From birth to never giving up

Daily flash fiction 14/03/2013 using the prompts: crown, eyes and tail

Christine knew, as soon as they'd told her the baby was starting to crown, that something wasn't right. Actually, she knew when the doctors had insisted that all three monitors were faulty when they showed unusual results. But she'd kept quiet.

Here she was though, at the tail end of giving birth, praying she was wrong. She had to be! This was her baby girl, coming on Father's Day, no less! Duncan was so excited! 

The nurses placed the silent baby in Christine's arms. She heard nothing. All the noises of the bustling world were blocked out as she waited to hear the only sound she longed for. Nothing.

"She's not breathing!" Christine screamed in terror "do something … NOW!"  Hesitating, the nurses clambered to start CPR on the tiny baby. The medics, all of them, had been expecting this. Although, not one of them was likely to admit such a thing.

The doctor, preparing to announce the undeniable truth to these parents, braced himself. "Christine, I'm very sorry but," he started before he was cut off mid sentence. "Don't you dare! That little girl is living! You will continue to do your duty".

Just then, over the beeping and burring of hospital machines, there was the unmistakable sound of a new born baby. Relief washed over the hospital room as the baby cried and was lowered into Christine's arms. Shaking with fear and gratitude, in equal measures, she ignored the nervous look plastered all over the doctors face and sighed deeply.

Christine looked into her new baby's eyes, knowing that this kid had character.  If she could get through this, nothing was going to stop her!

276 words

(The start of a true story)