Plague Doctor

“Honey, my stomach…” Inside the maternity ward, Liu Yiqi bit on the arm of her husband, Du Hongwen who sat beside her. She used this method to vent her pain. Du Honghen gritted his teeth in pain as well but he said calmly, “Honey, go ahead. If it makes you feel better, you can bite my hand off…” His wife’s water broke yesterday afternoon, it had been almost a day, but the opening was still not yet large enough. The hours were a torment for Du Hongwen. His wife’s bitemarks covered every part of his arms. However, he had no complaints, as long as his wife and their baby were safe…

This was difficult for the couple’s mothers to watch. While Du Hongwen left to fetch some water, Liu Yiqi’s mother came to say, “My dear daughter, you gotta try to stomach the pain. You’ll end up injuring Hongwen if you keep biting him.”

“I know…” Liu Yiqi moaned. “But if I don’t do that, I’ll die from the pain.”

“Pfft, touch wood!” Her mother hushed. How could she say something so inauspicious at such a moment?! Du Hongwen’s mother immediately steepled her hands together to pray to all the Gods in the world to help protect this couple… Perhaps her prayer was heard because not long after Du Hongwen returned with the water, Liu Yiqi was finally ready for labor. Her breathing became more difficult. Soon she was pushed into the labor room by the nurse. Du Hongwen followed to provide support for his wife. This time Liu Yiqi did not bite but instead she pinched her husband’s underarm. Du Hongwen had no idea how much labor pain was but he was in extreme pain at that moment…

“Hurry, we’re almost there.” Doctor He encouraged, “Just one last push!” With the mother’s wail and the staff’s cheers, a newborn entered this world. She was connected by the umbilical cord. However, she did not present the world with her cries. Doctor He slapped the girl on her butt. The nurses and Du Hongwen were anticipating the baby’s cries. Liu Yiqi, who was all drained out that her vision was blurring, asked in concern, “My baby… my baby… What’s wrong…”

Suddenly, the girl’s throat moved and she emitted a clear and strange announcement, “Positive selection.” Then while everyone was shocked, the baby’s crisp wails could be heard.

…

“Wifey, hang in there, it’ll be over soon!” Zhang Xingjun hurried to the stretcher that pushed his crying wife, Wang Sihan, to the labor room. They were college sweethearts who got married right after graduation. One year later, they were ready to be parents. They were both young, just 23 but they were happy to be parents, they had hope and dreams for their future. They loved each other and the child was planned. Since yesterday, seeing how much pain his wife was in, Zhang Xingjun regretted not opting for Cesarean. However, Huang Sihan had given it much consideration and thought. Caesarian came with its own downside and she would take longer to recover. She was still young and she learned that natural birth was better for the baby so she insisted on it.

“Hubby, don’t worry about me, I can do it…” Even though Huang Sihan was already in tears and honestly, she did regret not going for the Caesarian but she knew that these thoughts were only temporary, they would be replaced by other thoughts soon… Natural birth was better for the baby, as long as it was better for the baby, everything was worth it. When one reached a certain threshold of pain, their consciousness would flag. Huang Sihan was experiencing that out of body feeling in the labor room. She could see herself lying in bed, her husband by her side and Doctor Wang encouraging her.

“Push, push, I can see the baby’s head already! The rest of his body… Okay, it’s a boy!” That statement by Doctor Wang loosened something within Huang Sihan. Her energy left her. She already used everything she had. It was a miracle that she did not faint. But she hung in there, she was waiting, waiting for that sound… How come the baby wasn’t crying?

“Doctor Wang?” Zhang Xingjun also asked nervously. He looked at his wife and his newborn son whose umbilical cord was still not yet cut. He was such a small thing, he probably weighed less than 5 kg. During the pregnancy, the young couple and their parents had done everything right. Doctor Wang did not say anything, his wealth of experience ensured that he did not panic. Not every newborn was able to cry at their first moment of birth. Despite the boy being slightly lighter than average, he looked fine. Doctor Wang cradled the boy and slapped his butt. The boy’s eyes slowly opened and his throat moved. Instead of a cry, the boy said in a young, hoarse but clear voice, “Negative selection.”

Then the boy started to cry. It was quite loud. However, Doctor Wang, the nurses and Zhang Xingjun were lost. Their joy was dampened.

…

“Push, push, the baby’s head is coming already.” Inside the labor room, Doctor Yang cheered. Guo Xuerui gripped his wife Xu Shanshan’s hands. He hoped he could channel his strength to her. Xu Shanshan was already pushing with all her might. She really had no idea how she managed to survive this far. She used to faint when she had to take injections but compared to now, those needles were like mosquito bites….

She howled and gave it another push. Suddenly, she believed she heard Doctor Yang say, “Okay! The baby is here!”

But Doctor Yang, the nurses and Guo Xuerui soon noticed the problem. The boy’s eyes were closed and did not make any noise like he was asleep. Guo Xuerui’s heart gripped but Doctor Yang told them not to panic as he tapped the boy on his butt. The baby who was about 6 kg exercised his throat. His small limbs waved about. His lips opened but what happened next froze Guo Xuerui and Xu Shanshan’s hearts. It also stumped Doctor Yang. Her hands that held the baby almost retracted. In her many years in the labor room, she had not encountered something like this before.

The boy did not cry or grumble, instead he said clearly, “Stabilizing selection.”

Then the baby’s lips folded together and he started to cry, announcing his arrival on Earth.