Seventy-Eight

Seventy-Eight: Mysterious Ways

“What do you mean? Is Kat alright? And where’s Vaclav?”

“Kat should be okay… but because of the accident I might have to deliver the babies early. I’ll do the best I can, but I don’t want you in there. Only Reznik. I might need his help.” He paused. “Vaclav left after it happened.”

“But it’s too early! Can’t we just take Kat to the hospital? There’ll be a whole staff who can take care of her and the babies—”

“There’s no time for that.”

“The twins are going to die, aren’t they?”

Hunter stepped forward, quickly hugged Aubrey.

“I’ll do the best I can. But if I don’t get in there now, they could all die.”

“Dammit, Hunter! If you and Vaclav hadn’t been fighting,” she cried. “I knew this would happen!”

Hunter parted from her and strode into the bedroom. Aubrey followed but didn’t enter.

Rez tried to heal Kat’s injuries.

“It’s not working! She won’t stop bleeding,” Reznik said.

“Shit!”

Hunter circled to the other side of the bed.

“Just—keep trying to heal her, while I listen to the babies’ heartbeats. I think she has placental abruption.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just keep trying to heal her.” Hunter used a fetal doppler device to listen as he palpated Kat’s abdomen.

“Uterus is very rigid,” Hunter muttered.

“The babies have bradycardia,” he added. “They have to come out.”

Reznik stood back.

“What should I do?”

“Get me my other medical bag. I keep it on the first floor, in the office desk, far right drawer. I use it for Kat’s treatments. After that, get some towels.”

“Okay.” Reznik rushed out.

“What’s going to happen to me? I’m scared… I think I’m going to throw up.”

“Everything will be fine. But the twins have to be delivered by C-section.” And, Dear God Almighty, please forgive me for what I’ve done to Kat and our children. If you give me one more chance, I swear I’ll never fight with any of the Haases again. Ever.

Kat whimpered.

“It won’t hurt. I’ll give you as much local anesthetic as I can, without it harming you or the babies. Okay?” He clutched a needle syringe.

She nodded; passed out again.

Hunter injected the anesthetic into Kat’s stomach.

“Get over here, Reznik. Once I deliver one, I’ll need you to take it so I can get the other out.”

Reznik recoiled a moment, then dashed over to Hunter’s side.

After raising her gown, Hunter carved a long horizontal incision below her navel. Further layers of flesh followed until tiny feet were exposed. Hunter knew his sons had zero chance of surviving.

Carefully, Hunter extracted the first infant. He was limp and quiet.

Oh, Jesus. Please just breathe. Breathe, breathe, breathe… give me some kind of miracle here.

He worked on the infant, performing CPR as best he could. At 19 weeks of prematurity, the infant’s chest was too tiny.

Fuck!

Suddenly a little foot twitched. Maybe that was a good sign… either way, there wasn’t any more time. The other had to be delivered, along with the placenta before Kat bled to death.

Finally, he had to turn and hand the infant to Reznik.

Reznik stared down at it in fascination, his glowing eyes sweeping all over the tiniest of human bodies.

Meanwhile, Hunter delivered the last infant and placenta. Then he stitched up Kat’s belly.

As Reznik easily held both babies, Hunter wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Shouldn’t we call 911? Get the babies some help?” Rez asked.

“No,” he rasped. “It’s way too late for that. They’re gone.”

“Bullshit!” Reznik laid the infants upon a towel on the floor. Then he backed up and tried a spell.

A greenish-blue hue escaped from his hands.

“All they have to do is breathe,” Reznik said concentrating. “If they breathed, they’d live. They’d be okay.”

The powerful incantation knocked him back. He grunted as if being punched.

Greenish mist dissipated. Infant boys were still dead.

“Damn, Reznik. It’s too late,” Hunter groaned. “I told you.”

“It’s too late,” he said louder.

Too late, his voice echoed inside Kat’s head.

“I don’t care. I won’t give up,” her brother said.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Soft cries awakened her. They sounded so small, barely audible.

Ambulance sirens resonated in the distance.

“The babies are… alive?” Her eyes lowered, beheld a sight so unfathomable she thought she was still dreaming… it was a miracle, just as much as those two children who lived and breathed only a few feet away.

Her father and Hunter…

embracing.

“How many caskets can we witness before we see it’s hard to live this life without God? So we must ask forgiveness.”

~ Quote by Tupac Shakur