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“Please, I just want to know what she feels like, since I can’t see her.” I said to them. They looked at each other. Sister Karen frowned. She had a soft spot for my “disability.” Sister Barbara nodded, and she came to my bedside. I held my arms out and she carefully put my little girl in my arms. She was covered in blood, her skin was a little wrinkled, but she was beautiful…so beautiful.
“Excuse me. You can go—” I heard a voice as the doors opened.
He stood there in his dark grey three-piece suit and burgundy tie, surveying the space before looking at the angel in my arm.
“Mr. Callahan?” Sister Barbara called out. “You do not have permission to be—”
“I gave him permission, Sister.” I looked up from my daughter to her.
“You?” she stammered, shaking her head. “But you said—”
“I lied.” Before she could say another word, I reached under my pillow pulling out my gun and fired right into her head.
“O—” Sister Karen tried to scream before I turned to her and fired twice. Her body fell back on the wooden beam before hitting the ground.
I looked to Ethan and he stared at me, his body tense with rage, confusion clear on his face.
“One more. Can you help?”
I nodded to the one behind him who stood in horrified shock. It was only when she saw me nod to her did she try to run, but Ethan dragged her into the room, closing the door. He held his hand over her mouth and she tried to struggle, but he was so much bigger. He lifted her easily and snapped her neck. She fell to the ground like someone had cut the strings off her back…a useless puppet. He turned back to me, still pissed, but I exhaled wearily, letting the gun slip from my hands and relaxed back against the bed frame.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he snapped at me.
I smiled and lifted the girl in my arms to show him. “She’s here…finally.”
His expression softened but he kept frowning as he walked over to me. It looked like he stopped breathing when he saw her. He reached out, touching her head gently.
“She’s beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes glazed over as he stared at her. He kissed the top of her forehead. “So beautiful.”
“I know. She’s like a little angel.” I smiled, leaning back and pulling bits and pieces of the mask from my skin. I was so tired, but I wanted it off. I didn’t want my daughter to open her eyes to see this monstrous getup. I pulled off the wig too and finally took out the contacts, dropping them to the side one by one. I took off the nun’s habit, leaving me in my bra. When I looked back to Ethan, I could see his anger dissipating.
His jaw was set but he did his best to speak without yelling. “I own hospitals and clinics all over the world. I have so many personal doctors on call. Any place you wanted, any place you could have dreamed, and you chose a church attic to give birth in?”
“Some would call that a blessing.”
“Calliope!” His voice made our daughter startle and she started to cry. I took her from his hands and laid her on my chest. He looked shocked and hurt like he wasn’t expecting her to cry or leave his arms so soon.
“First,” I said in a low, stern voice, “do not yell at me. I have been in active labor for hours and the drugs started to wear off after communion. I do not have the patience for your attitude right now. Secondly, do not yell like that near her, it must have felt like a sonic blast in her ear…isn’t that right?” I asked my daughter, softly brushing the side of her face.
He sighed, rubbing his eyes, and it was only after he calmed himself did he speak again, this time much more gently. “Calliope, you were labor and yet you…all of this? Make me understand. Is this work? I thought you took a break.”
I was so tired I didn’t even know how to begin to explain so I just hit the main points. “People at work were asking questions. It’s not like I get maternity leave so I took a job. The Vatican wanted a few people taken care of for a baby selling operation. I did it. I chose here because you could also come see and…Ethan, in all honesty, I’m too tired to keep talking right now. You’re just going to have to wait for me to explain.”
When I looked down at the baby, I could see her lips start to suckle and she moved her head around my chest. I shifted, trying to take my bra off, but Ethan reached up and pulled it down, unhooking it in the back. I looked up t
o him and he was still frowning, but the anger was gone.
“Ask me for help, la mia anima. You are so quick to jump in and do what you think needs to be done and save me…let me do the same for you. You’re free to use me too. Stop being so selfish. You’re starting to make me feel like I am in your debt and not your partner.” He helped place our daughter at my breast. I winced a little as she latched on but then smiled down at her.
I think that was the first time anyone had called me their partner. It was strange.
“Okay,” I replied slowly and then remembered. “Can you take care of them?”
I motioned to the bodies on the ground. He looked and snickered, shaking his head. “This isn’t how parents normally welcome their children into the world. Father Macrae would disapprove.”
I laughed softly. “Father Macrae won’t be around for much longer.”
“Him too?” He rose from the bed.
