GRACY’S SPECIAL DELIVERY
Written by Pasha Braveheart
It was in the wee hours of the morning just a few days ago that I heard a knock at my door. As physician to the expectant mothers of Venexia, I’ve become accustomed to such interruptions of my life and my sleep as the precious babies don’t announce the date or time of their birth beforehand. As I ran to the open the door in my nightgown, I saw the figure of a diminutive paesani woman standing there, panting and gasping for air. Her voice hoarse and her demeanor excited she, between breaths, explained her reason for summoning me. I threw on my clothes hurriedly as she urged me to follow her to the Paesani woman Gracy’s home, who she explained to me as we hastened there,
It was in the wee hours of the morning just a few days ago that I heard a knock at my door. As physician to the expectant mothers of Venexia, I’ve become accustomed to such interruptions of my life and my sleep as the precious babies don’t announce the date or time of their birth beforehand. As I ran to the open the door in my nightgown, I saw the figure of a diminutive paesani woman standing there, panting and gasping for air. Her voice hoarse and her demeanor excited she, between breaths, explained her reason for summoning me. I threw on my clothes hurriedly as she urged me to follow her to the Paesani woman Gracy’s home, who she explained to me as we hastened there,
“had begun her labor and was in need of the dottore”.
Arriving at Gracy’s home, I was surprised to see one of the ‘chosen’ open the door for me. I recognized him as Allesandro of the Lestat, co-leader of the Danse Macabre Coven, and gave him a curious look, nodding to him as I rushed past to be at Gracy’s side. Leaning down to hold Gracy’s hand, I noticed her forehead covered with sweat as she was already in the midst of labor. While I dabbed her forehead with a cloth she, through her agony, informed me that she had lost her water two hours past and the pains were coming now at shorter intervals. Glancing over at Alessandro, I saw a true look of concern on his face.
Surprisingly for a man and especially one of the ‘chosen’, Allesandro was amazingly helpful, preparing the hot kettles of water and gathering clean cloth. Able to concentrate on Gracy, I was able to calm her as I enlightened her on what to expect and how to handle it. After all, it is the mother and babies that do all the work as nature takes its course.
Fortunately, the labor didn’t last too much longer and Gracy delivered two beautiful baby girls only five minutes apart, both strong and healthy and wailing their little hearts out. Before long the babies were nestled close to their mother as I observed Allessandro slide into bed beside them his arm around Gracy. Appreciating the peaceful scene, I took my leave to give them privacy but today I visited with Gracy and Allessandro to see how things were going.
I asked Gracy how it felt to have two beautiful healthy baby girls. Gracy beamed as she spoke, “it is gorgeous! They are a small wonders and I am very proud about them and happy that they are healthy.” This was obvious as I observed her looking down at the babies and cooing at them.
Of course, I was interested in her physical well-being and asked how she was feeling. With a pleasant look on her face she explained, “I was very tired after the birth and felt exhausted the first two days, but now I am very energetic, the twins are taking care of it, they need and demand my full attention and want to be fed every three to four hours... but I am not tired. It is like I have more power and strength now, and I am used to working hard, so it is not really a bother and my body is recovering fast.”
Of course, I was interested in her physical well-being and asked how she was feeling. With a pleasant look on her face she explained, “I was very tired after the birth and felt exhausted the first two days, but now I am very energetic, the twins are taking care of it, they need and demand my full attention and want to be fed every three to four hours... but I am not tired. It is like I have more power and strength now, and I am used to working hard, so it is not really a bother and my body is recovering fast.”
While a delicate matter, I inquired about the father of the babies, since I had not seen him in the course of her pregnancy and delivery. Understandably, it was painful for her to express herself and I saw a sorrowful expression come over her face, “the father is dead” was simply her response. Picking up on the feeling that she would not, or more to the point, could not discuss it further, I let it go.
I did, however, ask if anyone was helping her with the babies. I noticed her blush as she looked over at Alessandro, “I am… well he is...”. Hesitating and giving a deep sigh, “I am owned by Alessandro and he helped me immensely during the pregnancy and the birth. Alessandro has so much more life experience than me and knew more about pregnancy than many women around me. He was my rock during the moody days. He was the first noticing it would be twins, and listened to their heartbeats for their health.” She added that her Paesani family was also there for her as well and in her words, “…as normally unprotected beings in this world, we stick together.”
She spoke more on the Paesani family and the help they provide her, “The Paesani were making sure that I got good food and even fresh milk sometimes, which is hard to get in the city. They supported me and kept me out of trouble. They babysit for me as I need it.” As most Venexians know, Gracy is a fish monger, having the freshest fish available to grace the tables of our citizens. Gracy acknowledged her Paesani family for also “looking after my fish stall so that my business has not gone to havoc.”
Gracy then complimented her Dottore (that was me) saying “she calmed me and tried to explain to me what happened inside my body... she is a very gentle woman and I felt safe near her.. I am glad I could find a human Doctor... alongside with Alessandro it was a moment of trust and I had no fear during the time of the birth. I mean.. It is not nice to be in that situation of utmost defenselessness with absolute helpless newborns, when a ‘Chosen’ looks at you hungrily.”
I asked Gracy about the Demonican ceremony to bless the babies since I was curious about that having never witnessed it yet, “Oh we met this very young Demonican Priestess. She was wonderful and I could enter the Basilica with some women of my family. She asked me to step forwards and she spoke a prayer and blessed my children speaking their names.. Lotta and Vittoria..Now I know my children are protected by her kind prayers and words. It was a small ceremony, nothing planned.. I liked it that way and the babies were calmer when not many were around them. She also placed sacred oil on all three of us and we left while she was still praying. My thanks go to Signora Loxy.”
Again I touched upon a delicate subject by asking Gracy about the time when she’ll have to give her babies over to be raised away from her. I saw her expression freeze almost with fear as she responded, “How can you prepare for the unavoidable? I ignore the fact as good as I can. Time will then tell…till then.. I want to have wonderful days with my twins without thinking of it and mourning them before they are gone. I am sure the Demonicans will make a huge and wonderful ceremony to make it more easy for me.” I saw her dart a nervous look to Alessandro at that moment.
With a look of concern, yet with determination, Allessandro added. “So far so good… She knows where I stand.” Gracy simply nodded at his remark, then glanced down at her babies and cooed at them again obviously trying to push any thoughts of them leaving aside and savoring the moment with her darling baby girls. Just then the babies started to kick and whine. Gracy chuckled looking down at them “I am sorry, Signora, the babies need to be fed. They are like little ‘Chosens’ sometimes.”
