Intericate

It was a gray day outside and the town’s hospital looked gloomy in the later afternoon light.

Somewhere a storm was gathering, but only a small cloud had scattered some raindrops lightly, causing a cold rush of air into the reception where a little black curly haired boy wearing a black leather jacket, a purple scarf, and black pants stood staring in the direction of a ward room with a confused expression, his deep, blue eyes was looking tired and worn.

What’s going on? His ten years old brain couldn’t register the happenings around him and he felt like he was in a mystery movie.

The last thing he remembered was being forced out of sleep by his nanny and she telling him that his mum needed to see him.

But where is his mum? He turned around to look at his nanny, she was watching him with a blank but soft eyes, her face pale.

“Nanny.”he called in a thin voice and she smiled faintly.

“Come here big boy.”she opened her arms wide for a hug, her protective eyes not leaving his face. “I can bet on it that you are hungry.”she joked, trying to make him laugh but the little boy said nothing.

He merely casted his eyes downward as he walked towards her, sliding to a stop when he heard the creaking sound of a door opening.

He quickly turned in the direction and saw a doctor in a white lab coat emerge from the ward room.

His face brightened instantly and his eyes lit up as his mouth broke into a smile.”Dad.”he raced over to the doctor and hugged him tightly. He had never been so happy to have his dad around, he needed someone to explain this mystery to him.

“Hey chap.”the doctor’s voice sounded tired. He slowly disengaged from the hug and stepped back. “Why are you here?” He whispered through lips that did not move.

“Mom,”the little boy blinked, raising up to him his eager face, “I came to see mum. Where is she?”

The doctor, his father made a guttural noise deep in his throat, swallowed hard, and finally spoke. “Your mum is……Your mum is………..”A waterfall of sweat began to pour down his face and his breaths came in short gasps.

Your mum is dead! How the hell was he gonna tell him that? Gosh! He had no ready answers.


“Did she make it?” His son’s nanny voice jerked him out of his troubled thoughts and he moved his gaze to her, she was standing right behind his son and was staring at him with huge brown eyes incredibly sad.

He shook his head slowly, too scared to utter the word.

“And the baby?” The nanny felt her lips quivering, heard her voice cracking.

“We lost both of them.”Tears welled up in the doctor eyes and he turned his face away so his son wouldn’t see it. “Take him out of here.” He croaked and walked away with his head hanging low.

The nanny squeezed the upper part of her nose between thumb and index finger, blinking her eyes to stop the burning tears. “Let’s go home child.”she reached out to clasp the