The Rat Girl
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Chapter 1:- Prologue
The baby’s cries resonated throughout the room and an eerie calm was tangible in the air. The doctor’s steady voice cut through “It’s a girl.”
The woman laying on the bed smiled wearily through sweat and the hair that hung in her eyes. She looked toward her husband standing beside her and smiled even more brightly. He returned her expression and leaned in to embrace her.
The nurse who had taken the baby from the doctor had finished cleaning the infant. She handed her, newly bathed and wrapped snugly in a soft pink blanket, to the mother. As she settled the baby in her arms she asked “What is her name?”
Laina Nodwich gazed deeply at her new daughter and whispered, “Lilit” The nurse nodded.
“I will give you three a few minutes and then I need to take her to the nursery for evaluation and some newborn tests.” At the mention of tests, Laina hugged her baby girl tighter and gave the nurse a look of concern. She glanced toward her husband then back to the nurse.
The other medical staff was leaving the room as the nurse smiled reassuringly and patted Laina’s arm. “Just routine stuff," she said as the last orderly left the room. "Weight, length, vision, hearing, that sort of thing. Nothing to worry about at all. I will have her back to you in no time!” With that she turned and began to busy herself with cleaning up the incubator area while mother and father nuzzled and cooed over their newborn baby. She cast a glance at the door before she turned back to the young couple. As she leaned in to pick the infant up from the new mother, Stephen Nodwich laid his hand on the nurse’s arm. She nervously looked up at him as he slid a tiny yellow bracelet into her free hand. She quickly fastened the identity bracelet to the infant’s wrist and then picked the tiny baby up, adjusting the blanket to cover her completely from the nick down The nurse fixed her eyes on Mr. Nodwich and gave a small nod. “I know what to do.” she said softly.
Stephen Nodwich cast a brief glance toward his wife, then looked back at the nurse. “You’re a good woman, Anna. You are doing the right thing.” he smiled reassuringly, then went to sit by his wife on the hospital bed as two other nurses entered the room to attend to his wife. He raised his voice a bit and added, “Don’t keep our baby too long, nurse! I hope those tests they run aren’t painful.”
One of the two new nurses replied, “She won’t even know she’s having tests, sir. She’ll sleep right through them.” She went back to straightening up the room as the nurse named Anna, turned and quickly walked out the door.
