Newborn Nazi

by Rhoda D'Ettore

  Monica rolled her eyes, “Oh yeah, that must be it. Thanks for your support.”

  Her sister huffed back, “Well, what response did you want? It isn't like she needs a doctor. The kid is having nightmares. All kids have nightmares.”

  “No,” Monica's head swung violently from side to side. “You didn't see her, she's tormented on a nightly basis.” She didn't appreciate her sister's cavalier attitude.

  Gail replied between sips from her mug, “I would be worried about her if she didn't have nightmares. After all, she was in the car when Jake died. You never know what she might remember. Perhaps her brain is processing the accident and his death.”

  Monica nodded. “I understand that, but I expected nightmares about the accident or about her father dying. Even being scared that I would leave her, too. But this? This whole thing is creepy.” A shiver crawled over her like ants marching across her whole body.

  Gail patted Monica's hand, “It will be all right, she just needs time. It's only been six months. And the nightmares didn't occur before the accident, right?”

  Monica's mouth twisted in response, “True. They didn't start until after the accident. Perhaps you're right. It's possible this is the after-effects of the trauma.” Tension released from her body as she contemplated her sister's suggestions. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the aroma of her morning brew.

  Just then, Jennifer screamed from the other room. “Mama! He's here!”

  The two sisters rushed to the girl's room to find Jennifer convulsing on her bed, with her eyes rolled back. The urine soaked pink bedspread lay sprawled out as sweat beads saturated the child's face. Her thin pajamas appeared translucent as they clung to her body.

  “Oh my God! Jennifer, can you hear me?”

  Gail darted to the phone on the wall and dialed 911 as Jennifer's arms fluttered through the air. Saliva seeped from her mouth and down her chin.

  “Operator, we need help. My three-year-old niece is convulsing.”

  The operator's muffled questions caused Monica to shout across the room, “Tell them to get here now.”

  Gail ended the call, “They're on their way. Calm down and make sure she doesn't hurt her head.” The two women placed pillows around the child to ensure her safety.

  After several minutes, her body went limp. With her eyes still closed, the girl uttered, “Presidio.”

  Gail furrowed her brows and asked, “Did she say ‘Presidio'?”

  With her arms cuddling her daughter, Monica replied, “Yeah. Does that ring a bell? What is it?” Monica's eyes never left her daughter.

  “The Presidio used to be a military base in San Francisco. There's an 80's movie about it. What the heck are you letting her watch?”

  Monica whispered, “Are you all right now?”

  Jennifer's blue lips quivered, again her body flailed about the bed like a flounder on the floor of a fishing boat. Her body fell limp in her mother's hands.

  “Oh my God! She's not breathing! Help!” Monica shouted as fear shot through her.

  Gail pushed her sister out of the way and searched for Jennifer's pulse. “None.” She placed her ear near Jennifer's mouth, no respiration. “Call 911 again, tell them we have a code blue.”

  Gail's fingers found a spot on Jennifer's chest and pumped a few times. She pinched the child's nose and breathed two quick breaths into her lungs, making the child's chest rise. Nothing. More pumps of the chest and another two quick breaths, still nothing.

  Monica's own pulse hastened as her fingers strangled the phone receiver. “It's my daughter. Are the paramedics on the way? We have a code blue. Help! I think she's dying!”

  A knock at the door interrupted the call, and Monica rushed to find the paramedics waiting. “Help, please. She's in the bedroom.” The two uniformed men hustled down the hall, following closely behind the distraught mother. One man unpacked a box filled with tubes, bandages and other equipment, as the other man checked Jennifer's vitals.

  One asked Gail, “How long have you been performing CPR on her?”

  Gail moved out of the way. “It's been a few minutes. I tried, but I couldn't revive her. Please help her.”

  Monica clutched her sister as the paramedics worked. Tears rolled down her face as she prayed in a low murmur. “I can't lose her. I can't. First my husband, now her?” Her embrace tightened around Gail's neck.

  “Is she allergic to anything?” the paramedic questioned.

  “Augmentin, the antibiotic,” Monica struggled to get out, then collapsed to the floor with helplessness. She rocked back and forth with her hand clasped at her chin. A river of tears held back by a dam of anticipation.

  The two men spoke back and forth about numbers and stats, drugs and injections. The sounds formed a white noise as Monica felt herself drifting away. She watched in horror, desperate for her child to live, but the scene turned surreal.

  Jennifer finally gasped for air, causing Monica to jump into her sister's arms. The desperate cries of the women turned into a muffled laugh of relief.

  “She's breathing. We need to get her to the hospital ASAP.” The lead paramedic picked up the child and carried her to the ambulance without waiting for a response from the women.

  “Baby, can you hear me?” Monica exclaimed as she and Gail followed the men out of the house.

  They reached the ambulance with tubes still attached to Jennifer, and the paramedic informed the women, “There's not enough room in here for both of you. Follow us to the hospital, and I promise I'll take good care of her.”

  Jennifer opened her eyes, looked up at the man and said, “The Presidio. He shot me at The Presidio.”

  With a puzzled look, the man's eyes squinted, and he prepped the girl for travel.

  He closed the door on Monica's face, blocking her reach to Jennifer's limp spaghetti body. “Let's GO!” he shouted to the driver.

  Monica stood in shock as the ambulance pulled away. Disbelief filled her.

  Gail snapped her out of it, “Monica, let's go!” She grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her to the car to follow the speeding ambulance.T

  Tower of Tears Chapter 1

  At twenty-two years old, Jane McClusky held her three year old son's hand and embarked on a transcontinental journey. With two bags full of clothing, a few coins in her pocket, and the hopes and dreams in her head of a better life in America, she climbed the wooden ramp onto the ship. This was the first time she had ever been away from her little farming community with its one room mud homes, crushed spirits, and familiar faces. Now she was surrounded by various languages she could not understand, was being pounded by passersby, and was engulfed by the stench of body odor, sweat, and fear.

  She could no longer see her husband, Thomas, whom she had left on the dock. Liam did not seem to be upset by leaving him, but she doubted that at his age he understood how long they would be separated. She knew her brother, Michael, would look after Thomas as they had grown up together as best friends.

  She was terrified knowing that her future lay in the hands of a cousin in Philadelphia whom she had never met while her 30 year old husband was staying behind in Ireland until he could raise appropriate funds for his voyage. She and Thomas had been married for almost five years, and he was a very protective and loving husband. Unlike some of her friends' older husbands, he was never cross or controlling, but she thought that had to do with the closeness of their upbringing. Although they had known each other all their lives, when Thomas finally saw Jane as a woman for the first time, a thunderbolt struck through his heart. He promised her his undying love within a few weeks, within months they were married, and soon their first child, Liam, was born. Since then, Jane had gone through two more pregnancies, but did not carry to term. The heartache of a mother losing a child cannot be measured, but Jane was determined to find a better life for the child she still had.

  In their little village, the life expectancy was about forty years; hunger or disease being the main culprits for early death. She had a
ccepted the fact that Thomas may not live long enough to see their children grown, but often, the children themselves were taken by disease before puberty. It was a fact of life in Ireland, due to poor hygiene, bad health care, and lack of food. The summer months were called the "starving months" because the crops from the prior year did not last the whole way through the summer season. When fall came about, tables and bellies were once again filled with food, and of course, potatoes. That is, until the next summer arrived.

  That was all behind her now. She and Liam followed the other women and children to the lower deck, trying to find a place to settle in. The men stayed above to limit the potential for abuse, crime, rape, and worse. The deck on which they were staying had nothing but straw on the floor with blankets to lay over it as makeshift mattresses. It was very dark, lit only by a few candles along the walls. As she tried to claim a section for her and her son, she wondered how many people laid on that straw before her, how many bugs had crawled over it, and even how many men may have urinated in it. As she tried to prop Liam comfortably against a wall, using their sack of belongings as a pillow, the inevitable cry came, "Mamai, I need to go!" Just like a child to wait until a mother is busy.

  Turning to a non-threatening looking, older woman, Jane asked, "Could you please point me in the direction of the facilities?"

  The woman cast a toothless smile, as her long curly graying hair wrapped her face, "Oh, lass, you have never hopped one of these fish before?"

  Not entirely sure what the woman meant, Jane responded, "No. I have never left my village. Can you help me, please? My son needs to relieve himself." Hoping that would get a more direct answer, she waited.

  "We ain't got no facilities on this fish, the chamber pots are down a bit, follow the stench, and you will find them." Chamber pots. Using them at home was one thing, but doing that sort of business in public, in front of strangers was another. She thought that there would be some sort of seat that would empty to the ocean, but no such luck. Jane considered her options, wondering how long she would have to endure such a deplorable situation. Afraid to leave her belongings, she grabbed her bags and her son again, pushed through the chaos of families trying to get settled, and found the chamber pots at the far end of the ship. A thin sheet hanging from a rafter was the only privacy available to her. When Liam finished, she relieved herself as well, trying to hold his hand so he did not run into the crowd, getting lost in the confusion. There were piles of filthy rags for wiping near the pots, and the thought of using them made her sick. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! I hope America is worth this!" she muttered to herself. She then tore a piece of her dress to use, because there was no way that she or her child were using those rags.

  Tower of Tears Chapter 2

  Jane Meets Anna

  Jane and Liam pushed back along the ship trying to find a place, but when they approached their previous spot, another family was there. "They took our spot! Mamai! Where will we go now?" Then tears started pouring from his eyes. He was rubbing his eyes as drool came out of his mouth. He was tired, it had already been a six hour day, and they had not set sail yet. Jane heard stories of people getting the sea illness, so she was not sure how she and Liam would react to the rough sea. She looked around desperately for another spot, when a woman with two children offered to move over to make room.

  "Come here lad! Come sit by us. We have toys," said the woman to Liam. She began moving their own sacks over so that Jane and Liam could both fit comfortably.

  "Thank you, ma'am. I was starting to feel very much alone, yet in a crowd," Jane said, already missing home. The woman had on a long brown frock with a worn out bonnet. When it was new, it was probably quite attractive, yet that was obviously many years ago. The woman had tried to dress up the bonnet with some sort of trim, probably a strip of material from an old dress. Jane noticed the family's shoes were much older than hers or Liam's as their soles had badly thinned. She began to feel thankful for her two small sacks of clothing.

  "What are you talking, girl? We're Irish, we are never alone, you know we all have ten more siblin's somewhere!" They both laughed. It was nice to know that she was going to have a friend on this voyage.

  Jane asked her, "Where are you headed?"

  "Well, it's a city called Philadelphia. My husband's a cabinet maker and has been there some years tryin' to save up. Of course, the factories want the Germans, but even with a name like McNealy, my husband was able to send us tickets for this trip. God Bless 'em!" She spoke with a crooked smile, which highlighted her yellow teeth, but her smooth cheeks and welcoming attitude made her seem friendly and attractive.

  Hearing that made Jane relax a little, she was concerned about Thomas finding and keeping work in America. "We will be heading to Philadelphia also!" She thought about asking so many questions, but her most immediate concern was, "When will we be setting sail? How do we find out?"

  The woman, who identified herself as Anna, mother of two, wife of a cabinetmaker, said with another smile, "Ah, no one warned ya? We could be sitting at port for days, even weeks waiting for 'em to fill the ship. They won't sail 'less they feel it will be worth the trip in gold! We girls should be more worried 'bout the chil'ren having to be on these ships so long. One o' these days, women will rule the world, you'll see!" Jane was not pleased to hear this news at all. Weeks, just sitting at dock? That did not sound appealing to her at all.

  "This was not told to us when we bought our tickets. As a matter of fact, I was told we would have separate quarters. The ticket cost almost a years' harvest,” Jane said with a frown.

  "Aye, they don't tell ya the truth when they are taking your money--that is how they make it their money. Separate from the men is what they meant, and separate we are."

  Anna and Jane conversed with the children playing practically on their laps. They were from villages not far from each other, and had very similar lives. Anna's husband leased a farm in Ireland, but the landlord kept raising the rent so high that they could not afford it any longer. When he got to America, he found a job as an apprentice, learned quickly and excelled in his craft. His work was admired by many, but once they heard his name, he was paid half that of the German carpenters--although his work easily rivaled theirs. This worried Jane because Thomas was a farmer, what kind of work could he find in the city, and would he get paid just half of the other workers?

  Jane had already begun to wonder how Thomas was doing without her. They had never been apart, and with her and Liam gone, Thomas had decided to take in two boarders, hoping to raise money more quickly to meet her in America. For the last month, she had been teaching him to cook, clean, and scrub. Before she left, she wanted to make sure that Thomas could take care of himself and the boarders. He abided by her wishes and did as she told him. He did not want her worrying about him, she had enough to worry about in the new land.

  Living with a new family was going to be hard enough, kin or no kin. Jane's Aunt Eva had moved from Ireland to Philadelphia when Jane was very young, and although Jane's mother would read to her the letters from her newly Americanized family, Jane did not remember her aunt at all. After Jane's mother died, she continued writing to both Aunt Eva and Eva's daughter, Katie. It was Katie who extended the invitation to come live with them in America. She had hoped all would work out, and she intended to be an excellent guest. As nice as Aunt Eva and Katie were in their letters, Jane wondered if they would have the patience to slowly teach her and Liam the ways of the new world. Knowing it could take a year or more for Thomas to save up money to follow her was unnerving.

  As she pondered this thought, the ship began to sail. It was almost nightfall and already her body was stiff from sitting on the wooden floor, in the small, cramped space. She was already exhausted and, with Liam nestled closely to her, she curled into a fetal position and drifted off to sleep. In the distance she could hear babies crying, mothers correcting their children, and children wrestling. But it all seemed further and further away as she fell into her dream.


  Tower of Tears Chapter 3

  The Surprise

  Over the course of the next two weeks, Jane began feeling ill. The sea was rough, and the ship rocked endlessly. She had been concerned this would be her reaction to the voyage, and they were expected to be sailing at sea for another three to four weeks. She could never tell if it was morning or night, because no outside light was able to come in. They relied completely on a few candles for light. Their meals consisted of a very weak soup that Anna warned would be diluted, more and more, the further they got into their journey. Only two men were ever seen, one that emptied the chamber pots, and one that distributed the food and water. That became to be the only way to tell time, as their duties seemed to be performed on a schedule.

  Because the water they were using was distilled from the sea, it was strictly rationed. It took time to boil that much water, and then condense it again. One of the crewmen described the apparatus to her. He said it looked like a huge witch's cauldron where they boiled the water, then it had glass tubing above it that caught the water vapors and emptied those into another cauldron. Jane was not surprised when the crewman told her that the system was very old. The British government had put a tax on glass, and since that time, it was thinner and harder to come by. Because of the length process it took to purify their water, passengers were only given water to bathe with once a week, and two cups of drinking water a day.

  About three weeks into the trip, Jane was still feeling very ill. Anna said to Jane, "Are ya sure ya ain't expectin'? Your face has that rosy glow." Jane's heart stopped. She had not considered being pregnant, she assumed her nausea was sea illness. It was then she realized she had not gotten her monthly, which would have been more difficult on board. But a baby? She had not even considered it. Having two children and trying to start a new life in America? She was now terrified and started crying.