She held him in her arms lovingly, close to her heart. She could feel the gentle flutter of his tiny heart, She kissed the top of his soft forehead, rocking him back and forth in her thin, bony arms. She had waited her whole life for this very moment; holding her baby, shielding it from the evils of the world. And here she was. The baby laid motionless against her, tired from his hard journey into the world. She smiles and stroked his head, running her fingertips through the tiny, dark curls that decorated his head.


A nurse came into the room and smiled at her.


?I?m sorry Miss, but we need to take him for a few minutes.? She said sweetly. The woman nodded as the nurse gingerly picked up the sleeping baby. She softly cooed, adjusting the small blanket to keep him warm.


?What is his name?? she asked. The woman smiled.


?Jackson, his name is Jackson.?


The nurse smiled and walked out. The woman waited. And waited. And waited.


The woman finally grew tired of waiting and got out of bed. Her knees were wobbly and her legs weak, but she walked onward.


?Miss, Miss?? she heard behind her. She turned around.


?Yes?? the woman asked. A nurse stepped forward.


?Miss, you?re going to have to go back to your room. We can?t have patients walking around and getting lost.? The nurse politely asked.


?I?m just going to go get my baby.?


The nurses looked back and forth at each other. The woman pointed at the head nurse.


?You,? she said, ?you were the one who took him. Where?s my baby?? she demanded.


?Miss, I don?t even know who you are. I?ve been in the ICU for the past half hour.? The nurse said, standing up straight.


?No! You took my baby! Where did you put him? Where did you take my baby??? the woman yelled.


The nurses all started looking back and forth at each other. Flashes of panic spread from face to face. One grabbed a pager and began mashing in buttons.


?Miss, please, just calm down.?


?How can I be calm when you stole my baby!!? the woman screamed, reaching out to grab anybody in range. She felt a sharp sting in her arm, and everything went black.


She woke up to the sun filtering in through the window. A nurse came in and smiled at her. The woman sat up, gently rubbing her eyes.


?Do you know where my baby is?? she asked. The nurse frowned.


?You know, I?m not quite sure, I?ll go check for you.? The nurse said, striding out of the room and returning to the nurse station. She shook her head and set her clipboard down on the counter.


?I feel so bad for her.? She said softly. All the nurses nodded.


?What do you mean?? a new nurse asked.


The head nurse made a small motion towards the room she had came out of.


?That?s Gisbelle. When she was in labor, something went wrong and the baby died. She?s been severely scarred and been in psychiatric ever since. Now everyday when she wakes up, she thinks she is holding her baby in her arms.?


The nurse gasped.


?Isn?t there anything you can do?? she worried.


The nurses all shook their heads sadly.


?No, we can only wait. And hope.?