Heart's Cry

by Rita Peterson

  Within seconds, the bystanders created a circle around the doctors and held their winter jackets in front of them to give Clyde and Lily Ann privacy.

  Lily Ann’s hand trembled as she held the knife. “Oh, God, I need your strength. Now. Keep this baby alive.” She made the incision. “Every second that goes by, the less oxygen the baby has.” She swallowed hard and pulled out a baby boy, then wrapped him in the cozy shawl that Clyde was holding.

  He cut the umbilical cord.

  The baby didn’t cry. She swiped his mouth and cleared his nasal passages. Still no breathing. She whipped off her shirt and rested the limp baby on her bare scarred chest.

  Clyde automatically grabbed a sweater and wrapped it around Lily Ann and the baby.

  She began singing into the baby’s ear and rubbing his back. Within minutes, he emitted choking gasps followed by wailing. “He’s alive.”

  The circle of bystanders cheered and clapped.

  Clyde wrapped his arms around Lily Ann and the newborn. He showered Lily Ann’s face with kisses. “Lil, I will take care of you and this precious baby. This is a miracle.”

  She examined the new life on her chest. I’m a mom, she repeated in her mind. God I don’t really know you, but you proved to me that miracles happen. From this day forward, I will trust in you. She felt Clyde’s hand on her neck.

  “You did it.” Clyde kissed her forehead.

  Safeway’s store manager shoved his way through the circle of people. “I can’t say how relieved I am to have you two in my store at the right time.” He covered his mouth and glanced away. “What can I get you? Anything. Please name it.”

  Lily Ann thought for a second. “Baby bottles, some newborn formula, and a pacifier would be wonderful. I could really use some blankets of any kind and diapers. Anything you can think of from the baby aisle.”

  The manager beamed and sent an employee to fetch the items. He continued to look the other way. “I notified the head office of the situation since emergency personnel are stuck in this storm. They thank you for your swift action in this emergency.”

  “It’s what we do,” Lily Ann said.

  He waved his hands over his head and raised his voice, “Everyone, on behalf of Safeway, I would like to thank you for aiding these two at such a time as this.” He breathed deeply. “We have to wait for the police and ambulance to arrive before anyone can head home. So if anyone is thirsty or in need of anything, please make your way to the customer service desk. This area of the store will be blocked off until the police give us permission to reopen it.”

  The crowd seemed to understand the situation and didn’t complain. They slowly dispersed.

  The store manager glanced at Lily Ann. “Miss, would you like to be moved to my office? I have an oversized office chair that you can relax in with the baby until medical help arrives.”

  Lily Ann sighed. “Oh that would be most kind. My name is Dr. Lily Ann MacBride and this is Dr. Clyde Nelson.” She held out her free hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Dr. MacBride. You’re a brave lady.” He shook her hand, then faced Clyde. “Sir, thank you for controlling the gunman.”

  “Just doing my job,” Clyde responded. “Once a soldier always a soldier.”

  “I’m Ryan Gillard. It’s a privilege to meet you.” The store manager’s face paled and he tore at his collar. “I need to get some air. Can’t handle blood…and the mess here is making my stomach turn.” He covered a hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry, but I think I’m going to be sick.” He raced away.

  Clyde stood up. “That’s why he’s in the food industry.” He assisted Lily Ann to her feet. “Oh good. Here comes our baby bottles and formula.”

  “Thank you.” She followed the employee to the manager’s office and fell into his leather chair. “Clyde, could you see if there is any way to heat up some water and mix it with this formula.”

  “You bet.”

  The door closed behind him. She shut her eyes and continued rubbing the baby’s back as she spoke softly to him, “You’re a brave little boy. Keep fighting. You have good color and a strong heartbeat. I can feel it against my chest. All I need to do is few medical tests and then you can come home with me.” She placed the pacifier in his mouth. “There, there, that will have to do. I’m sorry. I don’t have any mommy’s milk for you.”

  She gazed out the window and gasped. The wind and snow were blowing so intensely she couldn’t see the vehicles parked in the parking lot. For that matter, she couldn’t see anything outside beside snow. A whiteout. Her eyes returned to the baby against her chest. A tear trailed down. “I love you, little one.” She kissed his head.

  Clyde rushed in. “Here’s a bottle all ready, and I have a blanket for you too.”

  “Thank you.” She slipped the baby from under the sweater onto her lap. Steadying him with her legs, she put on her sweater, then lifted the baby as Clyde laid down the elephant-patterned fleece blanket on her lap. “This will be much cozier.” She swaddled and cradled him.

  “He’s beautiful.”

  “Look what Clyde brought you, little one. Some warm milk.” The baby fumbled with the nipple.

  “Is there something wrong?” Clyde said from over her shoulder.

  Lily Ann shook her head. “This is normal. Some babies figure it out right away; others take a bit longer.” Lily Ann stroked the baby’s cheek. “See, he’s getting it.”

  “I’m going to head back to the lunch room and bring you a hot cloth to clean yourself up with and check if anyone needs my help. Will you be okay for a moment?”

  “That would be most wonderful. I’m fine here with him.”

  ~

  Lily Ann’s body jerked as the office door slammed open.

  Two paramedics entered the room. One of them said, “My name is Sean Moyer.” He stopped midway. “We are here to take you and the baby to the hospital. Are you injured in any way? Do you need any help to sit on the stretcher?”

  Lily Ann rose from the chair. “I’m not injured, and yes, I may need some assistance to get up on the stretcher with the baby in my arms.”

  Sean knelt down beside the newborn. “Looks to me like the baby is strong and healthy.”

  “He’s a fighter.”

  “Hey, Pete, adjust the stretcher to accommodate Dr. MacBride in a sitting position, please.” Sean assisted Lily Ann out of the chair. “I don’t know everything that happened here, but I do understand that the baby’s mother died. This breaks my heart to see an orphan child enter the world without knowing his mom.”

  “I know.” Lily Ann relaxed in the stretcher while cradling the sleeping newborn.

  The paramedics pushed her to the main entrance doors. “Pete will stay with you while I get warm blankets to wrap you two in so you don’t get a sudden chill.”

  Lily Ann nodded and heard Clyde’s voice.

  “Lily Ann,” Clyde came barreling towards her. “The police are interviewing me. I need to stay awhile longer, but as soon as they’re done, I’ll be with you.” He kissed her forehead and sprinted back.

  Lily Ann snuggled into the blankets being wrapped around her body. “Thank you. I can’t believe how intense this storm is.”

  “This is normal,” Pete answered. “Relax, Dr. MacBride. We’ll arrive at the hospital as soon as we can.”

  ~

  Miss Patty stared at her cuckoo clock in the living room. It’s ten in the evening, where is Lily Ann? She’s never this late. “Alana, have you heard from Lily Ann today?”

  Alana placed a ten of hearts on Megan’s nine. “No, it’s weird. If she’s late, she always sends a text to both of us. Must be because of the weather.”

  Emily giggled and slammed down her crazy eight. “I’ll change it to clubs.”

  “Oh, come on, sis. Not clubs again.” Megan picked up a card from the stack. “What if something happened? I mean, the storm was horrific. The worst I’ve ever seen.”

  Alana scanned her cards and placed a three of clubs down. “Miss Patty, have y
ou tried texting her?”

  Miss Patty clicked on the television. “I did about two hours ago and no response.” She switched channels to the local news network.

  Emily placed a four of clubs down and yelled, “I won.”

  “Why do I even play with you when all you do is win?” Megan rolled her eyes and dropped her cards on the kitchen table. “I’m going to hug Miss Patty goodnight. Mom, let me know when you hear from Lily Ann.”

  “I will, but first come hug your mom.”

  Megan wrapped her arms around her mom, then entered the living room and plopped down next to Miss Patty. “Good night.”

  “Oh, my blessed heart. Shush, Megan. Listen.” Miss Patty hunched over and shook her head at the screen. “I can’t fathom this. Is this for real?”

  Megan held Miss Patty’s hand, “Yes, it’s real.”

  “Alana, Emily…you need to come in here. Clyde and Lily Ann are on the news.” Megan pointed at the screen. “A gunman in Safeway murdered a pregnant woman. Who would do such a thing?”

  “What is this world coming to?” Miss Patty rubbed her eyes. “My dear Lily Ann caught in the middle—”

  The news reporter continued, “Dr. Clyde Nelson, former Army physician and present trauma surgeon for the Alaska Regional Hospital, fought the gunman resulting in the gunman’s death. Police have now identified the thirty-seven-year-old man as Quinn Ward, a convicted drug dealer.”

  Alana gasped. “What on earth went on today?”

  Miss Patty’s eyes were glued to the screen. “Wait. What?”

  “Dr. Lily Ann MacBride,” the television reporter spoke, “the well-known OB/GYN doctor and founder of the Kangaroo Babies-n-Teens program here in Anchorage, performed an emergency C-section on the deceased woman in order to save the baby’s life. Dr. MacBride and Dr. Nelson worked as a team in delivering a healthy baby boy. We have two heroes in our community today. Our lines have been flooded with citizens wanting to donate baby items. All donations will be accepted at the front desk of the Regional Alaska Hospital.”

  Emily’s eyebrows creased. “Why would they donate baby stuff to a hospital? It’s not like the baby is going to live there? Doesn’t the hospital have everything they need?”

  “Boy, someone is thinking tonight,” Alana uttered. “I never really thought about it, but you have a point.” She shrugged. “Did we miss some detail here?”

  “I agree,” Miss Patty’s responded, “But that’s it. News is over.”

  “Okay, this still doesn’t make sense.” Megan stood. “Clyde beats up and kills the gunman. Lily Ann performs a C-section with Clyde’s help and saves the baby. Eventually the emergency crews show up and the baby is taken to the hospital. I mean, as soon as the baby is at the hospital, Lily Ann would perform the medical tests and then send him to the NICU. I’m sure of it.” She shook her head, “So no matter what, Lily Ann should be here at home by now.”

  “Maybe you should be a detective instead of a neonatal nurse when you finish high school?” Alana kissed her daughter on the forehead.

  “But Mom, this doesn’t add up,” Megan protested. “Even Emily figured that out.”

  Miss Patty chimed in, “Okay, I think we all need some sleep. We do know for a fact that Clyde and Lily Ann had a gut-wrenching day. Let’s ask them what happened. Hopefully we’ll see them tomorrow.”

  Chapter 9

  Clyde rapped on Lily Ann’s office door. “Lil?” He cracked the door ajar. “May I intrude?”

  “Don’t be silly. Of course.” Lily Ann smiled and continued rocking baby Carter in her arms.

  “Is there any way for someone else to watch Carter for about an hour?” He reached over her desk and stroked Carter’s head.

  “Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem.” She kissed Carter’s soft forehead, “I’m a mess, Clyde. I don’t know what to do. Here’s this miracle baby in my arms, the police have Carter’s biological mother’s cell phone, I have a full-time job, and nothing—”

  “Take a deep breath. You’ve been up all night with Carter. Now you’re exhausted and don’t know which way is up.” He circled her desk and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t worry about your job or the cell phone. The police are using it to find her identity so they can piece everything together. They’ve identified the gunman—the information of which is all over the news—he was a notorious drug dealer they’ve been searching for. Apparently he is wanted for three counts of murder, multiple drug charges, weapon charges, and I can’t remember the rest.”

  “I don’t want the police to log out of her Facebook page and remove anything from her phone.” She sighed. “My mind won’t rest. Who was she was and why was that evil man after her? On top of that, I need to talk to Jared and take some time off. I should tell Miss Patty, Alana, Megan, and Emily what’s going on in person. Miss Patty is probably worried sick about me. I’ve texted her that I’m alright, but she wants answers. And, my mom—I need to call her.” She gasped for air, “I want to be Carter’s mom, but my life has always been my patients and work. Everything is so—”

  Clyde tightened his embrace. “Slow down, girl. You’re falling apart.”

  “I know. It’s driving me crazy.” Lily Ann glanced at Carter. “He’s so peaceful.” She stared into Clyde’s eyes.

  He touched her cheek. “I know that look. What else is eating you?”

  “You saw my scars and skin discoloration on my chest and arms yesterday.” Her nervous eyes darted downward at Carter.

  “Lil, I was a surgeon for the United States Army. I’ve seen worse. Besides, you are beautiful. All the events in your life and mine have brought us to this moment. Stop worrying about your scars or your hand. I love you for you. There is nothing to be ashamed of or sorry about.” Clyde stroked her head. “Come with me.” He led her out of her office to the central nurse’s desk. “Which one of you would like to care for Carter? It will be for about one hour.” As he suspected, everyone raised their hands.

  Lily Ann passed her sleeping baby to the head nurse. “His last feeding was over an hour ago.” She kissed Carter’s chubby cheek, “I’ll be back soon.”

  Clyde grasped her hand and led her to the end of the corridor. “I need you to be blindfolded.”

  “Blindfolded? Clyde, what’s going on?”

  “Trust me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a camo bandana. He wrapped it over her eyes and tied it under her ponytail. “Hold my hand and walk with me.” Clyde took her hand, opened the door ahead of them, and entered.

  “I know this room. We haven’t painted it yet. It’s a mess.”

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he turned Lily Ann’s body ninety degrees and pulled out a chair. “There’s a chair behind you. Please, have a seat.” Clyde removed his green scrubs and white smock to reveal a dress shirt and khaki pants. He turned on his GoPro, which was set up on a medicine cart, then knelt in front of Lily Ann, taking her hands in his.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Lily Ann, from the moment I met you at the airport, you sparked a light in my heart that has been out since Maria passed away. You have captivated my thoughts from that moment on. That late evening in the NICU, when we were painting the giraffes and butterflies, I witnessed the most breathtaking smile radiate from your face. We laughed at each other’s corny jokes as we painted animals on the walls.”

  Clyde paused and reached for a red rose behind a cot.

  “You brought life back into this hospital and community because of your genuine heart. You’re eager to give and want nothing in return. You spend hours saving others and neglect your own desires. Your humility ripples into everyone’s life around you. The Kangaroo Babies-n-Teens program has not only saved babies but has also given teens self-worth.” Clyde reached for the bandana and uncovered her eyes.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of the scattered rose petals on the floor. She rested her hand on his shoulder. “Clyde, you’re—”

  He gently rested two fingers over her lips, “Shh.” He
set the red rose on her lap. “Lil, you deserve to be loved and cherished. You’re stunning inside and out. Your scars only make me love you more. The first time I kissed you I broke through the thick wall of insecurity you erected. For me, that kiss reopened my heart to love again. It ignited every nerve in my brain and sent fireworks exploding throughout my body.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. Clyde was prepared for Lily Ann to cry. He dabbed at her cheek.

  “Then yesterday happened. Life-changing events occurred that we couldn’t have predicted. You became a mother.” Clyde changed positions and knelt down on one knee.

  “Lily Ann, Lily Ann,

  I loved you from the start.

  Your beauty and happiness,

  Puts joy in my heart.

  Lily Ann, Lily Ann,

  You’re precious in my sight.

  I saw you paint butterflies,

  All fluttering and bright.

  Lily Ann, Lily Ann,

  Could we be a family of three?

  I’ll embrace you both.

  Will you marry me?”

  Clyde removed an engagement ring from his pant pocket and held it out. “Marry me?”

  “Oh, Clyde, yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He slid the princess-cut diamond ring on her finger. “I love you.” He swooped Lily Ann into his arms and swung her around, then placed her back on her feet and cupped her damp face. His lips met hers, igniting a dazzling display of fireworks.

  ~

  Lily Ann turned the doorknob and entered Miss Patty’s house. The aroma of homemade bread filled her nostrils. I’m starving. She kicked off her boots and dropped her bag on the tile floor. “Is there someone home that can help me?” Lily Ann listened for an answer. “Hello? Anyone home?”

  Carter began to cry.

  Emily came dashing into the entrance. “Oh, Lily Ann, you’re home. A baby? Miss Patty is going out of her mind.”

  “Yes, I know. Emily, could you run outside to the taxi parked in the driveway and retrieve a couple more bags for me?”

  “Sure,” Emily peeked at Carter’s face. “He’s so cute.” She wriggled into her boots and raced out the door.