Tradition Comes Third

The Birth

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! It's the last two weeks of school for me so everything has been due (that's why this update is a little short). I'm also having the struggle of new ideas coming into my head for different stories. I'm trying to focus on finishing this story first. 

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 "Julie, please!" Leah cried as she grabbed Mom's shoulders. "I can't lose my baby."

"Are they going to take her to the hospital?" Blair asked. I could see a hint of a smile growing behind her lips.

"No," I told her. "They won't risk it. She's a missing person, remember?"

"She can't just give birth in this house."

"Yes she can," Mom said. "I gave birth to Hunter at home."

Leah let out another cry. She grabbed her stomach and squeezed her eyes shut. I could see her grit her teeth. A few tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Julie, I can't have a girl," she said. "I don't know what I'm going to do if it's a girl."

Mom waved her to motion for me to come closer. I stepped toward her. She unraveled Leah from her shoulders, and handed her over to me. Leah wrapped her arms around my neck, and I could already feel her tears soak through my shirt. Mom hurried into the kitchen.

"What happens if it's a girl?" Blair asked.

Her voice was so soft and Leah's crying was loud, so I pretended not to hear her.

"Bring her up to her room," Mom called out from the kitchen. "I will be up in a moment."

"Julie, we have to get out of this house," Leah said. "I won't let them take my baby."

"Take her baby?" I could hear Blair say behind me.

Mom poked her head out of the kitchen. I happened to glance down and see the knife in her hand. She saw me take notice of this and quickly shoved it behind her back.

"No one is going to take your baby, Leah," Mom said. "Besides we couldn't possibly get far while you're in this condition."

Leah let out another sob, and buried her face back into my shoulder.

"Hunter, bring her upstairs and get her to lie down," Mom said.

I nodded my head, and pulled Leah toward the stairs. She stumbled with her footing, and I realized that she did not have her glasses on. Leah had one arm around my shoulders, and her other hand was on the banister as we walked up the stairs. Half way up, she stopped and let out a scream. I had to hold onto her so that she did not crumple onto the floor.

"We're almost to your room," I told her. "Just a little bit more to go."

Leah let out a shaky breath as I continued to guide her up the stairs. I looked over my shoulder to see Blair close behind us. I pulled Leah into her room, and set her down on the bed. She rolled onto her side and put her hand on her belly. She let out another sob as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

Blair's slender fingers wrapped around my arm, and I could feel her tugging me back. She stood up on her toes so that she was closer to my ear.

"Why is she so scared to have a girl?" Blair whispered.

"It's better you don't know," I said.

Blair's grip on my arm tightened.

"Don't hide things from me," she said. "I need to know."

"They don't want baby girls," I said. "They think they're too weak, so they kill them as soon as they're born. It's supposed to be some kind of favour to the family."

Blair let go of me and took a step back. Her eyes jumped from Leah to me. She shook her head and took another step back.

"No," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We have to get her out of here."

"It's impossible," I said. "All of the doors are locked and my Dad is right outside."

The door opened, and Mom walked in with a stack of towels. She set them down on the dresser. She sat down on the bed next to Leah, and rubbed her back.

"How are you feeling?" Mom asked.

"It hurts more," she said. "I think that the baby is coming soon."

"That's good," Mom said. "Hopefully you have this baby before they come inside."

--

In health class last semester, we were all forced to watch a birthing video. That did not prepare me to see the real thing.

Blair offered to help Mom, and I didn't argue with her. I stayed by Leah, and let her squeeze my hands as she pushed. I gritted my teeth together as it felt like she was breaking my knuckles. I was just happy that my view was blocked.

I heard a high pitched cry, and I knew her baby was born. I watched Mom wipe the baby off with a towel. My heart sank when I saw Mom's face drop.

She didn't have to tell me."

Leah tried to push herself up so that she could see, but she struggled to build up enough energy. I was glad when she flopped back down against the pillows that I piled up behind her. She tucked the sweaty strands of hair behind her ears.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We're not going to worry over this," Mom said.

Leah buried her face in her hands.She shook her head, and I could hear her start to cry again. Mom wrapped the baby in a small blanket. She let out a deep breath when she looked down at the newborn.

"She's beautiful, Leah," Mom said.

Leah lifted her head. Her blue eyes were puffy from crying for hours. I helped her sit up a little straighter. Mom placed her into Leah's arms.

The baby's eyes were closed, but I could tell that they were large. I had never seen a newborn before, but she looked so tiny, like she was being swallowed up by the blankets. I could see pieces of thick fluid stuck to her red skin. Mom would clean her off soon.

Leah's lips were spread into a wide smile, and her eyes were fixed onto her baby. I reached over to the nightstand and gave Leah her glasses. She shifted her baby to one arm, and slipped her glasses on with her other hand.

"She looks so much like my sister," Leah said.

"You have a sister?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, Katelyn," she said. "She was older and left Anchorage to go to university in New York. We just seemed to lose touch after that."

"You're from Alaska?" Mom asked raising an eyebrow.

Leah nodded her head. Her eyes were still locked onto her baby.

"I left with my boyfriend when I was eighteen," she said. "We moved around a lot because he was in a band."

"Is your sister someone you could live with?" Mom asked. "Or your family back in Alaska?"

Leah looked up and furrowed her brows together. She opened her mouth to speak, but Mom started talking again before she could.

"Blair, you have your boyfriend, right?" Mom asked. She sat down on the edge of the bed. She place her hand on Leah's knee. "People are waiting for you to come back home?"

Blair was standing by the bedroom door. It was open, and she looked like she was trying to sliver her way out of the room.

"Yeah," she said. "People are looking for me."

The backdoor slammed shut, and it seemed to echo through the house. Leah curled her baby into her body, and squeezed her eyes shut. My heart pounded with each thud of somebody walking up the stairs.

We all stayed silent as we heard someone walk down the hall and to the room. Jared stepped in. Dirt was splattered over his plaid jacket and baseball hat. He looked around the room at us, and then his eyes landed on Leah.