Page 44 of His Baby Her Gift

Elaina was textbook certifiable.

“I’m tired.” Elaina yawned. “We have a long day tomorrow. Come along. Let me show you to the birthing room. It’s the first door on the right.”

Harlem leveled Elaina with a lingering stare before turning around and walking where Elaina had directed her.

Harlem went into the room and froze. She swallowed hard. The bedroom truly had been transformed into a birthing room. There was a hospital bed where Harlem could put her feet up in the stirrups. There were overhead lights just like the ones in a surgical room and all kinds of delivery equipment.

“You’ll be sleeping over here.”

Elaina placed the duffel bag on the bed and unzipped it while she continued to keep the gun trained on Harlem. She pulled out a syringe full of something Harlem had no idea. What Harlem did know was Elaina was not going to shoot her up with whatever it was.

“This should put you to sleep until morning.”

Harlem took a deep breath. The next thing she knew, she’d charged Elaina. Harlem plowed into her midsection, knocking the gun out of her hand and onto the floor.

Harlem managed to kick it underneath the bed and out of Elaina’s reach. She then ran over to the delivery area. There was a sharp edge on the metal flap where the metal stirrups were welded together. Harlem turned around and used it to slice through the remaining piece of the surgical zip ties.

Her hands came unbound just in time. Elaina came running at her with the syringe in hand. Harlem caught her by the wrist before she could plunge it into her. Elaina tried with all her might to push the needle into any part of Harlem’s body that she could reach.

They fought and tussled. Harlem had fallen onto her back and on the bed with Elaina hovering over her.

They continued to wrestle for control of the syringe.

I refuse to die today.Harlem used all of her might to head-butt Elaina causing both their foreheads to split open. Elaina’s seemed much worse than Harlem’s as blood poured out of it and down her face. Harlem took advantage of Elaina being momentarily dazed to push Elaina away. It gave Harlem just enough space to get around her and go for that gun.

Just short of making it to her destination, a sharp pain hit Harlem in the center of her stomach and dropped her to her knees.

Elaina started screaming like a banshee. She grabbed Harlem by the hair, yanking her backward until Harlem flipped over onto her back, this time on the floor.

Harlem could barely breathe. She didn’t know where she found the strength, but she fought for her life and that of her daughter.

Harlem used one arm to fight off Elaina, and the other flailed around, looking for the gun.

Their battle continued to bring them closer to it and Elaina’s duffel bag. Elaina sat on top of Harlem, giving her the ability to reach inside the bag and grab the scalpel just as Harlem’s hand connected with cold hard steel.

Harlem wrapped her fingers around the handle of the gun and lifted it.

Everything happened in a split second. Elaina plunged the knife into Harlem’s stomach, and Harlem unloaded several bullets into Elaina’s body.

The final shot blew the back of Elaina’s head clean out.

Moments later, the door to the cabin came crashing down.

From that moment on, Harlem saw everything in a series of flashes. One minute she was looking up into Carter’s eyes. The next, she was looking up into another bright overhead light.

Fear gripped her heart. Was it Elaina? Was she taking her baby? Harlem didn’t know as again she succumbed to the darkness.

Chapter 21

Carter couldn’t sit still.

He was joined in the hospital waiting room by Nate and Melody, Harlem’s parents, and her friends–Mesha and Charisma. Carter half expected everyone to blame him for this mess and keep him at an arm’s distance. What he found was the opposite. They were more than supportive.

It made the guilt he carried feel even heavier.

Carter had seen enough of death and hospitals to last him a lifetime. He wasn’t a praying man but felt the need to take a trip to the hospital Chapel.

Harlem’s mom watched him leave. She leaned over and whispered to her husband. “You think Carter’s going to be okay? He’s been through so much. Everyone who means anything to him is in this hospital.”

---