Jeremiah

Chapter 1 - Emergence

Alexander Walters was sitting at a desk in a room that was sparsely furnished. It housed only a simple wooden desk, and an uncomfortable looking wooden chair, and by the look on his face, it felt the way it looked.

Alex was an average sized man. Not skinny, not fat, with the right amount of muscle. His deep brown skin matched the desk almost perfectly. He looked young, but the kind of young that let you know he was older.

Sat atop said desk were two neat stacks of paper, one to his left and one to his right. In between, laid a small stack of papers marked with checks and exes.

On the corner of the desk were two pictures. One a framed picture of a beautiful, smiling, pregnant woman of latin descent, holding her belly the way pregnant women are known to do. She looked about 25 but even smiling, the intelligent and deep look of her hazel eyes betrayed her age.

In the corner of the picture, between the frame and the glass was the second picture. A sonogram. Little did Alex know, but every time his gaze would wander to the pictures a small smile would grow in his face.

Alex shifted his weight in the chair, his face wore a grimace that did little to hid his looks. He raised his right hand to run it through the jet black mini afro proudly presented on his head, only to find a fight.

It was simply a struggle to get all the way in. But while going out, when he was halfway up, it suddenly became too tough to continue. He tried to go the other way and realized that his hand was firmly lodged.

His face fell. He tried to use his left hand to get his right, but thought better of it. In exasperation he looked at a picture on his desk.

Smiling, he got out of the chair, hand still firmly planted in his hair and yelled “¿Mi pequeña gordita?”

A heavenly voice replied “You know where I am.”

Alex left the room and walked down a hallway. Very few pieces of art hung along the white walls in the daylight lit hall.

He walked into a bedroom which kept in theme with the rest of the house. Minimalistic. A bed shouldered by two nightstands. A dresser topped by pictures. And a mounted television, which was currently on.

Alex exaggerated his hand being stuck in his hair. He frowned pathetically and drooped his shoulders.

Carla Rios-Walters, the framed angel,  sat on their bed laughing quietly. She waved Alex over. He sat beside her on the bed. She grabbed his face and turned it to her. “Mi niño tonto” she smiled and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She than proceeded to part the black sea and released his fingers.

When he was finally free he sighed in exasperation and smiled. He pointed to her obviously pregnant belly and said “¡Ahí está tu chico tonto!” He points at himself and follows up with “Soy tu hombre tonto.”

Carla immediately puts on a serious face and salutes Alex. “Yes, sir” She yells.

He replies “You're goddamn right” before breaking into a smile and kissing her. She kisses him back laughing.

“¡Dios mío!” Carla exclaims while clutching her side.

Alex immediately separates from her. He holds her at arm's length and worriedly ask “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I'm fine. He just loves the feel of my kidneys” she jokes him.

Alex rests his head in her lap. She rubs his head and says “Don't think I don't know what you're doing.”

Alex shifts his eyes left and right. He puts on a confused face, looks up at his wife and says “Spending time with my wife and our unborn child before we never get another peaceful moment to ourselves again” tentatively.

He smiles.

She smiles.

Alex says "Ugh, I know that chair is supposed to keep me uncomfortable and focused, and I swear it's doing its job, but all it makes me wanna do is fail all those kids that make sit in that chair."

Carla gives Alex's head a hug. She says "I feel for you, I really do. But do you really want to go back to the days of grading papers right before their class starts."

Alex shakes his head in dejection "No."

"Than this is what you have to do, niño tonto" she teases.

They both laugh. Alex raises his head, kisses her, and says "You always know what's best."

Her smile fades and she casts her eyes down. She says “I know he's not due until next week, but I would like to go to the hospital before then. I just feel like something is going to happen. I would hate to be trapped in the house.” She looks up at him.

And with that single look, all of his arguments disappear. The fact that doctors make the worst patients. The fact that her good friend, Dr. Manning, is an excellent OB/GYN and if she was worried she would have called her in. They no longer mattered.

In that look she tells him that she is nervous. She knows that they will probably be fine but as a first time mother she can't help but be worried. His wife was feeling uncertain and that could not stand.

Alex leaps off the bed, stands up straight, hold out his hand and nobly says “Your chariot awaits mi diosa.”

She smiles and says “We can go after you finish grading those papers. You'll be able to relax more if you know they are done.” She tries to get off the bed. She fails and once again he offers his hand. She accepts and says “I want to take a bath first anyway.”

He lifts he off the bed and bows while holding her hand and says “As you wish”.

He kissed her hand and then rushes off towards the bathroom and starts the water for her.

----------

Carla is sitting in the bath, the warm water covering up to her breasts. She is lying still enjoying the feel of the warm water.

A weak, barely registered, tremor goes through the ground. The only evidence, the ripples on the surface of the water. When the tremor passes, the water slowly turns cloudy. She wakes from her blissful daze and quickly clutches her belly wincing.

“Alex!” she screams.

Alex rushes into the bathroom and sees his wife in a tub of cloudy water. “Your water broke?” he approaches her side.

She nods her head, “My water broke.”

He says “You stay here, I'll call an ambulance.” He runs to the kitchen and goes for the landline. He picks it up and dials 911.

The operator answers “Emergency services, police or ambulance?”

“Ambulance.” He answers. “My wife is going into labor and we need transport to the hospital.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Okay sir, what is the address of your emer--” The phone goes dead as Carla screams and a tremor runs through the earth. Pictures fall off the walls, knickknacks fall off of shelves. Alex braces himself against a counter until the tremor ends.

The tremors subside.

“Carla!” Alex yells.

He gets up and runs to the bathroom. He stops at the door. She has a pained look on her face.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“Contractions. I’m fine. Is the ambulance on its way?” she asks.

Alex shakes his head. “The earthquake knocked out the land line. Hopefully they got our address from the phone number. I'm gonna get my cell and try again.”

Carla nods and Alex turns to leave when Carla lifts her head up and screams. Another tremor, stronger than the last one rips through the house.

Alex falls to the ground and crawls toward the tub. He reaches the tub and straddles it. He uses his body to protect Carla and their son.

The quake continues for a few more seconds.

“I feel… weird. My contractions are... too close together. I… I think he's coming now.” Carla pants.

Carla begins to hyperventilate. She is interrupted by a scream.

The room begins to shake again. It is incomparable to the last quake. Alex remains above Carla as she screams her lungs out.

Tile from the shower wall shower onto Alex’s back. Alex grunts as a piece of the ceiling hits him.

The quake fades and Carla’s screams lowers into sobs. Alex’s face looks confused but he quickly regains his composure.

“It isn't supposed to be like this. Why is it happening like this?” Carla asks, dazed from the pain, her face covered in sweat.

Alex pushes some hair from Carla's face to behind her ear. He cups her head and lifts it to face at him.

“Escucha mi corazón. I know this isn't the start we would've chosen for our son. Born in a bathtub, during an earthquake, with no help on the way” Alex lists.

“It seems like the universe is dead set against him. And if this is how he starts life, it's basically all downhill from here. But he does have one thing going for him. You.”

Alex slowly drops into the tub and takes Carla's hands. “You are the smartest, strongest, most awe inspiring, drop down gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes upon.” Alex gets closer to Carla.

“And that's why, I am not even worried. If he has even a fraction of you in him, I know he'll be able to handle anything this shit show of a world throws his way.”

“You can do this Carla. I know you can.” Alex gets between her legs. He puts her legs over his and at his sides, while putting his under hers.

“Remember, as soon as it starts, start your breathing.” Alex guides Carla to the side of the tub and she lays back.

They sit there for a few more seconds. Carla suddenly grabs Alex's hand and starts her breathing. The room starts to vibrate.

“I feel like it's time. I don't know how I know but I have to push.” Carla says through her breathing.

“I'm ready babe” Alex says through clenched teeth.

Then, an earthquake like nothing they have ever felt, tears though the earth. Carla screams bloody murder. She takes a breath and “Aggggggggggggggh”.

It seemed like the entire world was shaking. As if it was about to collapse in on itself.

“I see a head, he's crowning!” Alex says encouragingly. “Push again!”

Carla takes a deep breath and “Agggggggggggh.”

A crack spreads across the bathroom floor. The shaking can be felt in their bones but they both ignore it.

“His head is out, it's out” Alex screams. “You're doing great mi amor”

Carla steadies and lifts her pelvis out of the water so the baby's head isn't submerged. Her knees buckle and Alex puts his left hand under her to support her. He is face to face with his son's head.

The earthquake seemed almost to retreat. The intensity of the quaking lessened and lessened. Until it's gone. Almost like it is gathering its strength.

“Just one more push babe, you're so close. One more push.”

Carla, tears streaming down her face, breathes quickly. She steels her face and pushes one more time.

Suddenly, the ground erupts! It's as if the world was about to split in two. The bathtub separates from the wall and the pipes burst.

The earth emits a sound like a scream in time with Carla as the baby's shoulders are pushed out and the rest of his body is ejected.

Alex catches their son and slowly lowers Carla into the water. He looks at the baby in his arms. His face falls.

Carla, tired out of her mind, calls for Alex. “How is he, is he ok?”

Alex smacks the baby's butt.

Nothing.

He hits the baby's bottom again.

Nothing.

He takes some water and wipes the baby's face. He puts his mouth to the baby's nose and sucks fluid from its nostrils. He spits it onto the bathroom floor.

Nothing.

Carla struggles through her fatigue and asks “What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?”

Alex stampers “He isn't moving. He's not crying, I don't thinks he's...” Alex’s voice fades away. Unable to say the words.

Carla wakes and pulls the small body to her. She puts her ear to his chest and listens. She says “His heart is beating and he's breathing. But I don't know why he isn't crying.” She begins to cry.

Alex's face falls. Carla taps his chest, gently jostling it in between. To no avail.

She pulls the baby to her chest and cries loudly. “Why why why why why?” Carla rocks back and forth with the baby in her arms. “ No, not my baby! Not please no!” she screams.

A tear rolls down Alex's face. His lip quivers and he opens his mouth. Before he makes a sound he closes it. He wipes his tear and holds his wife and his motionless baby. He holds them close to his chest.

Rocking back and forth with them, when she can't see his face, he begins to silently cry.