Let Your Color's Burn

She screamed in pain, the labor had been going on for forty eight hours now and Derrik had been worried since the moment it started. The pregnancy had been a disaster and his wife’s health had been slipping for months. The doctors wanted to terminate the pregnancy about two months ago when his wife almost died, but Mary had refused. Her baby was everything to her.

<i> Terminate equals murder. </i> It was the phrase that swirled around his mind as he dabbed the sweat off of Mary’s brow. She had argued that over and over again as he begged her to save herself.

“I don’t want any medication. It’s not good for the baby,” even now she resisted everything the doctors did to try and save her life, save their lives. The baby was breached in the birth canal and it was likely that he would lose both of them tonight. It had been an hour since her head care physician had demanded that he talk some sense into his wife.

<i> “Do you really want to bury your wife and child? It’s bad enough that you may have to bury your child.” </i> The doctor had spoken calmly but sternly. The words had hit Derrik like a boulder that ravaged the mountain like his wife was ravaging his future.

“Mary please, I don’t want to lose you.” He struggled to keep his tears tucked deep into his heart as he spoke his deepest fears. It had taken them seven years to get pregnant and his wife had gone through so many procedures to try and get there.

“We’ve tried so hard, it’s hurt so bad. I can’t do it again, Baby don’t you see. This is our only shot.” She screamed again as another contraction hit her and her hands trembled as her face paled. Derrik couldn’t stand much more of this, he had to make a decision. He was about to say the words that would ruin his wife’s love for him, but it was the only way to save her. As he opened his mouth to speak the doctor pulled him aside.

“We have to turn the baby, your wife won’t last much longer. Hopefully we can move him into a position that will allow him to be born smoothly, however, it will be extremely painful and she may pass out from it. If she does, we will have to move her into an emergency C section. Unless, you want to send her into a C section now. In her current state if we can’t move the baby, she will die within the hour.” Derrik’s soft blue eyes swelled with the tears he had been keeping in check.

“Sir, are you asking me to lie to my wife and go against her wishes to save her life?” The joy that flooded into his heart was almost more than he could bear. Finally a light at the end of the tunnel, someone had given him a way out of choosing whose life to spare.

“If you can manage it, yes.” It was more than Derrik could ever hope for.

“Move her into surgery.” The words flew out of his mouth faster than he could think them.

He collapsed into the chair, <i> how could she have refused? </i> He didn’t even try to hide his sobs as the doctor walked towards him to give him the news that surely his wife was dead.

“Sir, we need you to come speak to your wife. Her exhaustion has over taken her and she needs your encouragement. Your son is almost born, a few more pushes and you will be a father.” She said it with a smile but fear was in her eyes.

He followed her with hesitant steps worried about the scene that he was going to walk back into. He was still angry with Mary over arguing with the surgery. She had always wanted a natural birth, it was why she had refused adoption and surrogacy. As the door opened his Mary looked at him and smiled, “Baby, we are almost there.” She could barely raise her head from the pain of it all and the exhaustion but that smile never left her face. He could see the pride in her brown eyes and the warmth that shone from her heart. She moved her hand slightly so her palm was pointing towards the ceiling and he took it without hesitation. He loved his Mary and would give anything for her.

“My love, the doctors say we are nearly there, I need you to hang on for a few more minutes.” He looked down at the delivery nurse who then nodded, “Ok honey, you need to push now.”

Her hand tightened on his as she gathered the strength that it would take to tighten her muscles once more. She cried out from the effort and the nurse slid yet another pillow behind Mary’s slight back. She hadn’t gained much weight from the pregnancy and it was another cause for concern. Derrik couldn’t breathe from how beautiful she looked, grimace and all. Her blonde hair was stringy from sweat and her face flushed, but she was gorgeous.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as she passed out from the effort but as he was calling her name he heard the most wonderful sound in the world. A baby’s cry.

As he turned to look, the doctors pushed him out of the way as they tended to his wife and checked her vital signs. What greeted his eyes made him fall to his knees and cry. His wonderful Mary had given him a miracle and a surprise.

Twins, his little boy and girl were screaming at the top of their lungs with shock and life as the nurses cleared away birthing material from their airways.

Mary looked stunned when he walked in with their children in their arms. “Derrik, did you steal a baby?” She asked in her delirious confusion.

He couldn’t help but laugh, “My love, we had twins. Even the doctors are surprised by it.”

He held his wife who held her children and the four of them cried. Two had tears of joy and two had the tears of life. All of them had futures that were bright.