The Gift - Short Story by Gwen Leane

THE GIFT

Short Story

By

Gwenneth Leane

They looked at each other, mother, and daughter. The mother’s eyes filled with pain, in the young woman’s eyes regret, hope and joy struggled for supremacy. Mother and daughter had concocted the idea of Judy being a surrogate mother for Nell over a Pineapple Sorbet while having lunch in the local hotel. Nell knew such joy at the thought of becoming a mother at last. Judy knew age was not on her side, but she wanted to make one last gesture of love to her daughter and so she agreed to become a surrogate mother.

            Judy lay on the Baruch in the delivery room. The nurse looked at her she was a much older woman than normally had a baby. A contraction racked the aging body and Judy groaned.

            Sitting with her was a young woman, ‘Mum, are you all right?’

The nurse stared, trying to hide her surprise. There was something odd going on here. Another contraction stiffened the older woman’s body, this time she wasn’t able to stifle the groan.

            ‘Oh Mum, I wish I hadn’t allowed you to have my baby. It’s too painful for you.’

            ‘Just take good care of my baby.  Just remember it is my baby as well as yours.’

            Another contraction and with it came the desire to push. The nurse called the midwife who bustled in all calm and efficiency.

            ‘Now Mrs Winter where are we at?’  The midwife examined Judy, ‘yes you are about to deliver your baby.’

            Judy screamed; she had forgotten the pain of childbirth. She loved her daughter and wanted to give her the greatest gift of all, a baby. Right now, Judy was regretting the decision to be a surrogate mother to give Nell the child she could not have. At the back of her mind, she knew she would change her mind and keep the child when it was born, and the pain was forgotten. Judy started out with the best of intentions, but they were fading as the pain took over and she was about to hold the child in her arms.

            A robust squall, the midwife, beamed, ‘It’s a boy,’ and handed the newborn to Judy who in turn passed the child to her daughter.

            ‘Here is your gift, take great care of it.’

            ‘Oh Mum, I cannot I thank you enough. I will name him Albert after Dad. Mum, are you all right?’

            Judy was fading, and she knew it. Perhaps it was for the best because she would have found it hard to give the child of her pain up even to her beloved daughter. She was hemorrhaging the doctor and the midwife worked frantically to save the mother.

            ‘She’s gone,’ the Dr and midwife looked at each other in horror. The woman had been a risk from the start of the pregnancy due to age, but both mother and daughter wanted so badly this child.

            Nell stared bemused at her mother, ‘Oh Mum,’ she sobbed distraughtly. What was supposed to be the greatest day of her life second to her wedding day had now become the darkest moment of her life. ‘You gave your life to give me a child. I will never forget what you have done.  You have paid the ultimate price.’

            Tears of sorrow bathed the newborn. The birth of Albert ushered in a new life replacing the life given to creating him. He would always remind Nell of the sacrifice her mother made to give her this gift; she would do her best to make Albert a son worth the sacrifice of his biological mother. Albert would never be her child he would be Judy’s son in trust.