Haints Stay by Colin Winnette

Author:Colin Winnette
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Two Dollar Radio
Published: 2015-06-11T16:00:00+00:00

“No,” said the doctor. “Don’t worry at all about that. Why don’t you take a moment and get a name from each of these fine deputies. I’d like to be able to address them individually, if need be.”

Alice toured the room then, introducing herself and asking each deputy his name. They seemed put out mostly, by the day and condition of the doctor and all they were being asked to do. But it was charming enough to engage with a young girl in pigtails, so they smiled and gave their names. There was Isaac, John, Clint Sr., Jack, Weston, and the young deputy. He was not back yet and could not introduce himself properly.

The sheriff was on the porch, making a point of staying out of things.

“We’re nearly done,” said the doctor. “It is nearly a child.”

Alice rushed back to his side. She gasped, then put her hand to her mouth. It was the first time in her life she’d performed the gesture involuntarily. Until now, she had always done it in imitation of the ladies she knew, when her siblings did something worth gasping at, or when they stumbled upon something they weren’t to have seen. This time, the gesture was genuine and unexpected. It felt very adult.

Before her was an open wound swallowing the bottom half of a child’s body. The doctor met the child’s waist with his hands, still trembling and dirty from the road, and he slid the child out into the cool air of that bright morning. It screamed like nothing she had ever heard before. It was covered in blood and something slick, thicker than blood, that held only a vague tint of pink and orange. There was a purplish-white rope running from the baby to the man and the doctor cut it with a knife he produced from his waistband.

“It is a child,” said the doctor. “Voila.”

At that moment, the young deputy appeared in the doorway with the water. He spilled it in waves upon the office floor as he brought it to the doctor’s side. The doctor set the baby in the water, which was fairly warm and seemed to have a mildly calming effect — though the screaming did not stop.

Sugar was collapsed into the bench and bleeding from a visible tear that vanished beneath him. It might have gone on forever, back up to his shoulders and around, for all Alice knew.

“You are late with this,” said the doctor.

“I’m… is that it ?” said the deputy. His eyes watered over at the site of the baby coming clean in the water.

The doctor lifted it and began to wipe the slick matter from its arms and legs.

“This is the child.”

“Is he ?”

“Not dead,” said the doctor.

“Let me see it,” said Sugar, without lifting himself up.

“It’s a girl,” said the doctor.

“Let me see it,” said Sugar.

The other deputies tried to make a point of not looking, but the doctor caught several of them stealing glances.

“The child’s in good health and will stop crying eventually,” shouted the doctor to the room.

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