The HOSPITAL

Chapter 15. Uninvited guests

 A beautiful Friday morning and still a little foggy, the sun had not yet emerged from behind the hill on the eastern horizon. Amelia is still pulling the blanket; she feels a little tired since returning to duty at the hospital, mainly if she works at night. Today she is off-duty as well as her best friend, Bertha. So, they can enjoy their rest day and bond with their children. 

 As in the newborn section, so many sad stories of that cute and innocent creature of God. Apart from mothers with heavenly hearts, several mothers have demon hearts who have heartlessly done such a thing also exist. Their parents abandon some babies; after giving birth in that General hospital and leaving the hospital without taking their baby with them, they go and sneak out just like that. It is sad, inhuman behavior. No one precisely knows the reason behind it, why they do not want their baby or any other reason. The suspect's mothers are primarily prostitutes. A pregnancy that they did not expect happens because of negligence in using contraceptives during their job to earn a living. 

The government hospital bears all expenses; they do not have to pay a penny. So, there is no reason for them to sneak off because they cannot afford the cost of giving birth.

A beautiful mother with an angelic heart like  Amelia does not care about the baby's background belongs to what kind of parents, from which circle they are.

 All babies are the same, as innocent little angels, who never asked to be born to this world, and God consigns them to a human that is called a 'mother.'

 Despite a mother with her maternal instincts, luckily, Amelia is lactating. She breastfeeds these innocent babies regardless of their class society.

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Meanwhile, the same morning, at Bertha's house, the morning activities were, as usual, Bertha got up early to take care of her children's breakfast, assisted by the housemaid, who came every morning. At the same time, Bertha prepared breakfast and called her children to eat their still warm food.

The children leave the house and go to school with a pick-up by school bus. It is fifteen minutes past six, still early.  

Bertha's house has many beautiful and unique floral ornamental plants in the front yard. In the living room, a set of Mediterranean furniture is neatly organized, with a large mirror framed on the wall giving a more reflection of the room being large and elegant. Some indoor plants look artfully arranged in the corner of the room.

The ancient house was already re-designed with a contemporary exterior, modern and ethnic touches combined., be a comfortable home with beautiful ethnic ornament. She opens the window in the living room, lets the fresh air circulate inside the room.  

As she was still sleepy, bertha thought to go back to sleep. However, she suppressed her intention to return to the bedroom but back to the living room because her housemaid will leave to the market to buy fresh stock foods. 

Bertha took the remote tv and started to look for the news Chanel yet changed her mind until she found a movie channel; then, she lays her body on the sofa comfortably while watching the movie. After just fifteen minutes of watching the film, she fell asleep quickly, and the tv remote fell on her hands. In a state between sober and exhausted, as she could still hear the vehicles passing by the road in front of her house, the sound of passers-by on the street talking to each other, it was clear to Bertha's ears.

Not long after, she heard a knock on the door. Bertha raised her head reflexively. Immediately the door opened, although she was sure she had locked it; her shock had not gone away, suddenly two women dressed in a crinoline dress wear popular in an era the 1860s, or at various times since the mid-19th century. They entered the living room without noticing Bertha on the sofa; subsequently, they proceeded to the family room and sat on the couch, their hands holding lacy umbrellas in harmony with the color of their puffy gowns. They laugh and look incredibly happy; bertha notices their language is like a foreign language, like Spanish but not the usual Spanish their accent is a bit different. A woman's voice greeted them in the same language that those two ladies had spoken from the kitchen. 

Even more surprised as bertha realized she was not in sleep even she could see them. Her curiosity did not disappear, but the woman she heard from the kitchen seemed to be entertaining the two women who had just entered the house. Bertha got up from the sofa and saw them from the living room because she wanted to know who was talking from the kitchen to them. 

Bertha stared wide-eyed as she saw a middle-aged woman with loose curly hair and a necklace around her neck; she seemed to have seen her face but somewhere, pale white skin and a sharp nose, her eyes were green like cat's eyes with long eyelashes. So did the two female guests who came to the house, blonde hair and high noses with freckles on their faces. Bertha silently looked at them without being able to say anything. The middle-aged woman acted as the host; she came out from the kitchen with a tray in her hand and some drinks on it.  

After successfully controlling herself, Bertha finally got the words out of her mouth and loudly asked: 

 "Who are you guys?" 

 "Who invited you to this house?" 

 " And you!"  

"Where do you come from?" 

 "Suddenly from my kitchen and bringing drinks to them without any permission?" 

  Abruptly Their laughter stopped, then they looked at bertha, but only for a moment; afterward, they resumed chatting without paying attention to Bertha. 

 Bertha looks very annoyed as they seem to look down on her as the owner of the house. Then bertha shouted and pointed at them boldly: 

"Hey!! I am asking  three of you."  while her hand pointed toward them.

" Answer me!!" 

" Get out from my house, now!!" shouted Bertha bravely.

Spontaneously, the middle-aged woman approaching Bertha after saying something to the two female guests. She comes towards the sofa where Bertha is sitting.  

At the same time, the two ladies leaving the house, as earlier, without saying anything to Bertha. 

The middle-aged woman looked at Bertha sharply as she said: 

" This my home." 

"I have lived in this house since your husband's grandparents were not yet born." 

"So, this is my house." 

But Bertha no less dared to challenge and looked back at the woman while driving her away. 

"This is my world, the human world, my dimension." 

"You are not supposed to be here!! in our place, human's dimension."  

"Because we are still alive," and you were dead a long time ago!!" 

" Go back to your space, your dimension, and never cross it again." 

At the same time as bertha's screams to sue the women away, the housekeeper bertha came from the market. Instantly, the woman with the sharp nose stepped hurriedly into the large mirror in the living room then disappeared in the mirror. Maria, the housemaid, entered the house in confusion asking: 

"Ma'am Bertha, who opened the front door?" 

 as I remembered, I had locked it before I am leaving." 

Bertha still stood without answered, while pointing her hand at the big mirror, then fell back asleep on the sofa. 

Maria looked at Bertha in astonishment and continued towards the kitchen. In comparison, she was carrying her groceries from the market.