16 The Birth (1/2)
”Mom, why… why are you here?” Xiu Ling managed to force out through the haze of pain.
When Mrs. Xiu saw her daughter who was in labor, she immediately rushed to her side and answered in a soothing tone, ”I received a plane ticket in the mail from your address last week. It was a plane flying from the countryside to the city, I assume it was from you…”
Joann very understandably moved away from Xiu Ling's side to clear the space for Mrs. Xiu. The elder woman nodded her thanks wordlessly at Joann. Joann smiled in acknowledgement.
In a coincidence that was only possible in fiction, the day of Mrs. Xiu's flight coincided perfectly with the day her daughter's water broke.
”I thought the person behind it was you but when I arrived at the airport and exited flight mode, there was a voice message on my phone saying you are being rushed to this hospital because the baby is coming,” Mrs. Xiu continued in a hurried voice, ”After that, I used all the money I had on me to rent a taxi to get myself here.”
There was one similar question on both the mother and daughter's mind, 'If the person behind the act of kindness was not Xiu Ling then who was behind it… and most importantly, why?!”
However, neither of them had the time to sit down to ponder on this question, there was something even more urgent that needed to be dealt with… something called the birth of a baby.
”Hang in there, Mrs. Lin. Just a little bit longer now,” The doctor told Xiu Ling whose face was now covered with sweat, she turned to look at Mrs. Xiu and Joann who surrounded her and she said, ”I am sorry but only one of you is allowed to follow into the surgical room.”
Naturally, Joann took a step back to surrender this intimate moment to Mrs. Xiu.
Xiu Ling gripped Joann's palm before she was rushed into the surgical room. Xiu Ling squeezed on it and even though she had not said a word, Joann understand what she was trying to communicate. It was, 'thank you'.
Xiu Ling was thankful that both her best friend and her mother were there to accompany her during this meaningful moment of her life. Finally, she did not feel as lonely as she did earlier.
…
After that, Xiu Ling was pumped with so many type of painkillers and tranquilizers that she barely had any idea what had happened.
All she could remember was the sound of crying, a sudden rush of joy as well as a lot of PAIN.
…
When she came to next, she was lying on a clean hospital bed and her mother was looking down at her with a proud smile on her face.
Xiu Ling felt drained and exhausted, the bones of her body felt as if they were shattered and smashed into pieces.
In spite of that, she forced herself up and croaked through an impossibly parched throat, ”Mom, where is he?”
The joy in Mrs. Xiu's eyes slowly dimmed to pools of cheerlessness.