Blind Delusion

by Dorothy Phaire

  Renee didn’t like the sound of the pregnant woman’s garbled speech. She didn’t think the woman would last a few weeks, and felt conflicted about interfering in Deek’s questioning of her.

  After catching her breath, Billi confirmed that the kidnapper who almost ran her down Monday afternoon around 12:30 drove a black, Chevy Blazer sports utility vehicle. After they argued, she threw a broken bottle at the right side of the vehicle. She said it could have left a dent or scratch. When the driver passed her, she had to jump out the way to avoid being hit.

  “The Galludent University guard said he couldn’t make out a license plate number. Did you see it, Billi?” Deek asked.

  “I don’t remember the license number but I saw a sticker on the back of the car that had an E on it.”

  “That sounds like the stickers Enterprise uses on some of their rental cars. Wait one minute. I wanna get somebody from the squad to check that out,” said Deek and poked his head out the door, shouting, “Kane, can I see you please?”

  Moments later, a young rookie detective appeared.

  “Yes, Lieutenant?”

  “Kane, I need you to contact all the Enterprise car rental places in the city. See which one rented out a black, Chevy Blazer SUV on Monday as well as the day before,” said Deek while Kane wrote down his instructions on a tiny notepad.

  “When you find the rental location, get a name and address of who rented the vehicle and when it was returned. Find out if there was a dent or scratch on the right side when it came back. Then check the trip-sheet to see where the vehicle went. Let me know what you find out.”

  “I’m on it,” said Kane and rushed out the door.

  “Billi, was the person you argued with a man or a woman?”

  “I dunno for sure what they was. They had on a dark hooded parka. The voice sounded kinda deep and scratchy for a female but I guess it coulda been a shortie. Some chicks have a deep voice,” said Billi, “Whoever it was looked high off a little Whoula too.”

  “What’s that?” Renee asked.

  “Whoula? That’s a blunt mixed with cooked coke or crack sprinkled on it,” Deek answered.

  “About how tall was the person and could you tell if they had a thin, average, or heavyset build?”

  “Couldn’t really tell since they was sittin’ down in the car.”

  After taking her statement, Deek wanted to be sure Billi could be a credible witness. He asked if she had a record. “Tell me Billi, if I pull up your rap sheet will I find anything?”

  “Yeah, man, I did some time a few years ago. I was a mule and my partner ratted me out.”

  “When we first spoke you told me you hadn’t taken any drugs since your pregnancy? Are you telling me the truth about that? And, what about your HIV status? Do you know what it is?”

  “Yeah, I’m clean. When I found out I was gonna have a baby, I stopped copping dope and drinking liquor. I quit cold turkey. That’s no lie, man. I had my HIV status checked by one of those mobile health vans just a coupla months ago. They did the oral test right there and everything was cool. I’ll swear on a stack of bibles.”

  “I believe you, Billi,” said Deek.

  Billi looked down at her protruding stomach. “Before I knew about the baby though,” she said, rubbing her belly, “all I could think about was my next hit. But not now.”

  Renee kept her thoughts and concerns to herself. She couldn’t be absolutely sure if this woman’s garbled speech resulted from alcohol, drugs, or just plain fatigue and despair. She could only hope that the woman was telling the truth about her negative HIV status for the sake of the unborn child. But what if she were lying or in some type of denial? What if she had contracted a venereal disease before she got pregnant that could infect her newborn? Renee had already witnessed tragic results that summer while volunteering for CASA when 18-month old Sweet Baby Susannah had died of AIDS that she contracted at birth from her HIV-positive, drug-addicted mother. Renee pushed those horrible thoughts away. She wanted to believe what this poor mother-to-be had said—that she had stopped using drugs when she discovered she was pregnant and that she was clean.

  “That’s good to hear, Billi,” Renee added with a smile. “There’s a new healthcare program you might qualify for.” Renee glanced at Deek as she continued, “Detective Hamilton and I are going to get you enrolled at Mary’s Center so you can start receiving prenatal care and get linked up to other community services that can help you after your baby is born.”

  Deek nodded. “That’s right, Billi. You’ll need job skills and permanent housing. Unfortunately, the situation with permanent housing for the homeless is getting worse since everything’s more expensive,” he said, “but between Dr. Hayes and myself, we’ll use our connections to do whatever we can to get you on your feet. I might be able to pull some strings to get you in public housing.”

  “Yeah, right. Dream on man. I’ve heard those promises before. But at the end of the day when it’s friggin’ below forty degrees outside I’m still sleeping under some freeway or sneaking into boarded up row houses if I’m lucky.”

  “Why don’t you go to the House of Ruth for shelter?” asked Renee. “They take in single women. And the city has churches that’ll open their doors when it’s cold.”

  “Dr. Hayes is right, Billi,” said Deek. “LaCasa in Northwest also provides shelter. In fact, there’re about a half dozen homeless shelters in D. C. And if you don’t want to go to a shelter, I’m sure you know the city provides sleeping bags and blankets. You can also spend the night in these vans that come by when the temperature gets really low.”

  “Naw. No thanks. No privacy,” said Billi, “and not enough cots in the shelters most of the time. Those vans and shelters ain’t for me, man.”

  “Regardless, when the weather gets below freezing, you can’t stay outside, Billi,” said Deek, firmly, “That’s not healthy for you or your baby. You could die from hypothermia. I want you to call me whenever you need help.”

  Billi nodded and mumbled okay. Deek placed a few twenties from his wallet into her grimy hand. “In the meantime, take this for your baby.”

  Renee saw how the woman’s eyes lit up when Deek gave her the money. While it was a nice gesture, she knew it was not enough to fix the problem. There were too many more Billi’s out there in the streets with nowhere to go. “Do you know who the baby’s father is?” asked Renee.

  “You mean do I know which one is the daddy out of the three juvenile delinquents that beat me up and gang raped me nine months ago?”

  “Did you report this assault to the police?” said Deek.

  Billi laughed a gut wrenching belly laugh.

  “Yeah, man. Like the cops are really gonna break their neck to look into my case. Besides, I couldn’t see too well after those little thugs knocked me over my head. I musta blacked out. I didn’t know I was pregnant until a month or two after the attack.”

  Renee felt sorry for this woman and embarrassed by her own earlier lapse into self-pity. No matter how bad one’s situation appeared to him or her, there was always someone in far worse shape. Life wasn’t fair.

  “Billi, would you be willing to testify what you saw on Monday when you encountered the alleged arsonist?” said Deek. “My gut instinct tells me this is the same person responsible for the arson, abduction, and murder at a private residence.”

  “Yeah, man, why not?” she said and wiped her runny nose on her sleeve, “You seem like a cool dude for a cop. And you Doc, you’re not so bad for a shrink,” she said, turning to Renee and giving her a gap-toothed smile.

  Suddenly, Billi frowned and a look of panic swept across her face. “Hey, man, something ain’t right here.”

  “What is it, Billi?”

  With face contorted, she pointed to her lower belly and screamed. “This baby wants to come out now!”

 
Chapter 33

  Renee leaped from her chair. “Billi, don’t push yet. Deek, call the ambulance.”

  Deek’s face flushed. He ran out to ask Sergeant Kane to put an emergency call through to dispatch and then he returned in seconds.

  Billi wailed. “Look Doc, I ain’t kidding, I really gotta push.”

  “Resist the urge to push, Billi. If you push too soon it could harm your baby. The cord could be wrapped around the neck and your baby might get strangled. I don’t have time to explain all the consequences, just trust me. Don’t push yet, wait until the ambulance gets here.”

  “I don’t know if I can wait that long, Doc.”

  “They’ll be here soon. Try to relax. You’ll be fine, said Renee. “Billi, may I examine you to see what’s going on? Like I said before, I used to be an emergency room nurse.”

  Billi groaned in pain but nodded her approval. Renee asked Deek to go get something to cover up the window so they could have some privacy. “But don’t take too long” she said as she helped Billi to recline on the couch, “I’m going to need your help.” Deek nodded and rushed off. When Renee next glanced out the window a few moments later, she saw that he had salvaged a large pad of flipchart paper and a roll of masking tape. He managed to induce several of the uniformed officers to help him cover the window. While the window was being plastered with large sheets of flipchart paper, Renee examined Billi. Renee’s eyes narrowed in concern when she saw that Billi had dilated to about 8 centimeters and her contractions increased rapidly. She was already in transition stage, which Renee knew meant that Billi was in the final part of active labor. Billi shivered as her contractions intensified. They kicked-in every two minutes. Once Billi reached 10 centimeters her baby would be born no matter what any of them wanted, thought Renee.

  Deek returned to the coffee lounge, carrying a washcloth moistened with cool water. He placed the damp folded hand towel on Billi’s forehead. When he saw the look on Renee’s face he frowned. “What’s the matter?”

  “Oh my God, I see the baby’s head! Deek, we don’t have time to wait for the ambulance.”

  “Wh-what do you mean Renee? We have to wait.”

  “This baby is coming now and we have to deliver it.”

  She told Deek they would have to help Billi onto the table because the couch was too narrow for her to get into position for the baby to safely pass through the birth canal. By that time, several people outside the lounge area knew about the delivery in progress. Even though their view was now blocked by the paper taped to the window, Renee could still hear the commotion and knew that an audience had congregated outside the lounge. Deek went to the door and motioned for young Sergeant Kane to come inside and help them. Kane’s jaw dropped and he remained transfixed behind the covered glass window. He fiercely shook his head no.

  Renee and Deek grabbed Billi and she slumped into Deek’s arms. He helped her climb on top the table. Deek removed his shirt as Renee instructed, and stood with nothing covering his brown sugar toned muscular torso except a white-ribbed undershirt. Renee folded his shirt and placed it nearby on the couch so it would be handy when it came time to quickly catch the baby. The baby would come out slippery and wet and she didn’t want it to slide out of her hands and fall to the floor.

  Billi could no longer talk but she could still scream. She held such a tight grip on Deek’s T-shirt that it ripped from his body, revealing his bare chest. Sweat dripped from Billi’s brow as she panted, breathed, and yelled until her mouth went dry. She hollered each time a contraction came. And continued screaming in anticipation of the next one. No one else in the station would come in and help them. They simply gathered behind the wall of the makeshift birthing room and waited for the outcome. Renee could swear she detected the sounds of someone starting a bet as to whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. When Renee gave the okay to push, Billi pushed and her water broke. She stammered a weak apology for making a mess but said the gush of liquid felt like a warm bath. Billi’s eyes protruded out of their sockets as she shrieked in pain. “You’re doing good, Billi,” said Renee, “We’re almost there.” Renee tried to get her to breathe and relax but it was useless. She appeared to get weaker and Renee feared the baby might be in distress. It seemed like hours but only a few minutes had passed. She prayed the ambulance would get there soon.

  “Deek, do you have something sterile to cut the umbilical cord with?”

  “No, but there may be roller gauze in our first aid kit to tie it off with. I’ll go get it,” he said.

  “That’ll work until the ambulance gets here and they can clamp and cut the cord with something sterile.”

  Deek rushed out to get the first aid kit. Billi grimaced from the pain. There was nothing sterile to use to make an episiotomy incision so her delivery could go smoother, no drugs or IV to reduce the pain. Billi tightened her muscles and gave another strong push. Seconds later, a full-term baby girl with a stock of coal-black, curly hair, plunged into the world. Renee caught the baby with Deek’s shirt and wrapped it around her. Renee checked her watch and saw that it was 4:57 PM.

  At that moment, Deek ran back into the lounge with the first aid kit. He stood by looking helpless with the kit in his hand while Renee quickly used her fingers as a suction to scoop out the mucus from the baby’s mouth and clear her passageway. The baby let out a hearty cry. The audience behind the covered glass panel clapped and cheered. The infant’s dark brown vibrant eyes looked at Renee with a startled expression. Her forehead and one eye were bruised from the difficult birth but at least the baby could breathe on her own.

  Deek cut a strip of roller gauze and tied off the umbilical cord. Renee laid the bundled baby on her mother’s chest. Billi forced a weak smile but something didn’t look right in her color. A stricken expression came over Renee as she examined Billi. The new mother breathed heavily and her pulse felt faint.

  “Billi has a placenta abruption and if the ambulance doesn’t get here immediately, it will be too late,” Renee whispered to Deek.

  “I don’t understand,” he said, looking worried, “I thought the hard part was over.”

  “Once Billi’s labor began and her water broke so fiercely, the large gush of fluid leaving the uterus caused an increased risk of placental abruption. That means the placenta detached too early.”

  “Is there anything we can do in the meantime?”

  “I’m afraid not. She’s at a higher risk for postpartum hemorrhaging because her uterus is not contracting the way it needs to after labor,” Renee explained.

  Suddenly, they heard the ambulance outside. “Good, they’re here,” said Deek, “I was just about to put her in a squad car and drive her to GW myself.”

  When the EMS personnel reached the homicide unit, Billi was unconscious. The EMS staff cut the umbilical cord with sterile instruments and discarded the afterbirth. Renee requested to ride with Billi in the ambulance but they told her she had to follow in her own car because only family members were allowed in the ambulance. Deek headed to his locker to put on a clean shirt. On the way he showed Renee where she could wash up in the Ladies Room. A few minutes later, they met up in the squad room of the homicide unit. He told Renee he would drive her to George Washington University Hospital where the ambulance was headed since it was the closest hospital. On the way out, he grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and helped Renee with her coat.

  They arrived at the hospital only minutes behind the ambulance. Deek and Renee rushed through the emergency room door and asked several desk attendants and medical personnel about Billi. No one wanted to take the time to give them information about a homeless woman who had just given birth with life-threatening complications. Deek stopped a nurse on her way down the hall and showed her his badge. He asked what happened to the maternity patient just brought in.

  “Are you family?”

  “No, she has no family. M
a’am, I just introduced myself as a homicide detective working on a case so it should occur to you this is police business,” said Deek with annoyance in his voice.

  “Please wait here Detective. I’ll go check on her.”

  Renee sat down while Deek stood nearby. A short time later, they saw the nurse coming down the hall towards them. Renee got up and they both approached her hoping to hear everything was fine. They couldn’t tell anything from the flat expression on the nurse’s face.

  “How is she?” Renee blurted out.

  “The patient you asked about died from hemorrhaging in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The body’s been taken to the morgue. Do you know who she was?”

  “Her name was Belinda,” said Deek. “I don’t have a last name.” Renee covered her mouth and looked away. She said a silent prayer for Billi’s soul.

  “What happened to her baby?” asked Deek.

  “The baby’s healthy. She weighed 7 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 20 inches long. Her Apgar score was 10, which is good,” said the nurse and went on to explain. “Apgar’s a test we use on newborns to check their activity or muscle tone, their pulse rate, reflexes, skin color, and respiration. Everything looked good on all counts.”

  “What’s going to happen to this baby?” Renee asked.

  “We notified Child Family Services because we don’t have facilities to keep border babies here at the hospital. Due to the quick delivery though, the baby still has some amniotic fluid in her lungs that she has to expel before we release her to Child Services. She’ll be in the nursery overnight for observation then she can go home.”

  “Home?” said Renee, “that little baby has no home and no mother.”

  “That’s all the information I can give you, Ma’am. If you’d like to go to the nursery to see the infant, she’s on the 3rd floor,” the nurse said and walked away.

  Deek looked at Renee and knew the answer to his question before he even asked it.