Freaks Cum Out (Dawn of the Freak)

by Solae Dehvine

  The nurse quickly grabbed her clip board and left the room leaving them alone.

  “I guess she can’t take the lies either,” Sabrina whispered to herself.

  “Brina, you say something?”

  “Naw, Momma. I’m just listening,” Sabrina replied to Momma Montgomery as she looked down at her shoes to avoid eye contact. She sat at the small table and continued to listen until light taps came to the door.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. Brock,” the gentleman in the white coat said. He pushed the wire framed glasses up on his head as he entered the room.

  “How are you doing today, JoAnn?” he asked as he walked around the hospital bed and shook Momma Montgomery’s hand. Sabrina sat up in the bed and shook the doctor’s hand as well.

  “I’m fine, doc,” JoAnn said. Nervousness was plastered across her face.

  “Can you come back later?” JoAnn asked, looking the doctor intently in the eyes.

  Sabrina was picking up on JoAnn’s resistance of the doctor being there however, Momma Montgomery wasn’t the wiser to the situation.

  Momma merely smoothed over JoAnn’s hair and held her hand.

  “Oh, sure I can come back. I just want to check out your incision. Has the lactation specialist been here to talk to you about breastfeeding?” The doctor’s words made no sense to Sabrina and Momma Montgomery.

  JoAnn shook her head to say no, but it was too late. She looked down at the sheets waiting for the storm of questions. The secret was already out.

  “Breastfeeding? What do you mean?” Momma asked with a puzzled expression. She wasn’t quite sure of what he was trying to ask. She looked at JoAnn for an explanation, but her eyes had diverted to the window. JoAnn silently wished she could jump out and escape the inevitable.

  “Yes, her level of narcotics is low enough to breastfeed if she wanted. But we still have to notify the hospital social worker about going home arrangements,” he said everything nonchalantly as he raised the sheets and looked at her stomach.

  “Let me take a look at the incision,” the doctor said while putting on rubber gloves.

  “So, the surgery was a C-Section?” Sabrina asked. She was now standing next to Momma Montgomery and starring down at JoAnn.

  “I take it you both didn’t know JoAnn was pregnant?” the doctor asked as he removed the latex gloves and discarded them in a small waste basket. He had discovered what was going on without them responding to his question.

  He now looked completely uncomfortable.

  “Would you like to see the baby?” he asked, no longer looking at JoAnn. She had even rubbed the doctor the wrong way.

  Sabrina finally nodded her head yes. Momma Montgomery was too shocked to answer, she took refuge and sat down in a chair beside JoAnn’s bed.

  “Ok, great. Follow me” The doctor said, putting on a fake smile. “I’ll be back in a while, Ms. Montgomery. Everything seems to be healing fine.” He quickly made it to the linoleum hallway and walked briskly towards the nurse’s station.

  Still in a daze, Sabrina followed closely behind him. Momma Montgomery was left in the room with JoAnn.

  “Jennifer, can you take this young lady daughter up to the NICU to see the Montgomery baby, please?” The doctor quickly asked in a tone that required only one answer.

  “Sure, doctor, Let me call and tell them were coming.” she said, lifting her head from a chart of another patient.

  “Jennifer will show you how to scrub in and show you where to go,” the doctor said, now walking in another direction.

  Sabrina was confused. She didn’t notice before but behind the nurse’s station seemed to be a nursery.

  Why isn’t the baby in there?, she asked herself but she already knew the answer.

  Jennifer made the call then she directed Sabrina to follow her. They went back to the silver elevators and waited in silence.

  Sabrina couldn’t help but think how much she didn’t notice on the way to JoAnn’s room. I should have known this was the maternity floor, she said to herself as she glanced at the now blaringly obvious signs.

  The elevator doors opened and they both got on. Jennifer pressed the button for the floor directly above them. Silence fell between them for which Sabrina was grateful. She had too much on her mind to strike up a conversation.

  Another child. What the fuck is wrong with her? the questions bounced around in Sabrina’s head but she had no real answer. No one knew why JoAnn did the things she did.

  No sooner had the doors closed, that they opened back up again and Jennifer stepped off. Sabrina quickly followed into what looked like a wash room. Special sinks, scrubs, paper towels, and gloves were perfectly lined along the walls. A huge metal sink lined the opposite wall.

  “This is the scrub room. Take one of these sponge packets and scrub your hands real good,” Jennifer said as she opened a packet for demonstration. Inside was a sponge filled with soap.

  Attached to the sponge was a small plastic tool that could be used to dig under fingernails. Jennifer washed her hands with the sponge and soap and showed her how to do the same.

  “All of this just to see the baby?” Sabrina asked.

  Jennifer looked at her with the most serious of faces. “Your brother is underweight and severely sick. His immune system is low and we can’t risk infecting him with any germs on our hands or clothing. So yes, all of this to see the baby.”

  Sabrina scrubbed her hands as she stared at the cleaning and sanitizing bottles lined on the metal shelf above the stainless steel sink.

  After washing her hands of every germ particle known to man, Jennifer helped her put on scrubs over her clothes, head and even blue shower-like caps for her feet.

  Once they both were completely covered in hospital scrubs, they made their way into the room filled with incubators.

  The tiny incubators were scattered across the room along with monitors and miniature I.V bags. The scene stunned Sabrina as she stood gazing around the room of tiny babies and machines.

  “Jesus,” she whispered to herself as she scanned the room, looking for anything that said the Montgomery family name.

  “Sabrina, this is Tina. She’ll show you where he is, ok?”

  “Alright, thanks,” Sabrina said, eyeing Tina.

  “Hi, Sabrina. He’s right over here,” Tina said with a full smile. She seemed more genuine than the other nurses. Sabrina smiled back and followed Tina as she walked a short way across the room. Masks, scrubs, and gloves were the dress code for this event. Sabrina saw quickly that everyone in the room had the protective gear on.

  BABY BOY MONTGOMERY

  She saw the words posted over a plastic incubator. That stopped Sabrina from walking. Seeing her family name made it real. She had a brother; a new addition. She should have been happy but her heart filled with anger and despair.

  She wasn’t sure what a crack addicted baby would look like. She was almost afraid to look. The small baby lay in the incubator with a miniature I.V and light blue cap on his head. He looked like a normal baby besides the tape and wires coming from his miniature sized body.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Sabrina asked as she rubbed the incubator. She wanted to touch him but wasn’t sure if that was allowed.

  “He’s a little under weight and we believe he has jaundice,” Tina said as she grabbed a chart from the side of his bed and thumbed through it.

  Tina chose her next few words carefully. “As well as the narcotics that were found in his system. We had to wean him off of that but he’s doing better now,” she said finishing her words with a smile. “He’s small, but he’s a fighter,” Tina said as she looked down at the chart.

  Hearing that bit of good news made Sabrina smile.

  CHAPTER 2

  She stared at the baby whose little chest rose up and down. Tina was right, he did seem strong. His eyes were open and looking around. Sabrina wondered did he see her, did he know someone that cared about him was there.

  “Do you want to hold him?” the voice of the n
urse startled Sabrina. She wanted to say no. She didn’t want to hurt him or knock one of his many wires loose.

  “Babies like to be touched. He needs to feel love and warmth.” Sabrina couldn’t say no to that.

  She sat down in the wooden rocking chair beside his plastic enclosure and watched as the nurse unraveled his cords and wrapped him up.

  His blanket was white with cars, balloons, and bikes, just like other infant receiving blankets that were scattered around the room.

  Tina slowly walked him over and placed the baby in Sabrina’s arms.

  “We didn’t have to put him on a respirator, thank God. We did have to give him a low dose of methadone. Some of the babies can wean off on their own, but he seemed a little distressed”

  Looking down at the little body, hands, and tiny head, she didn’t understand why JoAnn would do this.

  What the fuck is wrong with her? She could have killed you, Sabrina wanted to say to the baby. However, she thought it was best to keep those words to herself.

  “Will he be… is he going to… be ok?” Sabrina stuttered and found her words.

  “It’s hard to say. He certainly is showing signs of promise, but some babies don’t show signs of developmental issues until later.” Those words felt more like a knife. Sabrina lowered her head to kiss the boy. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Sensing how hurt Sabrina must have felt, the nurse had to interject a ray of hope.

  “I have met many developmentally sound children and adults that were born addicted to drugs. I believe it depends on the care giver. If the parent is patient and gets the child the best help, anything is possible.”

  “Ha,” Sabrina chuckled at the thought of her mother. She was anything but what Tina described as what he would need.

  “His Mother is anything but that,” Sabrina said to Tina.

  “What will happen if she doesn’t take him?”

  “Well, we try to see if family members would be willing and fit to take care of a new infant” if not, we have no choice but to release the children to the state.”

  Hearing about the state and foster homes gave Sabrina chills. “No child should be there,” Sabrina said.

  “Tina, we need your help,” the voice of another nurse interrupted their conversation.

  “Excuse me, I’ll be back,” Tina said as she walked away.

  Sabrina’s mind swirled with all of the news. A few hours ago she was getting ready for work, planning her day. Now she was the sister to a crack addicted baby. “What are we going to do with you?” Sabrina whispered to the boy. She fidgeted with his blanket and rubbed his little head.

  Sabrina looked towards the door and saw Momma Montgomery talking to a doctor and clutching her signature bible.

  Momma Montgomery swayed like the leaning tower when the doctor told us there was a baby, Sabrina thought to herself.

  I thought she would faint. She can’t go through this again¸ Sabrina said as her mind drifted back to her childhood. Momma Montgomery took care of Sabrina when JoAnn ran off. I remember when that bitch left me in that house for dead.

  Sabrina began pulling out long lost memories of her childhood. She quickly thought back to the three days she sat in her house without any food or adult supervision, while her Mother went and got high. Momma Montgomery came to the rescue. That started the back and forth tugs of war between JoAnn and Momma Montgomery.

  For years Sabrina was back and forth between both houses. Tears welled in Sabrina’s eyes as she thought of all the bad times. Back then, Sabrina had to watch JoAnn doing drugs while she ate peanut butter sandwiches for dinner.

  The nights were filled with loud music and yelling from one of JoAnn’s drug parties. Her days were met with ridicule from classmates that teased her for having a “Crackhead Momma.”

  JoAnn’s reputation for drugs had gotten around the neighborhood quickly. Holding the baby, Sabrina thought of all the lunch hours that she sat alone and cried on the inside. Secretly, on those days, she began to hate JoAnn.

  I wished she was dead, Sabrina thought to herself. I can’t believe she let me go into foster care, Sabrina thought back further to when things really started to fall apart. When JoAnn completely lost it and Sabrina ended up in foster care for a few days. That was when Momma Montgomery finally got full custody of her.

  “That can’t happen to you,” Sabrina told the baby. He was stirring a bit.

  The doctors said he seemed to be full term, but she wasn’t so sure by the size of him.

  The nurse returned with a bottle and burping cloth for Sabrina. “It’s about time for his feeding. Do you want to do it?” The nurse smiled and handed Sabrina the bottle before she had a chance to reply.

  His little mouth opened immediately when she put the bottle to his tiny pink lips.

  “I bet you are hungry,” Sabrina said, laughing at how he sucked the bottle. It was better for her to laugh than cry. “So, when will he be ready to come home?” Sabrina asked the nurse.

  “Well, we have to do a few more tests and monitor his behavior. We have to make sure he’s eating and off the methadone. If all goes well, he may be ready to leave in about two weeks or so.”

  Sabrina began calculating in her mind. Finals will be over by then. I can take out a student loan and pay my rent for the whole summer and then some. I’m sure they will give me some kind of money for taking care of him.

  Taking a deep breath, Sabrina asked the question that she had been thinking. “What if I want to take custody of him”

  Tina smiled. “I don’t think that will be a problem. If you meet the requirements, we could work with the hospital social worker and get everything set up by the time he’s ready to come home.”

  Sabrina nodded as she thought of the things necessary to be a full time Mother.

  “I’m guessing you’re his sister, right?” Tina asked. Sabrina nodded.

  “So, have you and the family thought of a name” Tina asked as she grabbed the silver medical chart from the side of the crib and began taking notes.

  Sabrina smiled. “He looks like a Corey,” she said as she wiped his mouth and gently lifted him to her shoulder for a burp. Now that she held him, he didn’t seem as fragile as she thought.

  “Corey it is,” the nurse said. “I’ll go get the papers so we can get things rolling. I’ll give you a list of organizations that can help you with items and getting your home ready.” Sabrina nodded in acknowledgement.

  “As soon as you’re done burping him, you can lay him back down in the crib and pull down this latch.” The nurse said, pointing to the incubator. “We are probably going to put him in a regular bed tonight,” Tina said before disappearing to the other side of the room.

  Sabrina kept patting his little back until she heard a small burp. She switched arms and cradled him again, looking into his face. He was asleep. He would have looked like a normal baby if his little arm wasn’t bandaged with an I.V.

  Sabrina gently stood up from the rocking chair and placed him back in his plastic bed.

  “I love you, little Corey. I’m here and you’re going to be ok. You’re going to make it,” Sabrina whispered to him as she leaned down and kissed his cheek.

  Walking over to the nurse’s station, Tina grabbed papers from a filing cabinet and placed them on a clipboard. She handed Sabrina a pin and the board.

  “He’s back in the crib?” Tina asked. Sabrina nodded yes. “Ok, sit here and fill out these forms. I’ve called the social worker and she will be here shortly to talk with you about the process. I’m going to go make some notes on his charts about his feeding.” She walked off and left Sabrina sitting on a stool, filling out paperwork.

  I can’t believe I’m doing this, Sabrina thought as she put her name on the papers. I’m going to be a mommy and a sister. Sabrina began filling out the paperwork before she was able to think and change her mind.

  * * *

  “You did what?” Momma Montgomery said. She would have screamed but they were in the hospita
l.

  “Momma, what else are we gonna do? You can’t go through this again. I’m not going to let him go to foster care.

  We both know damn well she isn’t going to take care of him. So I’ll do it,” Sabrina said as she nervously paced the waiting room.

  Momma Montgomery sat on the couch in shock, shaking her head. “Do you think you can do it?” Momma Montgomery finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

  “Of course I can. School ends in another week and a half. He won’t be home for two weeks at the earliest.”

  “But what about your house?” she asked.

  “I called my landlord and explained the situation. He has a two bedroom available downstairs from me. I can take that and the rent is only one hundred dollars more.” The plan made perfect sense to Sabrina. “He said I can sign the new lease and move in this weekend if I want.”

  Ashamed, Momma Montgomery shook her head and stared at the floor.

  “Momma, you’ve done all you can. It’s my turn to help out. I can’t have him in foster care and you can’t take care of another baby. I’ll do it.” Rubbing her hand, Sabrina sat down next to Momma Montgomery and continued to explain.

  “The nurse gave me a list of organizations that will help me. I’ll be ok with him. If you can watch him sometimes while I go to school, we should be alright.” Sabrina said it like she had been planning this for years, instead of a few hours.

  “Me, you, and Corey will be fine.”

  “Who is Corey?” Momma asked.

  “That’s what I’m naming him. I think he looks like a Corey.”

  She smiled hearing that. “We used to call your Uncle Cornelius that when he was younger.”

  “Well, you see, he’s in the family. We can’t let him go.”

  They were the only ones in the waiting room. The dark brown carpet, soda machines, and blue walls were the only listeners in the room. They began making decisions and trying to figure things out.