Chapter Thirty-seven
Encounters
November 28, 2000. Ancient Era.
New Jersey
Rose Scott, wearing a one-piece dress, lay on a hospital gurney, nervous and expectant. She was a young woman in her early twenties, with shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. Her bumpy belly showed the future that was to come and, although she was full of joy, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
She had arrived with her young husband in the vehicle as quickly as they could, but on admission she had been put on the gurney and from there on to the elevator to go to the examination floor, and then admission. Her water had not broken yet, which in a way was a relief, but at the same time worried her.
The nurse smiled at her, trying to calm her down. Rose smiled back as best she could.
"In a few minutes the doctor will be back with the first results, so you have nothing to worry about."
"I'm not in pain anymore."
"It's just pre-term pain. You're already overdue. Those contractions come and go."
"Where are you taking me?"
"To a room to stay in as an patient. I'll help you change."
The gurney folded and she was wheeled into a large room. There was another bed, but Rose couldn't see if it was occupied, because of the curtain separating the sections. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window into the adjoining section.
After a few minutes she was dressed in her hospital gown and in bed. She was now calmer. Her husband must still be at the reception desk, taking care of all the admission paperwork. The doctor came in a few minutes later and after examining her had calmed her down. Everything was in order and he had left the room, after assuring her that they would do some extra tests in a short time, but that she would have to stay in the hospital.
Another nurse had come in and was carrying something in her hands, but she went to the next section. Rose overheard a short conversation and the nurse left almost as quickly as she had entered.
"Is there someone in the bed over there?" Rose asked.
"Yes. We have someone in a similar situation." The nurse peered into the other bed and spoke. "You have a roommate. Would you like to meet her?"
"Sure. Please! I'm glad. I'm already reading this book for the second time. I should have told someone in my family to bring me more. I'm bored."
The nurse pulled back the curtain and Rose met her companion. She was a woman who must have been several years older than she was, but it was hard to guess her age nonetheless. Thirty-five maybe? A little less, or a little more. But she was really pretty. Her hair was a little curly and a little longer than hers. She was also dressed in a hospital gown and by the swell of her belly she must also be in her ninth month.
Rose simply shook her hand and smiled. "Hi! I'm Rose."
"Hi. I'm Hebe. How are you feeling?"
Rose pointed to her belly and tried to make a funny face. "I think she wanted to run away already."
"We're the same, I had to come over last night because I thought I'd be in the same situation."
"Nine months?"
Hebe nodded. "You too?"
"Yes."
The nurse smiled and left them both to get to know each other better.
"Have you decided on a name yet?" Hebe asked.
"Louise."
"A girl! Nice name."
"And you?" Rose asked.
"Well, I've decided to call him Bennu."
Bennu? Rose didn't know where the name could have come from, but well, she wasn't the one to criticize parents on the subject of names. She, like her mother, was named after a flower.
Regardless, Hebe must have noticed some of the confusion on Rose's face. "It's Egyptian, it's related to the soul component of the Sun and the phoenix, it means to shine."
"I see. It's cute."
"I come from a family of historians and archeologists. We all have names that are a little showy, or a little weird."
"Your name has a nice ring to it."
"Well, Hebe was one of the Greek Horas, and also a goddess of youth."
That fit her like a glove, Rose thought , and the two struck up a conversation. They shared the same feelings of anticipation and nervousness.
The two women engaged in friendly conversation as they awaited the arrival of their loved ones. They talked about life, their expectations and the excitement of becoming mothers. Despite being strangers, they shared a special bond at this unique moment in their lives.
Just then, through the glass of the room, two men appeared. Rose immediately recognized her young husband, accompanied by her father, Carl Scott. They were beaming and full of joy, which made Rose's heart beat even faster. The two men smiled and waved enthusiastically from the other side of the glass.
When did Dad arrive? Rose thought. Almost at once two more faces appeared through the glass. "Uncle Jack, Leteo?"
Surely her father must have been with those two when she had called him. They weren't blood family, but she had always called both of them uncles. Her father's friends who had always showered her with gifts since she was a little girl when they still lived in California. Now that the three of them worked together, albeit in different areas, and had kept their friendship together when they moved to New Jersey.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Carl Scott already had a few wrinkles crossing his face, and gray hair, but he was relieved that nothing serious had happened. His daughter and first grandchild were well and that was the important thing. Jack had mostly gray hair, but he actually looked about the same age as Scott. The years had not taken away that sly smile that Rose had met him with.
Leteo, on the other hand, looked almost as old as both of them, although the passing years had somewhat softened those scars that had frightened Rose when she had first met him. The wrinkles had contributed to that and the hair had grown where before there had only been burnt skin. Yet the hair grew more on one side than the other. Many of those scars had merged with the wrinkles with the passage of time, only one thick scar from those burns on his cheek had not been erased by the wrinkles.
The men stood expectantly looking through the glass.
"Well it looks like it was just a scare," Leteo said.
Charlie, the young father, let out a sigh of relief when he saw Rose in bed. "We got scared when the contractions started. But her water hasn't broken yet."
"She should have been admitted days ago," Carl Scott said, with a serious gesture looking at Charlie.
"Well, they're young. And it's their first child," Jack tried to soothe him, smiling and patting him on the shoulder.
"Don't spoil them, now comes the hard part. Wait till Violet comes, she'll give them a hard time even worse than I did."
"That's true, I still remember what Violet was like in the first few months with Rose, she didn't want to leave her in the sun or shade."
"Your wife is fearful, that's true. Charlie, you better get ready. Grandmothers are scary sometimes."
"I'll keep that in mind," Charlie said with thick beads of sweat running down his face.
"Hmm? Are you friends of Hebe's?"
The one who had approached was a man with gray hair and a beard that looked like it had been cut with pinpoint accuracy, looking like he had a piece of white marble inserted in his jaw.
"No, I'm sorry, we're here because of my wife. She's just been put in this room," Charlie said.
"Oh, I see."
"And you are?" asked Scott, that face ringing a bell somewhere.
"Excuse me, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Marcus Bender. Who's in that room is my daughter, Hebe Bender. She's due to give birth these days."
Huh? Neither Scott nor Jack looked at each other, but they didn't have to. Those features, different hairstyle and type of beard, but it reminded them of someone who had died several years ago, in 1987.
Professor George Bender, who had helped them so much in the past.
They had never met the professor's family, as he tried to keep his family out of the craziness of his work, but they knew. The son was a historian at Miskatonic University in Arkham, and they knew the granddaughter's name was Hebe. But they would never have guessed that they would suddenly find themselves in such a situation. Leteo, on the other hand, had only met the professor on a few occasions, so he did not share the strangeness that Scott and Jack felt at that moment.
It's a small world, they both thought, almost in unison. It was best not to mention anything about the friendship that had bound them to George Bender. If he had tried to keep his family out of the mess, they had no reason to refuse the late professor's wishes.
Marcus Bender greeted the other men with warmth and courtesy. Immediately, he began to engage them in conversation, speaking of the grief he felt over the absence of Hebe's grandfather, who had deeply loved his granddaughter and had passed away some years ago.
Jack and Carl exchanged surprised looks, amazed at the coincidence of meeting Hebe's father at this special time. The doctor in charge of both came back and looked down the hall with the five men and sighed. He could understand that they were family, but that was no excuse to congregate in the hallway to chat as if it were a coffee shop.
While the men were talking, he entered the room and took it upon himself to talk to Hebe, assuring her that the tests had come back clean and that there were no worries.
"My father is outside, do you think you could tell him that everything is fine, so he can rest assured?
"My husband and my father are out there too, do you think you could give them the report as well. That will put their minds at ease."
The doctor invited them all to enter the room and gather around the beds, only on the condition that in the future he would only allow immediate family in. This was no place for gatherings.
Rose's family, although they did not know Hebe, greeted her courteously as they entered, sharing the same hospitable atmosphere and the immense feeling of happiness surrounding the babies' arrival. Excitement was palpable in the air of the room, and they all felt connected by this significant moment in their lives.
The doctor calmed both families and left the room, but not before allowing them a few minutes to talk and nothing more. It was necessary for both women to be calm.
"I think the doctor didn't like that there were so many of us in the room," Marcus Bender said, once he heard that the doctor's footsteps were no longer audible.
"I think he's a little right though, too much testosterone," Rose laughed. Charlie had sat down next to her and took her hand.
"Okay, okay. A few more minutes and we'll be on our way," Jack pointed out.
"You go if you want to, I'm going to stay a while longer," Carl Scott told him, while in his mind he was already picturing himself carrying his granddaughter, he had folded his arms with a proud gesture.
"If I were you I'd be careful Rose, maybe your father is already thinking of introducing her to Langley before she can even walk," Leteo said.
"What did you say jackass?"
As they chatted and shared anecdotes, Jack, with a sincere smile, turned to Hebe. "I hear your grandfather would be proud, Mrs. Bender," he said and walked over to her bed.
"Yes, it's a pity he's not here," Hebe replied wistfully. "At least I'm following family tradition and giving him a name he would have liked."
"Wherever my old man is, I'm sure he's enjoying watching now," pointed out Marcus, who had positioned himself near his daughter.
"My congratulations again, ma'am, I'm sure you will be an exceptional mother. This is a beautiful moment for you," Leteo said with an admiring smile.
"Thank you. I hope so, I'm still a little nervous," Hebe said and smiled, looking at the man several years older and with an aged face.
However, Leteo, for an instant, stared at Hebe's belly with a curious expression on his face. Something about that woman had intrigued him, although he was not sure what it was. Still he answered her.
"Have faith, I am sure that the nervousness you feel now will be something from the past that you will remember with grace in the future…"
"Thank you very much," Hebe said and raised a delicate hand in a gesture of greeting. Leteo took it.
There was definitely something about that woman. It was hard to describe, but it was a feeling of warmth and it wasn't due to the sunlight coming into the room. That woman gave off a strange warmth that could not be explained.
They both stared at each other in the few seconds that the contact of their hands lasted. And they both felt something strange about each other.
The moment passed quickly as the conversation continued, but that feeling lingered for a moment in Leteo's mind, like an unanswered question.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/42dd80f9-5ac6-42d5-8ccc-bcea020b6152/dgknixk-9e06fd26-c68b-459e-93f1-bada8f8b3b8a.jpg/v1/fit/w_828,h_1172,q_70,strp/nevermore_enygma_vol_4_chapter_37_by_hasegawakein_dgknixk-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTY4NCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzQyZGQ4MGY5LTVhYzYtNDJkNS04Y2NjLWJjZWEwMjBiNjE1MlwvZGdrbml4ay05ZTA2ZmQyNi1jNjhiLTQ1OWUtOTNmMS1iYWRhOGY4YjNiOGEuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTExOTAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.cIfRlZstH0kMfkv3_7YcLiJRzwoWzPQkPiOeJVtKyUU [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/42dd80f9-5ac6-42d5-8ccc-bcea020b6152/dgknixk-9e06fd26-c68b-459e-93f1-bada8f8b3b8a.jpg/v1/fit/w_828,h_1172,q_70,strp/nevermore_enygma_vol_4_chapter_37_by_hasegawakein_dgknixk-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTY4NCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzQyZGQ4MGY5LTVhYzYtNDJkNS04Y2NjLWJjZWEwMjBiNjE1MlwvZGdrbml4ay05ZTA2ZmQyNi1jNjhiLTQ1OWUtOTNmMS1iYWRhOGY4YjNiOGEuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTExOTAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.cIfRlZstH0kMfkv3_7YcLiJRzwoWzPQkPiOeJVtKyUU]