BIRTH AND BOND

by Sybil Cameron

"Not much longer", the doctor said encouragingly. "You're doingjust fine, Caroline."

Humor undiminished by long hours of labor flashed in sea-greeneyes as Caroline responded, "That's stretching the definition of'fine' very close to the limit, Peter." She continued, "I'm sorry forkeeping you up all night. It must be almost dawn."

"Don't worry about me"' he said. "You're the one doing all thework - I'm just an idle bystander."

Caroline smiled. Idle was not a word she would consider using todescribe Peter Alcott. He was one of the most energetic people shehad ever met. She started to tell him so, but Peter gestured forsilence.

"Now you just be quiet and rest, young lady", he said firmly inhis best 'old family doctor' manner. The effect was spoiled by aquick boyish grin that made him look even younger than he was.

Caroline closed her eyes and let her mind fill with visions of awonderful future. She thought about the deep love she shared with herhusband, confident that their love would only grow richer as itexpanded to include their child. Remembering her own unhappychildhood, she made a silent vow that this child would have a happylife. She felt a sudden intense longing to hold her child in her armsand begin that happy life.

"Not much longer", she whispered softly.

Peter shifted position to ease his own cramping muscles while histhoughts turned to another birth and the mystery that surrounded it.Who was that unknown mother, and what had happened to her? Who, ifanyone, had assisted in the delivery of her child? Peter had noanswers to these questions. All he knew for certain was that thebirth had taken place, the child was evidence of that. So much wasspeculated about that unusual child, but so little was reallyknown.

The newly-born child had been found, wrapped in rags, behind St.Vincent's Hospital and had been brought to Peter's friend, Jacob, inthe place of refuge he had found beneath the city. For days thechild's hold on life had been tenuous at best. The miracle of hissurvival was surpassed only by the miracle of his very existence.

Peter had known that Jacob was a dedicated physician but hisdetermined efforts to save the child's life went well beyonddedication. He remained with the child constantly, holding him in hisarms for hours at a time as if to pour all of his own strength intothe child as it struggled to survive. Anyone would have thought thatit was his own life that Jacob was fighting for. Peter believed that,in Jacob's mind, it was. The child had struck a chord somewhere deepwithin Jacob that resonated through his entire being. Peter hadfeared the consequences to Jacob if the child did not survive.

Jacob had lost so much already. Peter remembered well thebleakness that had enveloped his friend after the hearings. He hadlost the woman he loved, his career, his good name, and his chancefor the kind of life that had seemed within his grasp just monthsbefore. Jacob's own inner strength had never been so apparent as itwas when he painfully rose from the ruins of the past and began tobuild a new life for himself. The bleakness had returned for a time,after the death in childbirth of one of the members of the smallcommunity he had founded in the forgotten tunnels far below the city.It too had passed but Peter could tell, by the haunted look hesometimes glimpsed in Jacob's eyes, that this further loss had scoreddeeply across that caring, sensitive heart. He feared that the lossof the child would prove to be too much for even Jacob'sresilience.

"Jacob", Peter had cautioned after an especially violent andprolonged seizure had left the child almost lifeless, "you mustprepare yourself......"

"NO!" Jacob had shouted. "He will live. HE WILL LIVE!" Hisoutburst appeared to have shocked Jacob almost as much as it hadPeter. He continued in a voice that was lower but no less vehement,"He must".

To Peter's astonishment, those sentiments had been echoed by JohnPater. That brilliant, enigmatic man had lost his usual coldlyclinical detachment and seemed to be almost obsessed with the child.He shared Jacob's vigil and worked under his direction, but somethingabout the way he looked at the child had made Peter feel uneasy.

Peter himself had not been unmoved by the desperate plight of thetiny child. He viewed the child with compassion, but also with anobjectivity that seemed to have deserted Jacob. On his initialexamination of the then-unconscious child, he had doubted whether thetremendous effort to ensure the child's survival was really the mosthumane course of action.. He had wondered what kind of future therecould be for the child if he did survive. He even questioned whethera human mind existed in the body that was clearly not fullyhuman.

Peter's reservations had been swept aside the moment the childopened his eyes and looked at him. Their blue depths held the veryessence of human suffering, and human compassion. For one shatteringmoment, Peter felt as if those eyes had looked into his soul and itwas his own humanity that was being weighed and judged. He later toldhimself that he was becoming as fanciful as Narcissa but he had nomore doubts. He had entered fully into the struggle to save thechild's life.

The child was thriving now. The others in the community, after aninitial period of rejection, were all fiercely protective of thechild whom Jacob had adopted as his son. John Pater now lived inexile from the world he had helped create. The events that hadculminated in his expulsion were still painfully fresh but thehealing process had begun. Jacob's determination to provide a placeof refuge and safety for those rejected by the world above was slowlyforging a strong, united community. They were becoming a family andeven the adults had begun to refer to Jacob as Father.

Peter still worried about the child's future. His physicaldifferences would not become less apparent as he matured but wouldmost likely become more pronounced. Peter knew his world. It was aworld intolerant of that which is different, a world in which thisunique child would be considered a monster. He would be safe only aslong as he remained hidden in the world below. Peter regretted theopportunities the child would not have as a result of this necessaryseclusion but, in his estimation, it was the world above that, allunknowingly, would have the greater loss.

A slight movement by his patient brought Peter back to thepresent. At least he had no worries or doubts about the future of thechild soon to be brought into the world. It was eagerly awaited byloving parents who had wealth and position to provide all of theluxuries of life. This child would be accepted by the world. It wouldalways be safe.

Caroline tensed slightly as she felt the initial tightening ofanother contraction, then adjusted her breathing to a rhythmicpattern. As the contraction reached its peak, she took a deep breathand began to bear down. The sequence was repeated until at last thecry of a newborn rang through the delivery room.

"You have a daughter", Peter announced. He quickly but carefullyexamined the infant. He had not lost his sense of wonder in thepresence of a new life - he was certain that he never would. Theinfant was quiet now in his gentle, capable hands and he felt humbledby that implicit trust. She already showed promise of remarkablebeauty, even at this early stage, and Peter could see a strongresemblance to her mother.

As he smiled down at the infant in his arms, another face wassuddenly superimposed on hers and Peter looked into a pair offamiliar blue eyes. Startled, he blinked and shook his head to clearhis vision, thinking ruefully that he must be more tired than he'drealized. When he looked again, all was as it should be. The onlyface he saw was that of the infant whose mother was looking at himwith fear in her eyes. That startled expression had not escaped hernotice.

Caroline asked anxiously, "Peter, is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine", Peter hastened to reassure her whilesilently berating himself for that momentary slip in his composure."Here, see for yourself", he said as he placed the infant in hermother's arms. "She's strong and healthy and already a beauty. Haveyou and Charles decided on a name yet?"

Caroline Chandler gently traced the curve of her daughter's cheekwith her fingers and raised eyes that glowed with love. "Her name isCatherine."

In a chamber deep beneath the city, a unique child lay in his bed,held motionless in the grip of a waking dream. Images flashed inrapid succession across his mind's eye, images that were accompaniedby a barrage of emotions. Pain, joy that was almost painful in itsintensity, wonder, rage and sorrow swept over him like a tide. Woventhrough it all, like a shining path through the darkness, was thesense of a deep, abiding love.

The child remained still as his future relentlessly unfolded, hisface expressionless even though tears welled up in his eyes. Then, asquickly as they had come, the images and emotions were gone, takingeven their memory with them. Only one lingering echo remained in avoice filled with tenderness.

"Remember love."

A rare smile lit the child's face with a startling beauty and heslowly closed his eyes. Within a heartbeat, Vincent was asleep.

The end.