The Coming of Age

The Coming of Age
Slowly, grudgingly, the heavy, thick veil of the unconsciousness lifted, Before becoming the brilliant, dazzling glare of hospital illumination, the blackness faded into a fuzzy, shimmering gray, Evelyn opens her eyes slowly and heavily,
She was completely lost, A dull, throbbing agony ran through her body, making her feel both impossible to move and excruciatingly heavy, She blinked carefully, attempting to make sense of the last horrifying vision of the silver pistol and the clean ceiling,
Beside her, the machines beeped, their pulsating rhythms producing a bewildering, captivating sound, Subsequently, a distinct sound pierced her bewilderment through the cacophony, a gentle, pleading sound that was remarkably familiar and tugged at the deep, primordial instinct she had so valiantly defended,
With a terribly dry throat, she whispered, "What is that sound?" A tiny speaker on the bedside table served as the source, Her attention is drawn to the faint sound of her baby's cry, a small, high, pitched scream that seemed more genuine than the white room, She was authentic,
Isaac's big figure was briefly defeated as he sagged heavily in the chair next to her bed, his head falling awkwardly on her mattress, His face was unshaven and gloomy, his clothes were rumpled, and his eyes bore the scars of the last few days, He had been sleeping next to her bed, keeping watch,
His frail slumber was abruptly broken by the slightest movement of her palm, She squeezes his hand, causing him to stir, The slight, firm pressure feels like the world is turning back on its axis,
With bloodshot eyes, he raised his head and immediately fixed his gaze on her face, A feeble, scratchy sound came from the movement of her lips,
"Isaac?" Even though her voice is faint, broken, and hardly discernible, the sound was a rush of adrenaline that went straight to his heart, "It jolts him awake," eliminating all signs of exhaustion and anxiety,
"Evelyn, You're conscious, He scurried to his knees next to the bed and muttered, "You're finally back," his voice shaking with a deep, horrifying relief, "Avoid trying to speak, Tell me you know who I am, please,
She managed to say, "You, you look terrible," with a slight ironic sparkle in her weary eyes,
The man's hard, won poise was shattered by the flimsy effort at a joke, Isaac's unshaven jaw was harsh, yet his hand was soft as he reached out, Isaac uses both hands to cup her face, which is white, scarred, but alive,
"I don't give a damn about my appearance, He admitted, "I thought, I thought I lost you," at last bursting the dam, His hot, silent tears fell on her flesh as they poured down his cheeks, He was crying aloud as the full weight of the fear he had repressed washed over him,
"I Isaac, I heard her, With a faint grin on her lips and tears in her eyes, Evelyn muttered, "I heard our daughter, "
"You returned, God, He kissed her forehead again, his lips lingering on her chilled skin, saying, "You fought the shadows and you came back, " The sense of comfort that only follows the utter certainty of destruction overcame him,
"I returned, of course, I assured her, She continued, her voice still shaky but full of her familiar spirit, "And you didn't think I'd let you endure the screaming alone, did you?
The lovely reunion moment was abruptly interrupted by a recollection so immediate and harsh that it overshadowed the present, Evelyn's eyes widened, her breath caught, and the tiredness gave way to unadulterated, intuitive fear,
Evelyn is in a panic, Her body resisted the attempt to sit up, causing pain to surge through her side, In an attempt to find the baby, she frantically clawed at the sheet that covered her body,
"The infant? Isaac, where is she? I was shot by Vivienne, who promised to take her, Is she present? With terror rushing through her chest and her eyes darting around the empty room, she asked desperately,
Isaac pulled her back against the pillows with gentleness, "My dear, slowly, You're secure, The procedure went well, The baby is safe, but you were shot,
"I must visit her; did she cause her any harm? Does she have a pulse? Isaac, tell me the truth, The newborn, "she pleaded, tears of pure terror now joining his own, " With the sound of her daughter's cries on the monitor pushing her past reason, she asks in a hurry,
"Evelyn, she's doing good, She is flawless, Like her mother, she is a little fighter, Vivienne has left, She will never be able to harm you both again,
Isaac gently pulled the blanket back into position as he drew closer, "Observe me, Take a look at me, She is doing perfectly well, He swiftly navigated to the latest picture after taking his phone out of his pocket,
He gently said, "I know words aren't enough," as he brought the screen up to her face, Isaac shows her a picture of Aurora on his phone, It was a basic image: a small, wrinkled face with her eyes closed, wrapped firmly in a white blanket, and a tiny oxygen cannula next to her nose,
The room slipped into a deep, peaceful hush, Evelyn remained silent, She just looked, her heart starting to calm as she recognized the impossible, to, size face that had occupied her entire being for nine terrifying months,
Evelyn said, "She's so small," as the pain in her side was overpowered by a deep, mother ache, "She has your hands, "
"And your soul, Take a look at her hair, She's stunning, Evelyn, She is flawless, Isaac kissed her temple and added, "She's been waiting for you, " "And she’s waiting to meet her mama, "
The physical and psychological harm is still present even if Evelyn has woken up and verified her kid is safe, Will Evelyn be resilient enough to face her future after overcoming the trauma caused by Vivienne's actions and the knowledge that her child was born in a violent and near, fatal situation?