Hunted (20 page)

Judd pressed his face close to a hole and spotted the farm machine shop where he and Lionel had stayed. Several men stood at the side of the building. An orange glow appeared, and Judd realized a few people were smoking.

No one at the hideout smokes
, Judd thought,
and they wouldn't be outside anyway
.

Judd had a bad feeling the safe house wasn't so safe. He looked out another opening in the barn and spied an old tractor parked a few yards away. Judd wanted to find help for Lionel, but he had to make sure his friends at the safe house were okay.

Within a few minutes after finishing the sandwich, the fox left. Lionel felt more alone than ever. He nearly cried when the little red animal turned and headed into the woods.

“Okay, Lord,” Lionel prayed aloud, “you were good enough to send me someone to keep me company and chase that snake away. Now I need somebody strong enough to lift this rock.”

The crickets and frogs lulled Lionel back to sleep.

Judd crawled the final few yards to the abandoned tractor and hid behind its massive wheel. He counted five men by the door to the safe house. They kept quiet, looking out at the field.

Finally, a man in a GC uniform approached, and the men stood at attention. “Commander Fulcire wants you to know you'll be rewarded for your actions tonight,” the Peacekeeper said. “Because of your alertness, we were able to detain a number of unmarked citizens tonight.”

The group applauded, then whooped again when they heard they would divide the bounty for each of the citizens equally.

“Though the prisoners wouldn't give information before they were … uh, taken care of,” the Peacekeeper said, “we believe the first report to be true. There are two more heading north, and if you'd like to be part of that search party, follow me.”

After the group went inside the former safe house, Judd caught his breath. Someone had seen Lionel and him leaving the safe house. Judd had to throw these men off the track and get help to Lionel before they found him. But how?

Judd duck-walked to the GC cruiser, reached through the open window, and grabbed the microphone to the radio. “All GC Peacekeepers, repeat, all GC Peacekeepers,” Judd said in an official tone, “we have an alert of two unmarked citizens now crossing Highway 56, just east of town. These may be the two spotted earlier. Out.”

Judd threw the microphone into the car and hustled back to his hiding place. The men poured from the building followed by the Peacekeeper who tugged at the microphone on his shoulder.

“Verify that last transmission,” the Peacekeeper said.

The radio remained silent, but already the men had jumped in their cars and were racing toward the highway. Judd didn't know how long he had before they figured out his call was a hoax, but he knew he had to look for help somewhere else. He glanced at the sky. Only a few more hours before daylight.

Vicki counted the minutes between contractions. A few came within two minutes of each other, while others came five minutes or more apart. Cheryl grew weaker with each round of contractions, sometimes writhing and shouting in pain. Josey did what she could to keep the girl calm but gave Vicki a worried look. Cheryl was panting, taking in short gasps of air between screams. Josey whispered that Cheryl could pass out from lack of oxygen if she didn't breathe slower.

On the next contraction, Cheryl let out a piercing scream. “I can't take it anymore! I want to push. I have to!”

“Call Marshall,” Josey said, holding Cheryl down.

Shelly stood at the foot of the bed. “Guys, look at this!”

Vicki rushed to Shelly's side and gasped. She could see the top of the baby's head in the birth canal.

19

VICKI
felt a mix of awe and fear. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the baby's head, but she nearly fainted when she realized they would have to deliver it alone.

“Calm down,” Josey said to Cheryl.

“I can't calm down! I'm about to have a baby!”

“Call Marshall again,” Vicki said to Shelly as she moved closer to the bed. The top of the baby's head was hairy.

“Can I push?” Cheryl said.

“Wait,” Vicki said. “Wanda told us not to let you—”

Cheryl screamed.

“They've got Wanda,” Shelly said, holding the phone.

“Let me talk to her,” Josey said.

Vicki was glad someone else was taking charge. She didn't want to be the one caring for the baby. What if she dropped it? She had heard stories of women giving birth in cabs, police cars, and even grocery stores, but she never thought she would see one born in a secret hideout.

“Yes,” Josey said, “we can see the top. Okay. Uh-huh. All right.”

Vicki stepped aside as Josey examined Cheryl. Vicki put a hand on the girl's shoulder. The last contraction had passed, and another was coming quickly.

“All right, she's ready to push,” Josey said.

“I can?” Cheryl said with relief.

“Wanda says to wait until the next one comes, then take a deep breath and push through the contraction.”

“I don't know what that means,” Cheryl said.

“I'll help you, honey, just relax until—”

“Here it comes!”

Vicki moved to the foot of the bed. When the contraction began, Cheryl took a breath, held it, and closed her eyes. Her face turned red, and Josey told her to take another breath, but the girl kept pushing. Vicki looked down and saw the baby's head move an inch forward.

This is really happening
, Vicki thought.

“Shelly, get some of those sterile cloths,” Josey said.

“I don't know what to do,” Vicki said.

“Just help me encourage Cheryl,” Josey said. “You're doing fine.”

Vicki found herself breathing and pushing along with Cheryl, her heart beating like a drum. “You're doing great, Cheryl! Good girl! It won't be long now.”

The contraction wound down and Cheryl sat back, panting like a dog. Josey wiped her forehead and held the phone to her ear as Wanda gave instructions.

Cheryl's eyes widened, and she clutched the bedsheet. “Here comes another one!”

With each gasp of air and each push, the baby's head moved farther forward. Suddenly, Vicki saw the face of the child.

“The head's out!” Josey cried into the phone.

Vicki studied the child. “Its face is blue. Maybe that's normal, but—”

“Here,” Josey said, shoving the phone into Vicki's ear.

“Tell me what you see,” Wanda said.

Vicki could hardly contain her emotion. She had known Cheryl for several months and had talked with her about the baby, but in all that time of feeling it move, it had all seemed so far away. Now, staring at the child's face, Vicki wiped away tears of joy.

“The little face is pointing up, toward the ceiling,” Vicki said, “and its color is kind of blue-green, like the color of your veins, and it's got the cutest—”

“Okay, listen carefully. I want you to put your fingers near the baby's neck. Don't let Cheryl push. Just feel the baby's neck and tell me if there's anything there. Hurry.”

Vicki used both hands and felt around the baby's neck. “Yeah, there's something here.”

“What's it feel like?”

“I don't know. It's kind of like a big, fat worm. Kind of squishy.”

“That's what I was afraid of.”

“What?”

“Vicki, we don't have much time. That thing around the baby's neck is the umbilical cord. We have to move it fast.”

“How?”

“We need to reduce the pressure by easing the cord over the baby's head.”

“I don't think I can—”

“You have to,” Wanda pleaded. “It may already be too late, but you have to try.”

“Okay, but how?”

“Grab the cord with your fingers.”

“I'm trying, but I don't want to hurt—”

“Hurry, Vicki! See if you can pull the cord toward you. Does it move?”

“It's slippery.”

“What's going on?” Cheryl said. “Is the baby okay?”

“Lie back and rest,” Josey said.

“Can you pull it?” Wanda said.

“Yeah, it came forward a few inches, but that's all—”

“Good. That might be enough. Now I want you to take the cord and lift it over the baby's head. Just pull it over right now.”

Vicki strained as she grasped the cord. “It's really tight. I'm afraid it's going to—”

“It won't break. Just pull it over. Did you do it?”

“No, it's stuck.”

“You have to push it to the other side right now. I don't care how you do it—”

“—this is so scary!”

“—just do it!”

“Please, God,” Vicki prayed, “please, God, please, God, please, God!”

Vicki took a step to her left and used both hands. With the cord tight against the top of the baby's head, she managed to ease it over and down toward its left shoulder. The child kept its eyes closed and didn't move.

“I need to push again!” Cheryl said.

“Is the cord over the head?” Wanda said.

“Yeah, I got it.”

“Then tell her to push.”

“Go ahead and push,” Vicki said.

While Cheryl bore down again, Wanda spoke into Vicki's ear. “Get ready for the little thing to come out pretty quickly. It'll be sort of slick and a little bloody, but you'll be okay. Have someone there get a pair of sharp scissors or a knife and some shoestrings.”

“Shoestrings?”

“Don't ask questions. Just do it.”

“Take another deep breath,” Josey said to Cheryl.

Vicki asked Shelly to get the scissors and more cloths as one of the baby's shoulders came out. Vicki kicked off her shoes and quickly removed the laces as she watched the baby's progress. “How will we know if the baby's okay?”

“Let's just get it out of there first,” Wanda said.

Vicki took two of the cloths and held them in front of her. She felt like her dad, who played catcher for their church's softball team. With another push from Cheryl, the baby came sliding out, hands wiggling toward the ceiling. Vicki held the child gingerly, overwhelmed at the sight.

“It's a boy!” Josey said.

“Really?” Cheryl said, sitting up to have her first look at the child. “It's really a boy?”

“Don't hold the baby too low,” Wanda said to Vicki. “Hold him about the same height as the bed where the mother is. That way we'll keep the blood flow even.”

“Okay,” Vicki said. “Now what?”

“Wipe the baby off, and don't hold him like a piece of china. Hold him like you know what you're doing.”

Shelly brought scissors while Josey tied Vicki's shoelaces tightly at two spots on the cord.

“Why isn't he crying?” Vicki said.

“Cut the cord,” Wanda said.

It took Vicki two tries to cut the umbilical cord. Blood splattered the floor.

“Is something wrong?” Cheryl said.

Josey kept the phone to Vicki's ear as Vicki cleaned the boy off. “Wanda, he's still blue—he's not crying.”