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C. Fern Cook
Wild Legacy Excerpt |
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Wild Legacy by C. Fern Cook Create Space Publishing, 2010 ISBN: 978-1-4538270-0-0 |
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Dan diverts his eyes away from the bloody mess. His mind wanders as he blindly stares at the tile flooring, pondering the chaotic events that brought him to this moment. The past year has been an unbelievable roller coaster ride for the Tuckers. The mind's eye cannot see the future so it dwells in the past. The last time he was in the hospital was when they brought him in by ambulance; near death, he spent months in this hospital. Now Dan stands here again, as another life-changing event begins to unfold. His life is moving forward; the future has arrived in a bloody mess, and there is no time to dwell on past mistakes. He lifts his head and looks on with the doc as the nurse wipes off the bloody slime covering the nostrils and lips; when she slips her little finger between its lips and clears its tiny mouth out, the baby sucks in its first breath. "OK, Big Daddy." The nurse steps towards Dan as she wraps the red wrinkly mass in a blanket. Dan stands frozen, eyes wide open and mouth hanging open. The nurse holds up the little package with both hands. "You can hold your baby girl for us, can't you?" Dan holds his out hands; the nurse lays the bundle gently in his hands. When the nurse draws her hands out from under his, Dan's inexperience shines through as he pulls the bundle tight against his chest. The nurse smiles and bites her lower lip to keep from laughing. She has seen this a thousand times before. She pulls Dan's arm out. "Not so tight, you'll smother the little thing." Dan opens his mouth wanting to say something but nothing comes out, and then he looks down at the red and wrinkled face of his daughter. His lips slowly curl up at the end as he forces a smile to cover up his inexperience when he looks back at the nurse. Angela takes a deep breath and lays her head back on the pillow trying to relax between contractions. Dr. Jackson turns his attention back to Angela. "One more good push!" The nurse returns to her position beside the doctor. Dan stands frozen in place, staring up at the overhead mirror like a pale statue. When the crown of the second baby's head comes into sight, he gasps for air. Angela's face is blotchy, red, and a bead of sweat rolls off her upper lip, and her head falls back on the pillow. The baby's shoulders have slipped through; the doc cups his hands around the head and shoulders to help the baby slide the rest of the way out into the new world. "Baby number two looks healthy too." Dr. Jackson hands the baby to his waiting nurse. "This one is a hairy little boy." The second child has a full head of dark hair that extends down over his tiny shoulders to a tip in the middle of his back. The newly arrived Tucker looks like the offspring from the Neanderthal man. The nurse wipes the goo from the baby's face, slips her finger in between its slimy lips, and waits for him to take a breath. The nurse wraps up the little one in a blanket and lays it in Angela's arm. Dan is still standing ridged with the first baby cupped in his hands as if she might explode if he makes a wrong move. Dr. Jackson rolls his stool up to the head of the bed. "You're gonna have to get him a hair cut so they can see his face." "Looks like he'll need a shave too, on his back anyway." Angela looks up at Dan. "Must take after your side of the family." |
