Free Sudden Independents by Ted Hill Page A

sure are, Catherine,” Jimmy said. “Welcome to Independents, your new home.”
    “Hooray! Home, home, home!” The blonde girl sang and danced.
    Jimmy stood and brushed his knees off. He arched a questioning eyebrow at his brother.
    “This could take a while,” Hunter said, stepping over and grabbing a couple muffins.
    The door to the delivery room crashed open against the wall. Scout ran into the waiting room with wide eyes and an open mouth as if he’d lost something and needed to find it in a hurry. Then he locked onto the little girl. “Catherine, I need you in here. My sister—”
    Catherine stopped her dance; seriousness falling over her like rain washing away the playful little girl. She took Scout’s hand and the door closed again.
    This time Jimmy raised both eyebrows at his brother.
    Hunter waved off the occurrence. “She’s complicated,” he replied around a mouthful. “These muffins are tasty. Do you think Brittany would bring over some scrambled eggs?”

S cout held Catherine’s hand—her firm grip somehow reassured him—and guided her through the door. The window blinds had been lowered a quarter-fraction of their length, allowing sunshine to fall across Vanessa. Scout fought the mental image of his sister’s soul rising in the light. She looked so close to death. Strands of damp hair were plastered to her head and her eyelids fluttered like a moth that had flown too close to the flame.
    Luis paced, checked Vanessa’s pulse and listened to her heartbeat, but mostly shook his head and mumbled to himself.
    Mark wiped Vanessa’s brow with a damp washcloth and spoke soft words to her; or maybe he was praying. When Vanessa first started seeing Mark, Scout doubted whether the guy would be good to her. Now he was ashamed the thought ever entered his head.
    Catherine pulled him toward the baby.
    “Wait, I need you to help my sister,” Scout said, tugging her toward the bed.
    “Don’t worry. We have time, I promise.” She almost yanked him off his feet.
    The baby was absolutely beautiful, with a dark, curly patch of hair. He stopped crying and stared at Scout with eyes big enough to capture his heart. In that moment, Scout knew he would do anything for the little guy.
    Ginger handled the baby like a registered nurse in a pediatric ward, folding a blanket around him as he squawked underneath the lamp that kept him warm. The generator outside powering the lamp provided a soothing background hum.
    “He’s so tiny,” Catherine said. “Look at his little nose.” She touched his head and the baby smiled at her. Catherine closed her eyes.
    Ginger looked up at Scout. “We have a visitor?”
    “This is Catherine. Hunter found her.”
    Catherine pulled her hand away and smiled at Ginger. “The baby is perfectly healthy. He says he’s happy and you’ve been very helpful. Oh, and he’s getting hungry.”
    “How do you know that?” Ginger asked.
    Catherine regarded her like she was simple. “He told me, silly.”
    Ginger appeared mystified as she held up a bottle. “I was just about to give him some of this baby formula.”
    Catherine looked at the baby and nodded. “He says that will be fine for now.”
    “What’s wrong with her, Luis?” Mark asked, jerking Scout’s attention back to his sister.
    Vanessa’s eyes were closed and her chest barely moved with each shallow breath she took. Scout hadn’t heard a peep from her since he’d arrived.
    “She’s still hemorrhaging,” Luis said. “I can’t stop it. I’m not a surgeon.”
    “What does that mean?” Mark asked, his voice rising.
    “She’s bleeding internally because her uterus hasn’t contracted yet.” Luis nodded at the confusion on Mark’s face. “The area inside her where the baby has been growing is supposed to shrink back to its normal size after delivery. If it doesn’t, she could bleed to death. Back before the plague, a doctor would perform surgery in this situation, but I’m just not equipped or experienced to