The sound of her voice, soothing as my heart beat rapidly, drowning out the noise that filled the outside world. Cocooned in warmth I twist and turn, stretching and waiting. Anxiety gripped me whenever I heard conversations about what would soon be a life unfamiliar to me.
The feeling of the pressure as hands pushed down on me had me kicking out in response. Muffled voices and high-pitched screams as I slowly began my journey. My world began contracting, as I fought against what seemed to be the biggest inconvenience of my life. Each contraction slowly robbed me of my security, my safety. But I knew I had to get out, I had to meet the voice that soothed me, eager to hold me and love me.
“Pass me the . . .” came the muffled words breaking through the beeps and clutter of metal against metal.
“She’s losing too much blood . . .” muffled as I felt foreign touch to my shoulders, pushing and twisting. My oxygen slowly being depleted, my life force divorcing me as I struggle to break free.
Her voice, different – alarming, slowly fading as I do my best to fight and hold on. Gasping, kicking and punching, exhausted as my life force tightened its grip around me. Her voice, like a memory – surreal in the distance as I fade.
“Hold on, hold on. I’ve got him!”
I don’t know what happened, I lost time and sense. My home feels much bigger, different. I have tubes connected to my body and something’s covering my eyes. Hitting and kicking out, my cocoon is gone. I can feel the warmth, but no resistance against my stretch. An unfamiliar sound fills my mind. Where am I? Did I make it into the world?
“Your wife lost a lot of blood, but she is recovering well. They both fought exceptionally hard. At 31 weeks gestation, the odds were against him to survive after the trauma experienced during birth. Mr. Greenston, let me show you to the NICU where your son is receiving the best care . . .”
I think I’ve been born, but why does the world sound so silent. What happened to the noise and where is the sound of her voice?
*fiction
Broken Passage is a title challenge from Shelley who blogs over at The Deal Is.
You certainly didn’t disappoint. I think there might be more to this story. Really well done, Chev! Gripping, as always.
Shelley, thank you for the challenge. This title can create many stories, we should work on a tandem blog sometime.