Children of the Plague

Chapter Eighteen: The Good News

Chapter Eighteen: The Good News

A few minutes later, Diane stared through her grubby reflection in the safety glass into Tina's isolated hospital room. The nurse on duty, Lynne, had drawn blood from the port in her arm, and was dripping some onto slides, while Dr. Neumon marked on a paper chart. It was special treatment, for sure, but Tina was a special case. She was seven months pregnant.

There were four other pregnant women in the infirmary, but even among them, Tina was a cause for cautious optimism. Just over a year ago, pregnant women all over the world began miscarrying, and they were the lucky ones. The rest either died of complications, or reached term in two to three months, when their monstrously deformed offspring literally ate their way out of their wombs.

At seven months, Tina's ultrasound, another luxury, showed a seemingly normal, fully developed human boy, though at Tina's request, no one had been told the sex. She could give birth at any time, so the doctors and nurses stayed with her in shifts. The other pregnant women in their care were less fortunate.

To reach Tina's room, Diane had to pass through the infirmary, where the doomed mothers-to-be were strapped to gurneys. They were heavily sedated, and would stay that way until they were killed in unconscious agony by their children.

They were pale and nearly skeletal; their bodies unable to keep up with the demands of a fetus that would reach birth stage in weeks instead of months. The poor girls were already dead, and they had known it coming here. Some had only hours, while others would suffer for days or weeks, but the outcome was certain, and at least for now, inevitable.

The doctors monitored them, tested different drugs and therapies on them, and made them as comfortable as possible, but none of them would give birth. For all of the doctors' careful study and testing, Tina was the only one who had a chance, not only of survival, but of having a real human baby. She was not only the hope of the MPC, but perhaps of all mankind.

Diane liked the doctors and nurses, but Dr. Neumon was her favorite. He had a knack for looking at things from all angles, and then coming up with creative ways to care for his patients, all while treating them like friends or family. In a world where the delivery trucks would never come again, he was an invaluable asset.

Lynne saw Diane through the glass and smiled, walking around to talk with her.

"Good morning," Lynne said. "Tina's doing pretty well. We had some excitement a little while ago, but things are settling down. At least a bit."

"Excitement? What happened?" Diane could tell Lynne was still on edge about something, but at least she seemed pleased.

"The ghost was here. Tina saw her. I know what you think, but she wasn't the only one. Dr. Neumon and I saw her, too. She was black from head to toe, and small, like a young girl. But forget about that for now. Right after we saw her, Tina went into labor."

It was happening. They moment they had hung all of their hopes on was upon them. Diane started thinking through all their plans, and everything they would have to do in the coming hours. It took her a moment to ask the obvious questions.

"How is she? Are her levels good? What does Dr. Neumon think?"

"She seems fine. Don't be too worried, but her levels are through the roof. She's early, of course, but the baby is ready, and the increased nanite levels don't seem to be hurting either of them."

"Can I talk to her?" Diane asked. "What if I block before I go in? I'll only stay for a second and come right back out..."

"I'm sorry, Diane. You know you can't. I don't really understand all this about blocking and the things you exterminators can do, but no one with high levels can go in there. She's doing fine, and we're taking excellent care of her, so just quit your worrying."