Bandit Baby - S01 E05

Story 2 years ago

Bandit Baby - S01 E05

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

I quickly picked the legging and carefully cleaned the baby.

He was crying at the top of his voice.

He did not resemble a baby born at 35 weeks.

He was very lively.

“What is it by the time?” she asked.

“2:51am”

“Put him on one of the clothes and cut the umbilical cord.”

“Won’t you carry your baby? Carry him and I’ll cut the cord.”

“Keep him there first, let me rest.”

She was weak.

Still on my knees, and the baby in one of my hands, I reached for the thread and the hook with the other hand.

“Which one should we do first? Should I cut before I tie or I should tie before I cut?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I think you should cut first.”

“Wait. Why is it tied? Why do people tie it?” I asked.

“I think it’s to restrict air from entering the naval.”

“Then we tie it first before we cut.”

“Please hurry up. Tie it well please. Another one is coming.”

I dropped the boy in the pool of blood and quickly ran the thread round the cord few cm away from the navel.

I ensured it was tightly tied.

Then I picked the hook and somehow, I pierced the cord.

It was tough, but finally I managed to cut it.

I picked the legging and cleaned him again, then had him wrapped in my shirt.

I handed the baby over to her.

“Please point the torch on his face,” she said.

I did as she requested.

On seeing his face, she smiled.

“My brother, I am getting weak. Take this baby. Make sure he is safe. It’s like another one is coming.”

She handed me the baby and I carefully placed him in a safe place.

She began to push again.

I brought the clothes closer.

With keen interest, I awaited the arrival of the second baby.

“Madam something is coming! Something is coming! Push. Yes! Yes! Yes!”

But I was surprised that the second one was not painful.

She was not screaming.

Finally she delivered. Yes she delivered a darkish maroon, big, veiny and lumpy substance.

There was no baby inside.

“There is nothings here, madam. Nothing,” I exclaimed in shock.

“I know,” she said. “That’s the placenta. The placenta has to come out.”

That was the first and only time I saw a human placenta.

“Ok. That means the other one is still coming?”

“Yes. It’s coming,” she responded weak.

“Can you push? You have to push. Push please.”

“Not yet. Not yet. I will push when it’s time.”

“Bring the boy please,” she requested.

I gave her the boy who was still crying.

She curdled the boy.

“Breastfeed him please. Maybe he’s hungry.”

As the boy began to s--k, I asked what she was going to call the boy.

“Suggest a name. What will you call him?” she asked me back.

“Eeehhhhhmmmmm! You’re from Akwa Ibom and the father is from Lagos. In that case call him Sampson. He is strong just like the mother. Sampson. Yes.”

“How is Akwa Ibom and Lagos connected with Sampson?” she asked.

Just then, the boy cried more loudly. He had stopped s-----g.

We tried to stop him from crying, but to no avail.

“E be like say na baby bandit be dis ooo. This boy na bandit. BANDIT BABY. Im too stubborn,” I said.

She smiled and said: “Na you be bandit, no be my boy.”

For over an hour, we continued to smile with the baby until she felt a sharp pain on her waist.

“Jesus! Hold the boy. Hold the boy.”

I held the boy who was already asleep.

“Is another one coming?” I asked as I carefully placed the boy on a safe place.

It was very cold.

She began to scream again, just like before.

It was around 4am.

Everything happened again.

The whole process came back.

But this time, she was weak.

“Please check,” she said.

“I am on it. Nothing is coming.”

As I was watching, my phone that had since been indicating low battery, went off.

With the kind of battery I had then, the phone refused to come up again.

We were in total darkness.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ve got you. Just forget the light and keep pushing,” I strengthened her.

Deep down me, I was scared.

She screamed from the top of her voice as I kept putting my hand to feel if I could touch the baby’s head.

After about an hour’s pushing, I felt the head.

“I can feel it. I can feel it. Push. Madam push.”

She pushed with all her strength.

The baby came out up to the shoulder.

I pressured her to push the more, but there was no response.

I pulled the baby out slowly, then with my hand, I checked the sex.

“You have another boy. It’s a boy,” I screamed out joyfully.

I was happy it was finally over, not knowing that was just the beginning.