Beauty and Bloodstain

Chapter One

It was a cold winter’s day as Gertrude lay in her bed with beads of sweat rolling down her face.  She could feel the pain as her baby was preparing to come out of her body.  Her husband Benjamin held her hand tightly and did his best to try and comfort her.  She watched her stomach as it tightened with each and every contraction.  Soon the pains of labor traveled from the top of her stomach to the bottom of her feet.  It felt as if knitting needles were being plunged in and out of her belly.  Gertrude began to remember the time she watched her mother give birth to her sister.  She could see the pain that her mother  was in, but she stayed quiet and never let out one scream.  Gertrude tried her best to be as strong as her mother was, but she could no longer remain silent.  Her belly was on fire.  It felt as if a demon were within her and it was trying to escape.

 “Oh God up above, please deliver me from this pain and remove this child from my body!”

  Her husband Benjamin did his best to make his wife comfortable.  He wiped her forehead with a cold rag and helped her when she sipped on water.   Gertrude, took her husband’s hand and squeezed it as hard as she could. He couldn’t feel her pain, but he could tell that she was having a hard time pushing this baby out.  He had never seen Gertrude in such a state and her cries and outbursts made him feel very inadequate.  Suddenly, Gertrude could feel pressure between her legs and she knew the baby was preparing to come out of her womb.

“Benjamin!  I can feel the baby coming, grab the blanket and get ready!” 

Benjamin laid a blanket under Gertrude’s legs in preparation of the baby’s arrival.  To his amazement, he could see the hair on the head of the baby as it began to crown its way through.                                       

“Oh Gertrude, I see it!  I see our child!”

“I don’t know if I can do this!  It hurts so much.”  Gertrude cried, fearing that she would not be able to push her baby out.

“Nonsense . . . you can do this.  One more push and the baby will come out.  Push hard as I hold your body up.”

Benjamin put his arm around Gertrude’s shoulders and coached to push.  Gertrude screamed as the head of the baby pushed out.  The shoulders were still in and she could feel the burning around the walls of her vagina.

“Come on, wife; push, push!”  Benjamin cried.

Finally the baby announced itself and all of the pain stopped in Gertrude’s body. 

“You did it, Gertrude.  You brought our child into this world.”  Benjamin said as he gazed at his new child.

“The baby . . .  what is it?”  Gertrude asked, praying that the child was all right.  It had yet to cry and this made Gertrude nervous.  “Is it all right?  It’s not crying.”

“Oh yes, Gertrude, she is fine.  We have a wonderful brand-new baby girl.  She’s as beautiful as her mother and as strong as her father.  I think I’d like to call her by the name Eleonore.” 

“‘Eleonore.’ That is a wonderful name.  Put her in my arms.”