Prodigy (Complete)

*Wattpad Exclusive - The Original Epilogue*

***The following is the original epilogue from the first draft. I included this for your interest, but it DID NOT make the final draft and won't be a part of the book if you happen to purchase it elsewhere, it's just a Wattpad exclusive. So whatever happens in this chapter is NOT part of the storyline!!***

Year 2118 (one year later) 

"Oh no, it's coming!" she said as she raced into her room. She had planned the following sequence in her head a thousand times. She stretched out a duffle bag on the mattress, shoved several items into the bag, and zipped it up. 

Her elevated hormones sent out a dispatch through her accountability chip, summoning the ambulance to come pick her up at her exact location. 

As she descended down the stairs, she clutched her bulbous belly. Once outside, she could hear the blaring sounds of synthesized sirens. They must be close, she thought. 

"Come on, come on." 

When the transport vehicle arrived, two large uniformed paramedics jumped out of the ambulance and sprang into action.  

"How're you doing ma'am?" one of them asked. "Please come with us, we'll take care of you." 

Inside the ambulance, she let out a sound that was a hybrid between relief and pain. With no time to think, she kept focusing on breathing. After an arduous nine months of pregnancy, her baby was now ready to be brought into the world.  

Already breathing heavily, she clutched her stomach with both hands and screamed. The paramedics gave her something to calm her down and to take the pain away. The LED lights from the street lights whizzed by as she caught a glimpse through the back of the ambulance window. 

Hurry, she thought. 

As the ambulance navigated through the streets, she felt her water break. "Oh no, not now!" she cried. She stared up at the starry sky and began a series of breathing exercises to calm herself down. That was one of many things she knew about pregnancy without having to plug in.  

She fought with it for as long as she could. Just when it seemed like the baby was going to pop out any minute, the ambulance stopped. The back doors swung open and two more paramedics were waiting on-hand for her arrival.  

"Don't worry ma'am, you're going to be okay," one of them said as they rushed her toward the delivery room. Once inside the delivery room, she was transferred from the gurney to a hospital bed, where several highly competent doctors took over. They took off her access pod and set it aside.  

"You won't be needing this," one of the nurses said.  

She sifted through her brain for any knowledge on child birth; she wanted to follow along as the doctors assisted her. A competing thought entered her mind, Where is my husband?  

As she laboured on the warm hospital bed, her natural endorphins kicked in and flooded her bloodstream. This, combined with her deep breathing, made the pain almost bearable.  

Breathe, breathe, breathe, she kept telling herself. Her contractions became increasingly more frequent. By now, they were less than two minutes apart.  

The sounds of electrical pulses could be heard as the doctors sterilized their hands with proximity cleansers. One of the nurses laid out a blanket directly in front of her. 

Breathe, breathe, breathe, she kept telling herself as she tried to regain control of her breathing. It was too much to ask for deep breaths at this point. The baby was surely on its way any moment. She would have to settle for short shallow breaths. 

"AAAAHHHHH!" she cried out in agony. Oh my god - oh my god... just relax, breathe, she reinterated to herself.  

With all the technology that exists, Why did I opt to give birth the old fashioned way? she thought.  

Fortunately, she was not alone giving birth by herself in a dark and barren alley. She was in the presence of trained professionals with vast amounts of medical knowledge. It was at this moment Alex thought of her mum.  

"AAAAHHHHH!" she screamed out again. 

"Don't worry, I'm here," Mara said as she held her daughter's hand. 

"Okay, we're ready," one of the nurses said. They all gathered around, each one assisting in the process in some way. 

"Okay, Ms. Gray, I'm going to need you to push," the doctor said. 

So far, she was following the instructions perfectly - slow steady pushes in between contractions. When the top of the baby's head finally emerged, Mara started to cry.  

Alex continued to push. Feeling like she was going to pass out from the pain, she somehow summoned the strength to endure. When the baby finally emerged, Alex let out a huge sigh of relief as she could hear her newborn baby cry. The baby was cleaned, inspected, and then wrapped in a navy blanket to be placed gently on Alex's chest. 

Alex looked down at her new bundle of joy and admired the preciousness of human life.  

"Look at how tiny your hands are," she said with a joyous giggle. 

She was truly savouring the moment as her first time giving birth was a success. She laid there exhausted and proud, holding her beautiful healthy baby.  

An instant later, two uniformed doctors stood at the door. She barely had enough energy to look at them. Her face was moist with sweat as she looked like she had just been through an ordeal. 

One of the doctors instructed the father to meet his baby for the first time. 

The father walked over and was radiating pure joy. 

"Hi honey, are you okay?" he asked. 

"Yes, I'm fine, I feel pretty drugged up though." 

"I'm so proud of you babe." 

"Do you want to hold him?" 

"Of course." 

The nurse came over and assisted the new family.  

"Why don't you have a seat and I will pass him to you?" the nurse said as she picked up the baby. 

With their beautiful baby resting peacefully in his arms, Alex looked over at the two and could not imagine herself being any happier. 

"Have you two decided on a name yet? Mara asked. 

"We were thinking about naming him after his father... Milo."