Cocoon

Screams traveled down long, white corridors. Light touched a river of a thousand tears. Hands reached into darkness and grabbed hold of life. Love pulsed across the screen, and eyes opened to the world. And as a woman fell back into bed, her screams were drowned out by the one placed in her arms.

Madison opened her eyes to the little blessing wrapped in her arms. Small fingers entwined around her own, and lips struggled to smile. And deep, beautiful eyes captured her gaze, stealing her breath away, and her heart skipped a beat. And tears dripped down her cheek and splashed on the hand of her child.

The room was quiet now. The blinds were drawn over the window, shutting the world out. Doctors and nurses were finishing shifts and attending to other patients, and nobody had come in to check on her. She was left alone with a baby that now slept soundly in her arms, and she was content. All the pain in her life washed away, and all the happiness that she so desired finally found her here today.

As she carefully eased her hand away from her child, she picked up the remote. Her finger gently touched the power button, and the screen before her came alive. Her eyes shifted from the bundle of joy held against her chest and the world that waited outside, and the remote slipped out of her hand. And as she lied back in bed, the news came on.

The police had responded earlier that day to a domestic disturbance. A man was laid off from work and had taken out on his wife. He was led away into a squad car, and she was carried out on a stretcher to an awaiting ambulance. A simple argument had spun out of control, hurling their marriage against a wall, and neither one would ever be the same again. And it was stories such as this that touched that void left in her.

Fumbling with the remote, Madison silenced the news. She would rather stare at a blank screen than be reminded of how cruel life could be. When she tried to even stomach the news, it was horror story after horror story, and she couldn't take it. And now she had brought this sweet, innocent child into a world that could be so cold.

"What am I going to do with you?" She looked down at the sleeping baby. "How am I going to protect you?"

Her parents hardly fought. When they disagreed, it was like a cold war. Neither side would talk, but eventually, they would come to some kind of truce. And she had to be careful not to be caught conspiring with the other side, or she would be treated as nothing more than a traitor. And she would have preferred loud arguments, maybe even things being thrown at each other, but later, she would take the silent treatment over fists flying.

Shortly out of high school, she ran away from home and moved in with the first guy that she could. Things at first seemed better, easier, and she loved him with all her heart. And then he came home drunk, and things began to change. And when he needed to vent his frustration, his fists would find her, but she gave him time to come back to her. But the man that she loved was gone, and she was trapped with this monster. And she barely escaped him.

Years later, she finally began to make a life for herself. Everything was falling into place, and happiness was just an inch out of reach. And then she met him, and after a few months of dating, she moved into his apartment. But that was another mistake for this man would control every aspect of her life including her finances, and he didn't even wait for them to be married to own her. And she tried to love him, but there was nothing there between them but dominance. And he refused to let her go, and then karma stepped in. And a tragic car accident gave her a new lease on life. Otherwise, she would still be his.

She thought she knew better now. She once again rebuilt her life, and this time, she got her own place. And everything was falling back together, but she was alone. So, she tried the bar scene.

A fight with a drunken girl should have been the red light flashing, but the dark knight coming to her rescue swept her off her feet. And she melted into his arms, and he carried her off into the night. And the dam in her heart threatened to break, engulf her with all the love that she held back, but all he wanted was a one night fling. And when the sun shined into her bedroom the next day, he was gone, and so was her wallet and jewelry.

Nine months later, she found herself here in this hospital room. Her small child continued to sleep soundly in her arms. Her tears fell against his skin, and a smile pulled at his lips. And the dam in her heart broke, and her love was like a tidal wave surrounding them both. And she was finally happy, and all the pain in her life washed away. But where does she go from here?

"What do I do?" She held her son tighter in her arms. "What do I do with you?"

The world outside was waiting for them, but here in this room, she felt like she was wrapped inside a womb. No harm would find her here. No mistakes would leave their mark on her. The pain was over, and she was holding life. But she knew that she would have to leave here and step through the doors of the world once again, and this time, she wouldn't be alone. But now instead of just worrying about her life, she would worry about him. Would he follow her mistakes? Would he become one of the men that she allowed into her life? She had to break that vicious cycle, or her son would suffer all the wrong that followed her. She would have to start over.

"Don't worry." She kissed her son's hand. "I'm going to take good care of you." He opened his eyes and stared at her. "It's you and me, kid. It's you and me." She hugged him. "Haven." Her eyes held his. "That's your name. Haven." A smile spread across his face in response. "We'll start over together."

As her son fell back asleep, her eyes floated up toward the white ceiling, a clean slate. When they leave here, the past would be left behind. Those men would be locked outside her life. She would no longer be their pawn, their puppet, and they would never touch her child. And this life would become her own, and she would make sure that her son survived the harshness of life. And her strength would become his, and he would find a place for himself in this conflicted world.