Chapter 2: Is Alisha hers?

"Oh, my baby," Eloise gasped, collapsing beside the bed. Her daughter, Alisha, just a year and a half old, lay motionless with an IV drip attached to her frail arm. The sight drained the color from Eloise’s face.

Laera placed a comforting hand on her friend’s back.

"Doctor, how is she? Please tell me she’s okay," Eloise begged, her voice cracking.

"She’s stable now," the doctor said with a reassuring smile. "She’s out of danger."

Eloise heaved heavily, her knees buckling with relief.

"What happened to Alisha is a genetic condition called Hereditary Fructose Intolerance, known as HFI," the doctor explained.

“HFI?,”Eloise looked from the doctor to Laera in surprise and turned back to the doctor, “I don't understand.”

“HFI is a rare genetic disorder where the body can't break down fructose, and if a baby with this takes solid food containing fructose or sucrose, it would cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and lethargy, just like we saw today.”

Eloise covered her trembling lips with her palm, her eyes welled up in tears, and her chest felt so heavy that Laera's pat on the back wasn't felt. Her eyes turned towards her child on the bed, and her heart broke.

“It's okay, Mrs Cormac,” the doctor said, “it is not life-threatening as long as it's been managed, and I'm sure you must be familiar with how that can be done.”

“Huh?” she glanced back at the doctor, and shook her head, “No, I'm not familiar.”

The doctor looked at her, surprised,“Don't you have the same diagnosis? Or is it your husband who has it?”

“None of us has it, doctor, we take fruits regularly, honey, table sugar, and we're fine, no allergies,”

“Well, that's strange, Is there anyone else in your family with a record of…?”

“Not at all,” she replied before the doctor finished,

“I'm surprised, Mrs Cormac, cause it is hereditary, and according to the test result, she got it from a close relative, either from the mother or the father.”

Everyone stared at one another. Eloise looked confused and surprised at how impossible the diagnosis was.

“You sure no one has this?”Laera asked,

“No one,”she insisted, then suddenly paused. A memory flickered.

“I know of someone, though, with the same intolerance.”

“Who?”the doctor asked,

“It's not possible to have gotten it from her, Tamara, she's my best friend from childhood, she's the only one around me with such.”

Dr. Monica and Laera glanced at each other. Monica sighed and made to speak when a fellow blonde-haired doctor strode into the room.

“Dr. Monica, are you busy?”Dr. Glenda asked,

“What's it?”

“I need your help with a five-month-old baby in Ward C," she said,

“Please give me some minutes,”

“Sure,”Dr. Glenda nodded and made to leave when her eyes locked on Eloise.

"Mrs. Cormac?"

Eloise turned, eyes lighting up. "Dr. Glenda? Oh my God, you’re back!"

Glenda smiled and hugged her. Years melted away in a second.

“You two know each other?”Monica asked.

“Yes! She was my doctor,”Eloise said. “She helped deliver my baby, then left for overseas the same night.”

“I’m sorry I had to go so suddenly,”Glenda said, guilt flashing in her eyes.

“It’s okay. You’re forgiven,”Eloise smiled warmly.

“So what brings you here?”Glenda asked.

“My baby got sick, so I brought her in.”

Glenda walked to the bed and looked at Alisha. Her eyes softened.“She’s beautiful. How old is she now?”

“Has it been that long that you don't remember the age of the baby you delivered?" Eloise teased, but Glenda's smile slowly faded, confusion and heartbreak hit her heart and facial expression.

“Wh. What do you mean by the baby I delivered?, she asked, her heart pounding.

Eloise chuckled mildly, looking at Glenda strangely, confused at her question and gradual change of attitude.

“Alisha, the baby you helped me deliver a year and a half ago.”

Glenda stepped back, looking between Eloise and Monica. Her hands started to sweat.

No. This wasn’t right. She did deliver a baby that night… but that baby didn’t make it.

“Are you feeling okay?”Eloise asked.

“Of course,”Glenda said quickly.

“Are you on any medication?”Glenda asked suddenly.

Laera and Monica exchanged a look.

“What kind of question is that?”Eloise asked, frowning. “Why are you acting weird?”

Glenda’s throat tightened. Her pulse raced. She couldn’t lie anymore.

She was certain, other nurses were there; she had witnesses, and there was no way she was mistaken.

“Are you okay? Dr. Glenda?”Dr. Monica asked worriedly, noticing her breathing raggedly.

She had managed to live past that night, that night that tormented her career for months, causing her fear every time she stepped into the delivery room. She couldn't have been mistaken about that night.

“Is everything okay…,”

“No,” she shook her head, managing to swallow as she felt a lump in her throat. 

“I did deliver your baby,” she said quietly. “But… the baby didn’t survive. It was a stillbirth.”

The room went dead silent.

The room froze.

Laera's gasp cut through the silence, and Eloise burst into laughter, a loud outburst that echoed through the white wall. She fell on her knees laughing and pointing at Glenda.

“You’re joking, right? That’s a terrible joke.”

Monica pulled Glenda aside. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m serious,” Glenda whispered. “There were other nurses there. It was recorded. I left that night because I couldn’t face it...”

Glenda felt her heart ripping apart as she recalled that night, that would be the first time in her career that she'd be witnessing a stillbirth, one that came from a patient she so loved and admired. Eloise was a healthy, glowing pregnant woman, but the delivery wasn't an easy one; Eloise lost consciousness the moment she conceived after an hour of pushing.

The baby was registered dead, but Glenda couldn't bring herself to tell the mother about it, and so she accepted the offer of her transfer, which had been pending, and travelled abroad that night. Even though the experience took a huge toll on her job, giving her tokophobia.

“You know too well not to be making that kind of joke, right?” Dr. Monica whispered as she pinched her,

“I'm not,”she shook her head,“they were nurses there, it was registered, I have no idea about what's going on right now, and how come she has a baby?”

“I don't understand what's going on here, but you can't just come here and claim that Alisha isn't her daughter, like what are you talking about?”Laera cut in, glaring at the doctor.

Glenda looked at Eloise, who had stopped laughing, her face contorted with confusion, but her heart ached for her.

Eloise stood up slowly, her body felt like stone. Her mind, worse. She glared at Glenda with her jaw tightened.

“Enough of your jokes, don't make me disrespect you,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“Mrs Eloise, we've known each other for quite a while, and you know I have no reason to lie to you, I'm so confused right now cause even your husband was aware.”

Eloise furrowed her brow, shocked, confused, and speechless. Her heart started racing, and she parted her lips but found no words. All she could do was shake her head. “You must be mistaken. You know what? Just get out! Get out!” she ordered, her breath getting ragged.

“Let's all calm down,” Dr. Monica interjected, “There's one way to be sure. A quick DNA test.”