Chapter 8: Unexpected Betrayal

'Push!' the midwife, Camellia hired ordered Alexa, as the doctor held her legs apart.

Alexa pushed one last time and the baby slipped out. She felt relief wash over her. She was happy she had decided fed to keep the baby. The journey through this pregnancy had not been very easy, what with the flu, morning sickness and all. Camellia had been there for her all through and though she had been snappy some of the time and disagreeable, Alexa forgave her knowing it could not have been easy on her, leaving all behind to be with her.

'It's a boy!' the midwife announced. 'Such a handsome boy. He must look like his father!'

Alexa's joy at the safe birth turned to anxiety.

A father she did not know and who had never bothered to look for the innocent girl he took advantage of that fateful night. How was she going to bring the child up alone? she thought in hindsight. And when he asked about his father, what was she going to tell him? Anyway, when that time comes, she would know how to solve that situation, for now, she wasn't going to allow anything deprive her of her joy.

She was about to carry the baby and look at his face after he had been cleaned when Camellia came out and collected the baby from the mid wife.

'Thank you so much, Alexa, for this gift. This pup is mine now and I am going to keep him!'

'Camellia, what are you saying? Why would you want to do that?' Alexa asked thinking Camellia was joking around. But when she started for the door, she knew Camellia was dead serious.

'Camellia, give me my baby, I need to hold him and kiss him!' she said, her tone rising, though she felt very weak. 'I have not even seen his face!'

'That's a pity, because you are never going to see him again, but don't worry, I'll take good care of him!' she promised, her smile devious.

'You can't be serious!' Alexa whispered. 'You mean you care had all been a pretense all along? A pretense to take my baby from me?'

'I am dead serious', Camellia smiled at Alexa 'And I am glad you are beginning to catch on, but like I said earlier, thanks for your pain!' Then looking at the doctor and midwife, ' Your job here is done. Do away with her immediately, I have already transfered the money into your account!'

'Camellia, what do you mean they should do away with me?' Alexa asked, panicking. 'We are sisters. What have I ever done wrong to you?'

'Are you asking?' Camellia said, laughing harshly. 'Oh, yes, you don't know, of course!'

'Know what?' Alexa asked, her stomach knotted with fear.

'I am not your real sister. My mother is only your step mother. We are only half sisters because your whore of a mother seduced my father and became pregnant with you', Camellia said. 'My mother felt betrayed by the husband she had loved and remained loyal to for years, yet she took you in and you stole my father's love for me. His love was rightfully mine and not for you to share with me, while getting the larger portion of it!'

'What are you talking about?' Alexa whispered, shock evident in her eyes. 'You are not serious, are you?'

'I have taken your baby so that you will feel the same pain my mother felt when your mother took my father from her and when you stole the love due me! And oh, by the way, greet all your dead ancestors. Tell them I said hi!' With that she walked away, beating Alexa's baby in her arms and never looked back, though, Alexa kept shouting her name. She tried to get up and go after Camellia, but the doctor restrainer her, . It was not that difficult in her already vulnerable state and she ended up hitting her head on the iron support of the bed.

She was still shouting for Camellia to come back when she felt pain in her stomach, she felt she was dying. The doctor and midwife were pulling the gloves off their hands when she screamed. 'Doctor, I think I'm dying', she said.

'That will definitely make the work easy for us!' he said but looking at her, he saw that she was in labour. 'What the hell?' he said.

'Doctor, I think there's another baby!' the midwife said anxiously, as they both set to work and delivered Alexa of another baby boy and almost immediately, the contractions started again and another baby was delivered of her, this time,it was a girl.

'The doctor and midwife looked at each other, should they take the babies away from this woman who was already condemned to death or should they leave them to die with her?

'What's the use delivering her of them if we are going to kill them. They are innocent babies and we cannot stain our hands with their blood!' the midwife whispered to the doctor who nodded.

'And the woman? How do we dispose of her?' he asked.

The midwife was undecided. Seeing how weak the girl was after the births, she felt pity well up in her. But they had already collected the money from the other girl and they had to deliver,else they would be in trouble.

'We are just going to inject her and then she will die peacefully', she suggested.

'Great!' the doctor said. 'And how do you propose we save the pups?'

'We shall call 911 from a public phone and give the location of the babies. They will come and pick them up and probably take them to an orphanage!' she said confidently.

'I'll leave you to administer the injection to her. I've got some clearing to do before the police get here.

The midwife's hand shook as she got the injection from the doctor's bag. She read it to make sure it was the right one.

Alexa was already fainting from fatigue. She knew she was about to die. Camellia must have paid them so much money for them to be ready to take her life. She felt sad because she had not had the time to get to see her pups or even touch them.

'You are a woman like me,nurse's, she said. 'will you really take my life after seeing my pups?'

'Keep quiet and stop distracting me!' the midwife snapped.

'You do not care that my blood shall be on your hands?' she asked desperately as the suffering and sickness of the past months and the pain of childbirth started taking their toil on her, making her drowsy no matter how hard she tried to keep awake.

She tried to make sense of Camellia's actions but could only remember her words about her being an illegitimate child - the child of her father bore with his mistress. No wonder sometimes she had felt as though she did not belong. Her mother, no, Camellia's mother had always maltreated her, punishing her more than necessary if she as much as made any mistake, and even when she was innocent. She treated her a bit better when her father was around and she had wondered why she seemed to favour Camellia. She had not been jealous but she had thought their mother would at least treat them all equally and had vowed not to have any favourites amongst her pups. But what Camellia said, explained alot. She understood why Amelia had always treated her like a despised maid, ever since she gave birth to her previous daughter, Camellia.

'Can I at least hold each of them for a minute?' she asked the woman.

The midwife looked at her thoughtfully. It would do no harm, she thought. It was her right and her last wish, so she was going to grant it to her.

She gave her the boy first, 'Landon!' Alexa whispered to him, handing him back to the midwife, tears stinging her eyes. When the girl was handed to her, she looked at her beautiful curly hair and green eyes so like hers, 'Leigh', she whispered but now, she could not control her sobs and then she felt the pain of the syringe prick her arm and everything went dark.