It was a glorious day for the beautiful couple. The smell of antibacterial soap and hospital gowns filled the air. But, it was the day Rose and Justin had been waiting 9 months for.
“Push! C’mon, just keep breathing, you’re doing great!” the doctor said as Rose Castano laid in a hospital bed with her ankles in the air and sweat dripping from her exhausted face. Her husband, Justin, standing near with a look of concern on his face, watching his wife deliver their first born. They had decided on the name Sue, after Justin’s Aunt whom he loved dearly.
“Justin, please hold my hand!” Rose said as Justin moved towards his wife so she could grasp his hand. She grasped it firmly, causing Justin some discomfort. After all it was the grasp of a woman going through a great deal of pain.
“Keep pushing! The heads starting to crown!” the doctor exclaimed with a voice of excitement. After one big push and a great yell, the ordeal was over. “Congratulations, Mr and Mrs. Castano. You gave birth to a beautiful baby girl,” the doctor told them as he handed the newborn to his mother. Rose and Justin’s face lit up with joy and happiness as they had just got done watching their baby come into this life. Rose kissed the child’s forehead and whispered, “Welcome to the world, Angel…” As Rose picked up her head she noticed something alarming. The baby had begun to turn blue. It had only been out the womb momentarily.
“Doctor, something is wrong with my baby, she doesn’t look alright!” Rose said with a panic in her voice. The doctor took a look and immediately took the newborn out of Roses arms. “She’s not breathing, Code Blue! Code Blue! I need all emergency staff to report to the delivery room!” he yelled as he pressed the button to alert the staff on the situation.
“What’s going on?! Is she alright?” Justin said with fear trembling from his vocal chords themselves.
“We need to get this room cleared! Now!” the doctor exclaimed as he pointed to his nurse to clear it out.
“Sir, you need to come with me, please,” the nurse pleaded with the father who had already begun a stream coming from his eyes from the ordeal. This once glorious moment had quickly escalated into a nightmare in a matter of minutes.
The clock struck 11:55 p.m.
Rose was still in the room screaming and crying as the doctor began his procedures to ensure the baby’s health would be okay. But something else happened. Another problem had resurrected itself into the situation.
Roses monitors started to go off, as Rose had gone into cardiac arrest.
“Oh my God, nurse get help immediately, she’s having a heart attack!” the doctor said to his nurse who was clearly overwhelmed by the whole situation.
Rose suddenly awoke. She was still in the hospital bed, yet it wasn’t the hospital. She was laying in the same bed, but a room full of pitch black darkness with some type of light illuminating the bed and a few feet beyond it. The clock struck 11:56 p.m.
A well-groomed man had appeared, entering from the shadows and stopping at the foot of Roses bed. He was wearing a luxurious suit. He stood at around 6’2 with long, greased back dark hair.
“You must have a lot of questions, but you need to come with me for answers,” he said with a soft yet stern tone.
“Wha-Where am I? Where’s Justin and my baby? Who are you and what did you do with them?!” Rose said confused and angrily.
“I have yet to do anything. I have no name. Some have called me Fate, others have called me Death. I came not to argue, but to carry out his will. You must come with me within the next few earthly minutes. He’s expecting a soul to nurture and welcome into His Kingdom by then. Please, you must not refuse his will. He has great things expected from your daughter, but in order for her purpose to be fulfilled you must come with me. She will need to experience that pain to truly know her strength and carry out what she is meant for,” the man in the suit replied.
“So you’re telling me you are the Grim Reaper and I am dead right now? This can’t be happening. I just had my baby in my arms. Wake up Rose, Please wake up!” Rose said as she started hitting her face in an attempt to wake herself up from this nightmare.
The clock struck 11:57 p.m.
“I’m afraid this is no dream, Ma’am. Denial is very common with new comer-”
Rose had cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
“Shut up! Just shut the f**k up! You are not real and I am not dead! And even if this was real, there’s no way I am going to come with you! I don’t care who’s expecting me, I’m not leaving my family!” Rose said with anger pouring from her voice and her eyes wide with rage.
The man took a deep breath and exhaled.
“I did not want to show you this, Rose. But I feel it is essential to see this for your passing unto the eternal life.”
The man snapped his fingers and a hole appeared from the darkness. In that hole was the image of the doctor attempting to revive Rose’s daughter, which was not working. As Rose watched these images in terror she began to break down, weeping uncontrollably.
“You see, Ma’am, your daughter was put here for a purpose. To make life itself better for the mortal world. But if you refuse to come, her purpose will be voided and she will return to the kingdom instead. You will carry on living among the flesh, but without your daughter. The time is coming to an end for you to make a decision. What will it be? Your life? Or your Childs? You must choose Rose. The gateway between these plains will not be open much longer,” the man in the suit said.
The clock struck 11:58 p.m.
“No, NO! Don’t take my daughter with you! Please, I beg of you, please! Just let me be with my child! Why must it be her to carry out the will of him?!” she said with her face soaked from the tears.
“His Knowledge is greater than our understanding. I cannot answer that for you,” he replied.
“There has to be another way! There has to! I’ll do anything, anything! I mean it…” Rose had exhausted all her strength in the denial of the situation. She was begging at this point.
“Well… there is one thing.”
“Anything!” Rose pleaded with the man.
“There is one way but I have no time to explain what must be done. The gateway is almost closed.”
The clock struck 11:59 p.m.
“I don’t care what it is, I just want to be with my baby. I’m her mother… she needs me in her life… Please let me be with my family…” Rose asked.
“Are you sure? Once it is done, there is no reversing. It is final,” the man said.
Rose took a deep breath…
“Yes… Yes I’m sure,” she replied.
“So be it,” he snapped his fingers and Rose awoke in the Hospital bed.
“Doctor, we revived her! She’s awake and in stable condition!” the nurse exclaimed to the doctor who had been working on Rose and her baby.
“Thank god,” he let out in relief.
“How’s my baby? Is she okay? Is she going to make it?” Rose asked.
“Yes, she is fine. We have her breathing and she is going to be alright. Everything is okay,” the doctor said with relief.
‘THUD’
A loud noise came from outside the room.
“Nurse, please go check what that noise was,” the doctor asked.
The nurse walked out and there was a scream and the alarm went off again.
It was Justin, he had collapsed. Not soon after, he was pronounced dead.
The clock struck 12:00 a.m.
