The Tree of Knowledge

Twenty-four Weeks and Three Days

It’s four AM and Little Bird is crying. I drag myself out of my warm bed and into the nursery. Nothing seems to make her happy. She’s not hungry. Singing isn’t helping.

“What’s the matter?” I ask her.

And that’s when the phone rings.

Multiple stokes are quite common with eclampsia. It’s something they told us to expect. What they never mentioned is that sometimes strokes can cause cerebral hemorrhage.

She died instantly.

They tell us this like it’s supposed to be some comfort. As if she didn’t spend the last four weeks in needless and grievous pain and suffering.

Telling me she died instantly is bull shit. She’s been dying slowly for twenty-four weeks.

Ryan and Rebecca, the first thing they do is ask about Isaac.

I hate them.

Isaac survived for thirteen minutes before his little heart gave out. He weighed twelve point seven ounces.

Mara died so that her baby could live for less than a quarter of an hour.