Dances Naked by Dani Haviland Read Free Book Online

Aaahhhhh!”
    I could tell by Rachel’s belly that she was contracting , but I don’t think the soul-shaking scream was from that. Still, I rushed down to her feet and applied my thumbs to the pressure points on her soles, trying to ease , at least , her physical pain. There wasn’t anything I could do for her mental a nguish. I doubt any amount of alcohol could numb that pain.
    “He killed her and it was all my faul t. I told him to leave me alone, that I didn’t want to do that no more. I, I, should have let him…Aaaaahhh!” Another contraction and another scream so powerful, it seemed to rattle the tea cups on the counter. It was either from anger, frustration , or pain , but most likely from all three of them. This young girl had definitely been through a lot.
    Sarah sat down at the foot of the chaise and pushed apart Rachel’s knees, stuck one hand on the distended belly and the other up inside of her to check her dilation.
    “It’s time for her to push,” Sarah told me. “Get behind her and support her shoulders. I don’t know how much help she’s going to be though; s he’s pretty snockered.”
    So , I stood behind Rachel and Sarah pressed on her belly and yelled ‘push.’ It must have been good instincts because Rachel was so drunk she couldn’t sit up by herself but still gave a couple of hearty pushes until Sarah hollered, “Whoa, stop pushing!”
    The smell hit the air even stronger than when her water broke earlier. But , we all—well Sarah and I— were high on adrenaline and the odor didn’t bother us a bit.  “It was the cord,” she said softly to me as she unwrapped the cord from around the baby’s neck. “Now push again,” she ordered Rachel.
    Rachel obliged and two seconds later a perfectly formed , but dead and gray , baby girl was born. She was about the same size as Wren had been when she was born which meant she was probably four to six weeks premature.
    Sarah wiped the baby’s vernix off and wrapped her in a cloth. “Here,” she said to Rachel. “You have to see her. She’s perfect. T he umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. There was n’t anything you or anyone else did wrong , and there was nothing anyone could have done to save her. Look at her. She’s beautiful.”
    Rachel was immediately alert and sober , or at least appeared to be. She rolled over on to her side and held the bundle that Sarah placed next to her. “Look,” Rachel said softly and tenderly, “she has hair already. And you’re right— she is beautiful.”
    Rachel started to cry silently and let the tears fall for a full five minutes before she attempted to rein in her emotions. She sniffed and wiped her nose and eyes on the shoulder of the hospital gown. “So it wasn’t my fault that she died?” she asked.
    “Not your fault or anyone else’s.” Sarah said emphatically. “And everything went well with this delivery so you can have more babies. That is , after you find a good man and remarry. I’m sure there are many men out there who would love to have a wife as lovely as you with a ready-made family. At least he’d get a son right off the bat!”
    Rachel smiled at the remark. “Thanks for making me look at her. It does help. Should I give her a name?”
    Sarah nodded rapidly. She had named her stillborn daughter years ago and I’m sure she was glad she did. Rachel looked over at me for my opinion.
    “You can name her whatever you’d like. She is your daughter,” I encouraged. “You knew her before she was born, when she turned over inside of you, kicked you in the ribs. She is , and always has been , yours. And , now she is with the Lord.” I hoped I was saying the right words. They came from my heart and not from experience.
    I still had amnesia for the most part. My short-term memory was fine. I clearly remembered the last twelve months and the births of my triplet s, but remembered nothing of Leah, my first born from my previous life in the 20 th and 21 st centuries, until