ELISe's PoV

In the silence of my room, I watched cars move along the busy New York streets. Up here, the sound of the cars was silenced but I desperately wished for some sound. The silence was pushing me back to my previous life, the life I adored before I was forced to leave it. I grabbed my phone and swiped through my gallery, till I came across his picture. And when I saw his goofy baby smile, I couldn't control my thoughts as they spiraled to how I first met the Antonios.

REMINISCING ~ 7 YEARS AGO

My favorite time of the year had arrived. Chilly evenings with flakes gracing our pathway, I felt like I was in frozen paradise. I rubbed my mittens together and huffed a breath. Christmas was a week away and I was looking forward to the gifts I was going to be showered with. Being an only child to Elena and Adrian Prayt, had its perks. My mother was a nurse at the local hospital and my father, a garage owner. Living in the busy streets of California, I helped my parents by babysitting.

I was returning from one of my favorite clients' house, Ms. Anne. She was a single mother whose daughter I babysat. I stood on the deserted four way and waited for my turn to cross. The weather had been horrible for the past two days and thus, no cars were loitering around at 10 pm. Ms. Anne had offered to escort me but since my house was the corner house in the opposite lane, I didn't want to trouble her. My dad was going to throw a fit, but I was just going to have to convince him that I was fine.

As I was going to cross the zebra crossing, a feminine scream filled the silence of the night. I watched horrified as a car slid across the slippery road and hit a lamppost on the side. A loud bang echoed, and smoke emerged from the bonnet.
Shit!
I carefully rushed to the car to help. Two people, a young man and a woman were inside. The man, who was bleeding from his head, was frantically trying to get out and the woman was hyperventilating. I checked around my pocket for my phone and cursed. I had forgotten it on charge at Ms. Annas house. I tried searching around for someone to call but it seemed that only I was around. I looked at the end of the street where my house was, and I cursed. My house seemed too far to run and call for help. I needed to get these people out first.

I tried opening the doors, but they didn't budge, they were jammed. I tried a few times but to no avail
Seeing a metal lamppost piece close to the car tyre, I picked it up. It was heavy yet I had no other object to break the window. I went to the driver's seat and gestured for the man to move at the back. He didn't understand me. I spoke but it fell upon deaf ears due to all the screaming the woman was doing. Didn't she understand her screaming was just worsening the situation?

Throwing caution to the wind, I lifted up the metal and hit it against the window a few times. It was the best way to make the crack bigger. The man finally understood what I was doing and moved his face away and just then, all the pieces fell on the guys lap. After apologizing, I picked up all the big glass pieces and throw them down. I was thankful for the thickness of my mittens because the sharp glass didn't pierce me.

The man at last used his brains. He pushed his seat at the back, lifted his still screeching wife up and guided her to his previous seat. Upon closer inspection, I realized the woman was pregnant and to add the cherry to the top, she was in labor! The man moved at the backseat and instructed his wife to stand on the driver's seat. Then bend one leg out before the other. Thankfully she was a short, skinny woman and was easily able to get out through the window with my help. The man then came out next.

The nearest hospital was 30 minutes away but with the added snow, it was sure to be 45 minutes. Thus, I had no choice but to say,

" My house is down the corner. My mum is a nurse she'll be able to help you. Please follow me" I told them frantically as the woman doubled over in pain.

The man nodded in my direction before carrying his wife. We rushed to my house and as soon as my hands got hold of the door, I knocked like a maniac. The woman seemed to be in a lot of pain. My mum opened the door, ready to shout at me, but the blood on my clothes and the screaming female, had my mother opening the door wider.

" Oh my god! Honey, what happened?" My mum screeched but I had no time for answering her questions.

" Not now mum, she's in Labour."

My mums' eyes widened at my words before she ushered the couple inside. My mum instructed me to rush and fill my bathtub with hot water. Confused I followed my mums order. I had a million questions running in my mind, but I kept my mouth shut. My mum then asked for the man, who I was assuming was the husband, to carry the woman to the bathroom. The man placed the screaming woman in the warm water. It was a tight space with 3 adults and a 17 year old, but we had no choice. The woman kept swearing profanities at her poor husband, who kept flinching as her voice raised another decibel.

At first, I thought my mother was just cleaning off the woman's cuts and just giving her a bath, but to my horror, my mum told the woman to push.
Wait what?
The man and I looked at my mum wide eyed when she repeated herself. And then began the process of childbirth. It was the most painful scene my eyes had ever witnessed. Yes, I had menses, and yes, I knew about sex, but this was the first time I was watching a baby being born in water. No Wonder all cultures respected women.
My lord, have mercy!

My mum spoke words of encouragement to the swearing woman. For an entire hour, I watched the woman scream followed by a slump against the tub.

" I swear I'm not getting fucking pregnant again." The woman screeched and I winced. The husband was trying to soothe her, but I understood her, labor was painful.

Then like a miracle, I watched the woman push a final time and soon dark hair appeared, followed by a blood covered baby. I watched intrigued as my mum gently held the baby underwater and I felt my eyes widen. Why wasn't the boy drowning? Slowly and cautiously, when all the blood left the baby, my mum brought the baby up and handed it to the woman.

I watched perplexed as the baby basked in his mother's warmth and the mother held her child close to her heart. The baby didn't cry yet the mother did. That moment felt so priceless. My mother let the woman hold the baby for a few more minutes before handing the father the child. She then took hold of the child to let the couple clean up. The moment we were away from my room, my mum fired questions upon questions whilst rocking the child. I had summarized the story and told her everything, yet she wasn't satisfied.
Neither of my parents were.

Only when the man said his side of the story to the cops did they finally seem satisfy.
Apparently, the man, whose name was Andrew Antonio, was going to the hospital with his wife Janet, and an unexpected failure in the brake had them crashing.

" We're forever thankful to you Elise..." Janet said," ...if you weren't there, I don't know what would've happened." The woman spoke with tears in her eyes, and I smiled.

" No worries." I mumbled shy. I didn't know what to say.

" Elise, we'd like you to honor our son with a name." Andrew said and I looked at him shocked.
Did I hear him right?
What?

Seeing my open mouth, Janet laughed before saying,
" We haven't thought of any names yet so it would be really nice if you suggested one. After all, you were his Saviour."

" Why don't you give me options?" I asked nervously.

I knew naming a child was something personal. I didn't want to snatch that away, especially when it was the first baby and thus after being given three names, I choose the name Kian Elias Antonio. And when his green eyes clashed against my own, I knew this baby was going to rule my heart.

♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️

Secrets are finally getting spilled.

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