Prologue
Everything has a beginning and an end. Before life even begins, destiny already has the end written down in great detail. Death has its role to play, serving to ensure things come to pass, accomplishing its duty of removing life when the time comes, while birth gives way to a new beginning.
February 22nd, 2000
Sirens blared in the distance as barely visible lights faintly peered through the dark.
Even in the haze, she could distinguish the moon shining brightly above, hanging like a circular chandelier between the tall trees all around.
"They're on their way," a boy said, his prepubescent voice cracked from the urgency in his tone.
A blurry silhouette appeared above her.
"... make it... coming..."
The words sounded like echoes underwater, growing fainter as her vision faded to black.
All in the ICU had caught wind of the unidentified girl found buried alive in the woods. Though the scouts had gotten her out before she suffocated, her injuries were bad, making her chance of surviving the ordeal slim to none. While Jane Doe was closely monitored by the nurses as they prepped her for a series of scans, one floor above her room, the Fullwood family welcomed its newest member.
"It's a boy!" declared the pediatrician, Dr. Perry, as she placed the wailing baby on his mother's chest.
The smile on Sheryl's face could light up a continent as she gazed down at her baby boy.
Olivier ran a hand over her damp hair, chuckling as their son squealed and tossed around in his mother's hold.
"There's a problem," said Dr. Adams, their OBGYN, causing both their heads to jerk in his direction.
"It seems like the amniotic sac is still intact for this one. I believe the best option is to perform a cesarean. His vitals aren't looking good and even though we can break the sac, I'd prefer not to take any risks by having you push. This was always a possibility and we were prepared for the procedure."
The couple exchanged looks and Sheryl looked away, nodding to herself, she handed the baby to her husband.
"Alright," she exhaled before looking at Dr. Adams, giving the green light to begin prepping for surgery.
While she leaned forward, a nurse sterilized her back, and Olivier's grip tightened in silent encouragement. The quivering smile that she managed vanished once the doctor's gloved fingers began probing her spine for the right spot to puncture. She looked away from him, bracing herself by listening to the uneven beats of her unborn baby's heart.
In the ICU, the machine beeped a faint tune as blurry faces came and went.
"Head trauma... boy-scout... buried."
Her lids fluttered like thick, black wings in her vision.
Too disturbed by the present, her mind reverberated back to hours-old memories.
"They'll find us. We gotta roll."
The panic in his voice was as vivid as the itch at the back of her head, while the rest of her body was numbed by the extreme coldness that seemed to linger all around.
"If only you had listened to me."
Her eyes opened wide to find a blinding white light shining above her. The intensity of its flash brought forth fragments of the night she'd had before she was found.
The car... the money...
She recalled the moment she was run over. Her head hit the ground with such intensity breathing became a shore.
"We're losing her," one of the nurses said, looking back at the young woman who blankly stared at the ceiling.
Other than the blood and dirt on her body, she was as white as a sheet. Her green pupils dilated into slender circles around black, empty irises as the life drained out of her, her lips moving in an inaudible whisper as she spoke her last word,
"Steven..."
"Doctor, will he be okay?" Olivier's panicked voice sounded as Dr. Perry administered chest compressions to the unresponsive infant.
The tension was high on both floors as each doctor tried desperately to save their patient.
"Clear!" Dr. Allen, who'd been monitoring Jane Doe declared, shocking her chest for the second time.
"Come on, baby! Cry!" Olivier shouted from across the room, watching powerlessly.
His silent prayers hung in the air when Dr. Adams slowed to a stop, looking at her colleague. The masked woman looked back at the distraught father, a sympathetic smile hidden behind her surgical mask.
"Time of death, 20:43. Notify her next of kin," Dr. Allen said while removing his gloves before stepping past the defibrillator, leaving her pale corpse sprawled down on the bed.
Losing a child is an immeasurable pain. Olivier clutched his chest as the doctors looked between each other, silently confirming what he feared most.
"Call it," Dr. Perry said and Olivier looked towards his wife, summoning her strength.
"Time of..."
Before the words were spoken, a faint coo had them all frozen, followed by the loud cry of a newborn announcing his entrance into the world.
Olivier's legs couldn't carry him fast enough. He smiled down at the flushed face, grimacing as the screams carried on.
"In all my years, I've never seen anything like this. You've got a miracle child on your hands," Dr. Adams said as the man scooped up his baby, tears of relief leaving his eyes.
"Is he alright," Sheryl was heard asking from across the room.
Olivier stared down at the child, mesmerized by the number of surprises this one had for them.
"She is."
Sheryl blinked in confusion, unsure to have heard him correctly. The doctors had confirmed both twins to be boys.
"She?" she asked, her mouth dry as she waited for his response.
Above her, her husband appeared, smiling at her before bringing their baby close enough for her to see.
"The doctors had it all wrong, Sheryl. Meet our daughter."
Her cries slowed into hiccups as she was placed on her mother's chest. Staring up where the most intricate pair of hazel-green eyes, full of life and secrets none could ever fathom.
