughed a little.

"Don't trouble yourself on our account, Sister. We'll be fine.", Georgiana said reluctantly.

"It's no bother. Besides, you will catch a cold in these clothes. The storm is not letting up anytime soon.", she said and left to procure some clothes for them.

Another scream tore through the calm of the chapel. Jules lowered her head in disgust.

" My vagina hurts just from hearing that noise.", she said. "It's a wonder why people choose to have babies. It's positively barbaric. Humans love pain ."

Jules shuddered.

"No, they did it for love,for selflessness and sacrifice and compassion. It is why your friend wants to save her baby and not herself. ", Sister Rosa said as she came back into the chapel hurriedly. " It's the same reason why a wolf nurses a human baby on her own milk, why we sisters run fearlessly into war zones, why Mother Superior let herself be taken hostage trying to save 20 Haitian school children or why the eighteen year old Sister Atike took two bullets during the Vietnam War trying to rehabilitate villagers from insurgents."

They were stunned into silence. They hadn't known anything about their heroism.

"Yes, I suppose, we do a lot of stupid things for love. Like spending a Wednesday night trying to deliver a baby instead of watching Jane the Virgin on telly", Jules replied.

Sister Rosa laughed at that.

" You might as well change and settle down. I must check on them."

After they freshened up, Georgiana kneeled in front of the altar and lit a candle. Then she prayed for life. She had never prayed so hard or so desperately for the kids of a loved one.

__________

The night was long and difficult and loud. After a while, the noises blended into each other, the shouts blended into pained whimpers. Sana was probably hoarse from screaming. The night deepened on the chapel. Georgiana had not moved from her kneeling position on the floor with her hands clutched to her breast.

"May the Lord Have Mercy"

She didn't know what she prayed for. After a point, the prayer had become incoherent mumbling, a talisman of hope that she clung to. Jules too was sitting with her hands folded on the pew. The sounds of the storm reverberated throughout the cathedral dome.

A piercing cry broke through the stillness of the chapel. Jules and Georgiana looked up sharply. The cry of a baby. A baby!

From somewhere in the heart of a chapel, another loud, clear cry broke out like the rumble of thunder. Lighting flashed overhead brightening the entire chapel in a moment.

A baby was born!

Sana's baby.

A hysterical laugh bubbled out of her. Jules looked at her and she started laughing too. A laughter full of pain and hurt. A laughter full of disbelief. Was the night truly over?

A nun, one she didn't recognise came dashing in.

"Congratulations! It's a son. ", she said, her eyes bright and habit stained with blood in some places. " Come quickly!", she gestured and retreated.

Jules and Georgiana stumbled through the corridor into the room. A pale, sweaty Sana, lay on the table with smiling eyes.

Mother Superior held a tiny, squiggly little creature in her arms, clutching her fingers in his gentle fingers. Mother Superior smiled. Sister Janine was clipping his umbilical cord.

There was one heart-stopping moment after which Mother Superior put the bloody baby in Sana's arms. They all held their breath before Sana broke down into painful sobs.

"Ahhhhhh!", she cried. Her body shook with the torrent of emotions. The birth had been very difficult. Georgiana and Jules looked at each other and burst into tears as well. Going over to their boss's side, they cradled her as she cradled the baby in her soft, loving embrace.

"My baby.", she cried. " Oh....God.....thank you.....both of you. "

Georgiana rubbed her head softly as she cried. Her tears fell into Sana's hair as she put her head on Georgiana's chest. They cried together for a while.

Eventually, Sana's sobs were reduced to hiccups. Thankfully, the baby was unaware to all of this. He slept in his loving cocoon.

They coaxed the baby out of Sana's arms even though Sana was adamant not to have anyone take him away. Like a child they reassured her.

"What shall we name him?", Jules said gently stroking Sana's hand.

"Mother Superior should name him.", Sana said. " She saved his life."

"His birth was surrounded in darkness, in tempest. His birth was like the birth of our Christ, in Bethlehem. Mary too struggled like you. So, it is only fair he shall have the Lord's name.", she said smiling.

"Joshua", she said. " From Christ's own name Yeshua in Hebrew. It means the deliverance of God. Indeed, our little one has the Lord's blessing."

"He is a blessing.", Jules agreed.

" Joshua.", said Sana smiling slightly. "Joshua Giorgio Juliano Bianchi."

They looked at her surprised.

"You two are going to be his godmother. It's only fair he takes your names.", she said.

Georgiana almost started crying again, but held herself back.

"To Joshua Giorgio Juliano Bianchi", they cheered.

"By the way, I am resigning boss.", Jules said.

" What?"

"This wasn't in my job description.", Jules pouted. They all laughed.

" I am sure a promotion is in order.", Sana winked.

And God it felt good to laugh.

"Now, now, we must let the mother rest. She still needs to be taken to the hospital tomorrow and the baby needs to be cleaned and made comfortable."

They got the message and took their dismissal from the room.

What a way to spend the night!

"We are aunties! Damn!", Jules said.

"Yes! Who would have thought? Our playgirl days are over. ", Georgiana snickered.

"Sana is going to need lots of help raising that kid. We need to step in now that her useless husband is out of the picture."

Georgiana agreed to that.

"The storm has passed.", she said absently.

" Yes, it has.", Jules murmured. "Yes, it has."

Mary gave birth to Jesus that night.

Imagine that moment! What a beautiful sight!

Wrapped in swaddling clothes laying on the straw.

That night shepherds suddenly an angel saw.

"Don't be afraid," the angel told the men.

"I bring great news - Messiah is born in Bethlehem!"