Fairy Read Online Free PDF Page A

rippling water and an agonizing woman. She gripped the sides of the pool, her fingers nearly puncturing the plastic, hissing and groaning. Her belly floated atop the water like a deserted island. “Eeeee.”
    Judy stood behind her, massaging her shoulders, letting her know everything would be all right, that she was doing great.
    Cecilia stepped into the room and Judy locked eyes with her.
    â€œTake over for me here. I need to check dilation.”
    â€œOh shit! Fuck, please, please help me. Pleeeaaase!”
    Cecilia trotted behind the woman, squeezed the flesh of her shoulders, neck, reached into the water and rubbed her back. “You’ll be okay. Just breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
    But the woman wasn’t listening as another contraction nearly bent her in half. Her husband wept and paced the living room, his eyes never leaving his wife.
    â€œIs something wrong? There’s something wrong, isn’t there? Don’t let anything happen to her, please. You can’t let anything happen to her.”
    â€œWhat’s your name?” Cecilia asked the man.
    â€œJ-Jason.”
    â€œJason, your wife and baby need you to be strong, okay? Stay positive for them.”
    â€œJust fucking help her!”
    Judy had both arms submerged in the water, her face pointed to the ceiling with her tongue clamped between her teeth. Her eyes widened. “The baby is already crowning.”
    â€œWh-what does that mean?” the woman said. She turned toward Cecilia. “What does that mean? What’s wrong with my baby?”
    â€œShe’s only been in labor a couple of hours,” Jason said. “Is…is the baby okay? Tell me the baby’s okay!”
    â€œOh Jesus, it hurts. It fucking hurts! ”
    Cecilia had stopped massaging and watched as Judy worked. The midwife looked up at the woman, water dripping from her face.
    â€œYour baby is almost out, honey, okay? We need you to push, and push hard.”
    â€œCome on, a nice hard push for your baby. One, two, three… Push! ” Cecilia let the woman squeeze her hands as her cries were cut off and she pushed. The woman’s body shook and a high-pitched whimper seeped from her lips.
    Jason had collapsed on the kitchen floor, weeping into his arms. He spoke as he cried, the words nothing but saliva-coated gibberish.
    The woman screamed, nearly shook the walls down. The water clouded with a burst of dark blood.
    Judy pulled the baby and placenta from the tub, stood up, cradled it. There was no sound, no wiggling.
    The mother and father were silent, both staring at Judy and their baby. Cecilia watched with them, unable to move, unwilling to approach what she already knew was a stillborn.
    Judy inspected the baby with her hands, then placed the stethoscope hanging from her neck to the child’s chest. Her face suddenly drooped, and she didn’t have to say a word.
    The mother wailed, splashed water all over the living room carpet as she thrashed her arms and legs.
    Cecilia moved away as Jason joined his wife and the two of them cried and sobbed. She met Judy in the next room, gave her a somber look, but Judy met her gaze with something else in her expression. There was no shock, no sadness, but something else. It stopped Cecilia in her tracks; she tried to speak to the midwife, but her throat refused to let any words slip by.
    â€œWe still need to cut the placenta free from the body. We’ll need it.”
    â€œWh-what? Need it?”
    Judy handed the baby, covered in blood and wrapped in a blanket, to Cecilia, the gelatinous red placenta hanging from her hand as she gripped the umbilical cord. Then she pulled out a pair of silver scissors from her coat pocket. “I’ll take care of it.”
    â€œWhat are you doing, Judy? What the hell is this?”
    They were standing outside of Cecilia’s place. Judy had followed her there, refused to explain anything until they got