"He isn't still breathing!" one of the midwives named Sophia who had the baby in her arms screamed. "What do you mean by he isn't breathing bring the baby here," The other midwife asked with a harsh tone while walking towards her and taking the baby away from her hands
"He isn't breathing," she said with a little drop of tears rolling down her cheek. The room suddenly became warm for everyone as they could be visibly seen swearing. It was a scary moment for the midwives in the room, as they didn't know what to do. They tried several means of resuscitation, but all to no avail. "Get me that needle", Sophia beckoned on one of the standing midwives who was standing, lost in awe of what was going on. She rushed and got it and the baby was pricked with the needle on the sole of his foot, but he made no response. He neither moved a part of his body nor make any reaction to the pain.
Michael who was outside pacing from end to end and hoping everything goes out well, noticed the tension going on in the room. He didn't want to enter, as he had been barred from watching the process of the delivery. But the confusion going on in the room became too obvious, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. Seeing time was running and no longer on his side as it was testing his patience, he took the boldness and courage to enter the room and find out what was going on.
Rushing in to see what was happening, he screamed "Oh no no no!", making more tears drop from the eyes of the midwives present in the room. There was his little child, in the arms of a midwife, but unfortunately, the baby wasn't breathing. "What happened to my child, what happened?" Michael kept asking, even though no one was given him any answer. He went towards the lady carrying the baby and took him from her. With a sad smile on his face, tears filled his eyeballs. They were so watery that a blink sent the tears dripping from the lateral regions of his eyes.
"After waiting for ten years, it wasn't supposed to go bad for this sweet couple" one of the ladies murmured. Michael and his wife were patient and still loved each other even though no child was coming. They thought their once incomplete joy was about to be filled after ten years, but it wasn't seeming so at the moment for him. Leaning on the wall with his child in his hands, one could feel the pain going through his heart at that moment.
Rose began to move her feet gently, while she opened her eyes softly. She had passed out after giving birth to her son, so she wasn't aware of what was going on. She looked around the room, with her blurry eyes and noticed the mustering of some persons at different corners of the room. Her eyes became widely opened as she struggled to sit up.
"She is awake", someone whispered then some people began to approach her. That was when she noticed her husband by the corner with her baby rolled up in his arms and his eyes swollen and red. She became scared and began calling him.
"Michael honey, what is the problem? Why are you crying? Why is everyone moody? Why is our baby not moving? Why is everyone quiet?" she kept throwing questions upon questions on her husband.
"He didn't make it Rose, our son couldn't make it" replied Michael as he walked towards her shaking and sweating profusely with the baby still in his arms. Rose began to sob quietly while wondering what she must have done to deserve this bad fate that has befallen her. She didn't know how to let out her cry as she was still in from the delivery she just had.
As Michael came to the side of the bed, he knelt with one knee, while the other was flexed, with his foot flat on the floor. He unwrapped his baby and then stretched his hands with his baby in it towards Rose as she also stretched hers to receive him while still sobbing.
As she had contact with the baby with the hands of Michael still beneath him, the legs of the baby moved a little bit just before Michael let go.
"Did you see that!" everyone screamed in unison as they had rehearsed for that moment.
"Both of you should hold him again" someone screamed as Michael stretched his hands once again to hold the baby at his feet. The baby began to stretch his right foot as his body temperature began to get warm, then he let out a loud cry just as a glass cup filled with water shattered beside Michael. They barely noticed it because the happiness had already enveloped everyone in the room. He slowly opened his eyes and behold, his beautiful golden eyes stared at them, amidst the crying.
"He is alive!" virtually everyone said in unison as a smile covered their faces and the faces of Michael and Rose. "This boy is a strong one, just like my late uncle Carrick," Michael said with a wavering voice. "Let's name him Carrick " he continued, with tears of joy streaming down his face into his lips as he wiped them off with his tongue.
"Oh Carrick my little boy, I am going to take care of you" Rose replied while holding him close to her breast.
The news about the birth of Carrick began to spread to friends and well-wishers, as people from all over Reek began to troop into the house of the Lamptey's to congratulate them and give them gifts.
"He looks just like you, Mr. Lamptey," a lady who had him on her arms said while patting him gently on his back. "Look at those eyes, so beautiful" she continued. Everyone who came visiting had not just one or two compliments to dish out to Carrick but loads and loads of it. It was a special day in their lives and they lived never forget any second of it.