Chapter ten Help

I regain consciousness to the faint sound of a baby crying. Moaning in pain I tried to move but the place seems to be spinning. "Take it easy." A soft voice said from above me and that was when I realized that I was laying in someone's lap with the oxygen mask over my face. "Where am I?" I ask groggily as I remove the mask. "You're still where you stop, at the side of the road."

"Who are you?" I ask again. "My-my name is Janice." Her voice was so soft, warm, and angelic, and full of concern that I half expect to see wings sprouting from her back, crazy right? Blame it on the fact that I just blocked out.

"How long was I out?" "About… two hours." She answered as I got up and she hand me a sealed bottle of water. I open the bottle while looking at the person sitting beside me.

She was of dark complexion, with thick natural hair; a faint cry came from the big bag that was in front of her which drew my attention. To my surprise, there was a young infant lying on the top of the bag wrapped in a blanket. The child looks to be a few days old.

I checked my watch and saw that it was Twelve thirty am. "It's kind of late to be out with such a young child isn't it?" I ask looking at the child. "It is." She said softly nodding her head.

"Can I give you a lift somewhere?" I ask drinking more of the water. "No thank you, we'll be alright, are you feeling better?" She asks softly. "Yes, thank you very much for your help but um why are we whispering?" I ask also in a soft tone leaning closer to her. "I'm not." She said looking away from me. I noticed that when she moves to pick up the child she winced in pain.

"Do you need medical help?" I ask. "No, don't worry about me." She said sadly. "Are you okay to drive?" She asks. "Yeah, I think so, my head feels a lot clearer now and the place is no longer spinning which is a plus, so um thanks again." "You're welcome, maybe you should be getting home." She said still not looking at me.

The baby began crying and she put her breast in its mouth and winced again as the child latched on. "Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" I ask. "Yes, no doctor and no police, please."

Strange, was she running from someone? Maybe she's a victim of domestic violence, let's test out that theory. "Can I give you a ride home?" I ask. "No thank you." She answered in a weak and tired tone.

I got up, stretch, and looks around and that was when I noticed that there was more than one bag next to her. Something was very wrong with this picture and this young lady wasn't okay. I went back and sat next to her. "It's either you tell me what's going on here or I'm going to sit here and bug you until you do," I said firmly.

She force a smile but there was a sadness about her that ran so deep that it broke what was left of my heart. seeing as though Kayla had just destroyed most of it, but now wasn't the time to think about that. "Come on you help me, let me do the same for you." I touched her hand and felt that she was shivering.

Taking off my jacket I put it around her and the baby. A car passes and as the lights shone on her face I noticed a palm print on her cheek. She was definitely not okay; someone had hit her and from the size of the print it was made by a man's hand and there were silent tears running down her face because she wasn't making a sound, not even a sniffle.

"Listen, there's no way I can get in my car and leave you sitting here with your very young baby." Hugging her baby she turned away from me. "Janice, it's cold out here, please let me help you before you and your baby freeze to death." I plead.

"I-I can't get up, I'm to-too weak, thank you for trying to help me but p-please, just leave me….. I've already accepted….. my faith." She said and before I could say anything else she fainted and her head fell on my chest.

For a second I didn't know what to do. My car door was closed and even if I picked them both up, there was no way I could get her in the car without putting them down, but then my medical skills kicked in and I jumped into action.

Taking some of the clothes from the bag in front of her I made a pillow and taking the baby gently from her hands, I move and rest the clothes on the bench then gently rest her head on them.

I then lay the baby gently back on top of the big bag after which I run to my car switch on the engine, turn on the heater, then running around to the passenger's side I lay the seat back and taking the big blanket that Caleb left in my car from our last family picnic from the back seat I spread it out on the seat and ran back to her.

Lifting her in my arms I carried her to the car and lay her on the seat then ran back for the baby, my hands flew to my mouth as I saw that the spot where she was sitting was covered with blood.

I took the baby back to the car and lay the child on her mother's chest and after securing them both in, I closed the door. I then went back took up her bags and put them on the back seat and taking a big bottle of water from behind the back seat I went back over to the bench and quickly wash the blood off and then off the ground as well, I then fling the bottle in the back, jump in around the steering wheel and turn back in the direction of the private hospital where my father works.

Twenty minutes later Mr. Jackson came to a screeching halt in the parking lot of his workplace. It was the tone of Tyler's voice that got him out of bed, in his clothes and down the stairs in five minutes with his wife who was beside him reading, and his daughter who was on her way to get some water from the fridge. He tried to get them to remain at home but they wouldn't hear of it. And now they all came pilling out of the vehicle.

Tyler was about to apologize for dragging them all out of their bed but his father held up his hand and stops him. "No apologies necessary, you need me, you call and now I'm here, are you alright, what can I do to help?" His father asks anxiously.

"I…. um….I…." I stutters as tears fell down my cheeks. Mr. Jackson grabbed his son and hugged him tightly. "Whatever it is, we will deal with it together, it's going to be alright; talk to me, is Kayla okay? Is it your baby? What's going on son?" My father asks in concern. The future I had dreamed of was just shattered before my eyes and as much as I would love to have a pity party, now was not the time to think about myself.

"I have a young lady in my car that needs urgent help," I said with trembling lips. "Alright, who is she?" Dad asks moving towards the car. "I don't know anything about her; all I know is that she needs medical help and she needs it now." Mr. Jackson's eyes widen as the baby began crying.

He moved me aside and saw the young lady lying in the seat with the baby strapped to her chest. "She fainted before I could get her to the car." I explained. "Why didn't you take her to the emergency entrance?" Dad asks examining her and her baby.

"She said no hospital and no police so I didn't want too many people to see her or have it put on record that she is here. I think she may be a victim of domestic violence." "Alright let's get them inside, I'll deal with the staff. You carry her I'll carry the baby. Sweetheart, could you please open the door for me." He said to mom while lifting the baby in his arms.

"Alright, I'll examine the mother, Ty you can examine this screaming bundle of terror." As I gently laid Janice on the bed I notice there was a lot more blood on the blanket and now on my shirt. "She's losing a lot of blood dad," I said taking the baby from my dad.

"Why is the baby crying so much?" Tatiana asks. "She's maybe hungry," I replied. "There are two bags on the back seat of my car, please bring them to me," I said to my sister as I put on plastic gloves and began examining the child.

Ten minutes later I found out that the child was at least two weeks old, she had a high fever which was caused by a lung infection and she was also dehydrated, so I got to work doing what I did best; saving lives.

My sister gave my mother one of the bags and they both began searching through them while my dad and I put our medical skills to work. Mrs. Jackson found a bottle and a tin of feeding in one of the bags so she got to work sterilizing it to prepare a bottle of feeding for the baby, while Tatiana continued searching.

"Is the baby alright?" My sister asks coming over to me with a clean diaper and a pack of baby wipes in her hands. "Mom is making a bottle of feeding." She adds. "She'll be alright; she just needs to be incubated for a while. Could you keep an eye on her, I need to speak to dad, and tell mom to hold off on the feeding for a while, I'll be back." I said running over to the shielded area where dad was working on the child's mother.

Thank you all for reading

You know what to do

Food for thought

Troubles seem smaller

When you remember the greatness of God.

Tell me, what would you do if face with a situation like that?