Mary

Mary was always a little different, but no one expected this. Her first birth felt like a miracle. The second came days later. Then hours. Then minutes. Soon, she was delivering nonstop, her body ignoring every rule of science and sense. No one had answers. Was she cursed, chosen, or just forgotten by nature? You see her now. Mary is lying on a hospital cot that never grows cold, sweat on her brow, eyes wide open. Her hands grip the rails as another contraction builds. She doesn’t scream anymore. She just breathes. In and out. In and out.