Chapter Eighteen: Natsumi’s Strength:

“Am I going to die?” the woman asked. Ann stared at her as she struggled for something to say.

“Do you want to?” she asked. The woman trembled as she bit on her fingers.

“I don’t know,” she said in a quiet voice.

“But you’re having a baby,” Ann pointed out.

“I don’t want her to live with that monster!” the mother-to-be cried.

“Your baby’s a girl?” the Goth woman asked. The other woman nodded.

“I found three months ago,” she explained. “My boyfriend got mad at me. He wanted a son and blames me for having a girl.” Ann shook her head at her.

“That’s not right,” she said. “It’s his fault that you’re having a girl, not yours.”

“That’s not the problem,” the other woman told her. “He’s always blamed me for everything and he beats me for it.” She broke down into trembling. “I can’t have that for my daughter!” she cried. “I can’t! I can’t!”

“So… you do want to die?” Ann asked. The woman lowered her eyes to her feet.

“I’m not sure,” she said in a whisper. Ann looked down at her hands.

“I too had a daughter once,” she muttered. The other woman glanced up at her.

“What?” she asked. Ann pressed her lips together.

“Her name was Bethany,” she answered rather reluctantly. “She would’ve been fifteen this year. She and her brother were one of the few joys in my life.” The other woman gave her a curious look.

“What happened?” she asked. Ann felt herself break down into trembling. The doctors shouting in the background didn’t help ease her nerves. She almost wished that she could stop talking about her little girl. However, her therapist told her let the story until to help her inner demons go. Ann lifted her head.

“My husband and I went on a date one night in July,” she explained. This part always hurt her worst. The woman clenched her fists at her sides. “When we came home, our son was locked away in the closet by some people from my past,” she pushed herself to admit. “Our daughter…” She drew her eyes shut. “We found her body naked with her tied behind her back, drowned in our bathtub.” The pain in her heart began to surge. The other woman blinked at her.

“Why would they do that to her?” she asked. Ann sank down to the ground, sitting. She couldn’t stop herself from talking, no matter how much it hurt. The Goth woman caught feel tears forming in her shut eyes. She drew them wide open in her internal struggle.

“I used to be in a cult,” Ann confessed. “When I wanted out, they beat me and left me for dead in the woods. When they found out I was still alive, they came after my children.” She buried her head in hands. No matter how times she told this story, the pain felt no different. The other woman felt something rise within her.

“I want to live!” she exclaimed. Ann paused and looked up.

“What?” she asked. The mother-to-be looked ready to shout.

“I want to live to see my daughter grow up strong!” she announced. “If I survive this, I’m taking my daughter and I’m leaving him!” Ann felt herself go numb inside as she stared at her. The other woman grinned up and stuck up her fingers in a V.

“My name is Natsumi,” she said. “What’s yours?” Ann blinked at her as she tried to piece together what just happened.

“Ann,” she answered.

“So, how do I get back?” Natsumi asked. The Goth woman gave her a blank stare.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. The other woman started to frown.

“I don’t want to be stuck here forever,” she complained. “I want to go back to my daughter! Please take me back! Tack me back!” A white light surrounded her and she was gone. Ann rose to her feet in shock. The heart monitor below returned to a normal pace, causing her to look down.

“Oh good, she’s stable now,” one of the doctor’s said. Natsumi slowly opened her eyes on the operating table.

“My baby?” she asked. “Where’s my baby?” The doctor gave her a kind smile.

“She’s going to be fine,” he said. “Your little girl was born in good health.” Natsumi gave off a tired laugh. Ann rose to her feet above them rather amazed. Suddenly, she heard someone applauding behind her. The Goth woman turned to see a little girl in white clapping at her.

“Well done,” the child said. “We have been expecting you.”