Free Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (All 8 books) by Amy Cross Page B

As far as the old woman can tell, Patrick sees Sophie as nothing more than a receptacle for his child's development.
    "It'll be over soon," the old woman says, removing the towel from Sophie's forehead. "Just wait," she continues. "You'll be fine".
    Sophie starts to strain once again. Four or five times in the past twenty-four hours, it has seemed that she's ready to give birth; each time, however, it turns out to be a false alarm. It's almost as if the child has no desire to ever come out into the real world, preferring instead to remain inside Sophie and feed off her body like a parasite. If the situation isn't remedied soon, Sophie will die and the child's life will be in even greater danger. The old woman knows, too, that she will face Patrick's wrath if the birthing goes wrong. The lives of many people are on the line tonight.
    Finally, however, the child seems to be moving into the birthing canal. The old woman, who has delivered many children in the past, tells Sophie to push. As Sophie screams, the child's head emerges. The old woman gently turns the child, hoping to ensure a smoother delivery. Within a few minutes the shoulders, too, are out, and the child begins to cry. The old woman tells Sophie to push one final time, and the child slips out, still attached to its mother via the umbilical cord. Grabbing a pair of scissors, the old woman carefully cuts the cord before using a clamp to seal it shut. She carried the screaming infant over to a prepared towel.
    "Let me see her!" Sophie calls out, exhausted.
    The old woman ignores her, as Patrick comes over to look at the child.
    "It's a girl," the old woman says. She starts cleaning the baby, and after a few minutes she wraps it in a blanket. "She should be with her mother," she says as the child wriggles. "It's not right to separate them". Turning, she carries the baby over to Sophie, carefully placing her in her mother's arms. "You don't have long," she tells her. "He'll take her soon".
    "He won't," Sophie says, still out of breath. "I won't let him".
    "If you fight him, he'll kill you," the old woman replies.
    "He can't have her," Sophie insists, holding the child tight.
    "Name her," the old woman says. "Before he takes her, give her a name".
    Sophie looks down at her daughter's face. "Abigail," she says after a moment. "It was my grandmother's name".
    "It's nice," the old woman says. As she looks at the child's tiny, scrunched up face, she becomes aware of Patrick coming closer. Turning, she sees him waiting. "You can wait a few more minutes, can't you?" she says. "Give the girl a chance to be with her mother".
    "You're not taking her," Sophie says defiantly.
    "Don't fight him," the old woman says, stepping out of the way. She knows that the situation is futile. Patrick always gets what he wants.
    "Fuck you!" Sophie shouts at Patrick as he reaches out to take Abigail. "No!" She tries to get away, but Patrick is able to force Abigail out of her arms. "Give her back to me!" Sophie shouts, but she's too weak to do anything. "Please!" she says, tears streaming down her face. "I just want to hold her!"
    Slowly, Patrick carries Abigail over to the entrance.
    "You can't take her out there!" Sophie shouts. "It's freezing! You'll kill her!"
    "He knows what he's doing," the old woman says, trying to calm her. "She'll come to no harm".
    "Bring her back!" Sophie shouts as Patrick disappears into the blizzard. After a moment, he can no longer be seen ."Come back!" Sophie screams.
    "It's okay," the old woman says, giving Sophie a cup of liquid. "Drink this, and you'll feel better".
    Sophie drinks from the cup, but after a moment she becomes suspicious. "What is this?" she asks.
    "You won't remember anything that has happened to you since you left Gothos," the old woman tells her. "In a few minutes, you'll pass out. I'll patch you up and make sure you're okay, and then I'll have you delivered back to the world. You'll never even remember that Abigail was born, but at least you