Page 61 of Unwell
‘We need to get you upstairs,’ I said softly.
Ginny hummed on, the ribbon lifting faintly in a draft. Taunting me.
My jaw clenched so tight that my teeth ached. I swallowed down the rage that threatened to leak out, and instead stood and supported Ginny to her feet.
The baby wasn’t just Ginny’s. She’d been mine too.
And now she was nothing.
Just another body in Wellard.
Just another empty loss.
THIRTY-SEVEN
GINNY
My little Alice. The perfect baby. She never cried and lay as good as gold in my arms.
So warm and heavy. Her cheeks flushed pink as I rocked her while humming. Her tiny mouth opened with the faintest little snore, each breath so utterly charming. One perfect fist curled against her chin and her pretty pink ribbon curling soft as a kiss against her chest.
I walked down the hall, thrilled when people glanced our way. It made me so proud to show off my baby. Mama had always taken the others, and I’d never seen them again.
But the faces turned from me.
Orderlies, nurses, and doctors stared as I passed. Pale faces and eyes wide, whispering behind their hands as if I couldn’t hear. They recoiled, shrinking from me as if I carried the plague.
I clutched Alice tighter, shielding her from their ugliness.
‘She’s mine,’ I hissed. ‘She’s my sweet girl and you can’t have her.’
And then Nancy appeared.
Sweet Nancy.
Her face softened when she saw me. Eyes so gentle and hands outstretched as though she longed to gather us up.
Nancy had been the only kindness since they had locked me in Wellard. Sitting by my bed in the days since I had Alice and stopping any of the others coming close. She helped deliver the afterbirth. Brought me water and brushed my tangled hair. Whispering that I wasn’t alone, that she’d make sure it never happened again. She hadn’t flinched when I told her Alice’s name, and had sung softly to her when I bathed.
She was the only person I could trust.
Nancy was going to take me and Alice home. Away from the cold walls and cruel doctors. She’d told me all about her house, and the nursery she already has set up. She’d brought in the sweetest duck covered pyjamas, which fit Alice like a dream. We’d live like a family. Me, Nancy and Alice. Maybe even Elijah, too.
‘Let me hold her for you, Ginny,’ Nancy said, herkind voice protecting me from the whispers. ‘They just need to have a little look at you. Only for a moment.’
Panic rose until it made my chest hurt. I rocked faster, clinging to Alice.
‘Be gentle. She’s so precious. I’ve waited so long for one I can keep.’
Nancy nodded, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. ‘Of course, love. Just for a few minutes, and then I’ll pass her right back.’
Reluctantly, my fingers unclenched. I passed her to Nancy before wrapping my arms around them both.
‘The doctors scare me,’ I whispered in Nancy’s ear.
‘I know, but they need to make sure you are okay after the birth. You can’t look after Alice unless you’re well.’
I brushed a kiss over Alice’s forehead, my brow wrinkling as the skin felt like it shifted. But when I looked at her pouting little face, it was as perfect as ever.
