Bandit Baby - S01 E06

Story 2 years ago

Bandit Baby - S01 E06

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 6

Still in the darkness, like a blind man, I reached for the legging.

I carefully cleaned the boy with it.

Then it was time to cut the placenta.

That was when I noticed that the hook and the other strand of wool were on the legging.

So they fell when I carried the legging.

On noticing it, I dropped the boy and began looking for them.

The hook was very important.

“The hook has fallen. I don’t know where. Oh my God!” I exclaimed.

I kept searching, but I could not find it.

“Madam! I can’t find the hook ooo. Please give me another thread from your hair.”

She did not respond.

I moved over to her head and began unravelling the wool.

It was then I noticed that she was not responding well.

“Madam! Madam! Madam! Stop this nah. If this one na joke, abeg stop ahm. Madam!”

I felt her pulse and bent over her nose, she was still alive.

I kept calling, I kept pinching, and I kept shaking her.

Finally, there was movement.

“Do you have the baby?” she muttered.

“Yes! You have two boys here. But I lost the hook. I don’t know what we will us in cutting the umbilical cord. I was unravelling your hair to get the strand of wool when I started calling you. What should we do?”

In a very weak state, she told me what shocked me to my marrow.

“Listen please. If you can’t find what to use in cutting the cord, you will have to use your teeth. My husband’s name is Ayomide. That is what you will call the first boy. Don’t forget. His name is Ayomide. The second son’s name is Ezekiel. If I can’t make it, find their father and hand them over to him…”

“You don’t tell me that,” I yelled. “You don’t tell me that. You will take your children to the father yourself. Don’t send me on any errand. I’m not leaving you and you are not leaving me. We will leave this place together….” I kept ranting.

“You talk too much. Just listen…”

“I am not listening to any nonsense talk from you. Soon it will be daylight and I will find us help. But at the meantime, you have to be strong. You told me that. You said you are strong. You have been strong since yesterday. We are done now. Look at your kids. You are yet to breastfeed this last one. You want to abandon them?”

I could no longer hold my tears.

“You keep talking. Please safe my sons,” she pleaded.

I turned to check on the last born and remembered that I did not cut the umbilical cord.

I got the thread of wool from her head and tightly tied the cord.

Then like a vampire, I bent over the baby and with my teeth, I cut the umbilical cord.

It was not easy, but I did it. I had no choice.

I spit out the blood.

It was not a good taste.

Then I took the part of her gown I tore and wrapped the boy.

The boy was crying.

I could not see the boy clearly as it was still dark.

I placed him closer to his brother and reached out to the mother.

“My waist! My waist! Hmmmmmm!”

“What is it again? Is it the placenta?”

“No! The placenta was out.”

“Then what is it? Is it another baby?” I asked.

She tried to push, but her strength was not cooperating. I began to wonder what she was pushing.

“It’s like there’s another one.”

“Jesus!” I exclaimed.

I could not ask her how come the third one. While in the motor, she had told me she was carrying twins.

“Please help me. If you can’t find the father, I give them to you. Aaaahhhh! Hmmmmmm! I name this one ‘Enobong.’ Weather a boy or a girl, I name him/her after me. I will push. I am strong. Ezekiel I am strong. Aaaaaahhhh! I will push. But if…if…just in case, please cut me open and get the baby. My baby must live.”

“Cut what. No! No! No! No! No! No! It won’t happen. Please push. You will succeed.”

She struggled to push, but could not. She tried again, but it was too much for her.

She lost a lot of blood.

She bled all night.

I wished she was in the hospital.

I knelt in between her legs, but I could not see anything.

I put my hand to see if I could feel the head, but instead of feeling the head, I felt something else.

Yes, I felt a hand. The hand came out first.

How on earth was I going to handle that?

I tried to push back the hand, but it kept coming out.

“Don’t push, don’t push” I implored her.

We struggled together for long.

I will push back the hand, but it will come out.

By this time, the two boys were awake and crying.

I was jumping from the mother to the boys.

I was tired too.

She was still breathing but she could hardy talk.

I continued calling for help.

I prayed to God to send help our way.

But none came.

Then I remembered when she said I should cut her in case she could not make it.

But instead of cutting her, I decided to do the unthinkable.

She was widely opened, so I completely pushed the baby back inside.

I held the baby by the shoulder and tried turning him/her upside down as I pushed.

It was not easy.

I did not know if that was the proper thing to have done, but it was the only option.

I did and miraculously, it worked. The baby turned. I felt the head.

But since there was no strength for the mother to push any more, I decided to find a way of pulling out the baby.