Daughter of Lilith

Drumming his broad fingers on the pine wood of his vast desk, Thomas felt torn in half. He had a big decision to make. In front of him was sat his newly promoted chief midwife, Lila D’Lores. Kind hearted and full of knowledge beyond her twenty two years, Lila was by far the best trainee nurse he had ever had in his tiny hospital wing. In fact, just sixteen weeks ago, he had been thrilled to learn of Lila’s arrival, when he was informed that there would be a new young nurse coming to offer aid to the cramped and outdated hospital in their tiny Irish mountain village like town, Gytr. He had been the chief physician of Gytr ever since his Father passed on, and his Father before him. It was his legacy to treat the ailing and afflicted residents of Gytr, who flocked to him and his small team of four nurses for guidance, treatment and medicine. Dr McDermott took his duty to the townspeople very seriously and had sat in his office many a time over the past twenty years torn over an important decision that could greatly affect his town; just as he was doing now.

 “What do you want me to do here, Lila?” he asked cautiously, struggling to even meet her eyes.

Lila was warm and honest, and always had a smile for everyone. The patients as well as the other four staff members all adored her, and that’s why this was so difficult. 

“What do you want to do, Dr?”. Lila had a way of always responding to a question with another question. She was like a therapist in that respect-always forcing him to assess his own desires and take responsibility for his own thoughts and decisions. The decision that he made would ultimately change not only all of their lives, but possibly even the course of the entire history, and future of Gtyr. 

“I want the truth, Lila,” he said, wording his sentences carefully, so as not to directly place blame. “You know what you’re being accused of?” She smiled again and nodded her head vigorously, but made neither admission nor denial.

“They say you’re a sorceress Lila. They believe that you are a ….a witch of sorts,” Thomas was being as diplomatic as he knew how. The terminology he had used to describe the accusations that had been thrown around for the past few days were far from the brutal reality of what had actually been said to him. The head Catholic priest at Saint Mary’s had demanded that he immediately turn Lila over to the authorities of their larger neighbouring town, Tatore, and be done with the responsibility. Theye no longer wished to have any affiliations with the young woman who had travelled here to, as they had furiously put it, “poison our water and kill our young,”

Aren’t we doing that to ourselves by refusing to accept modern medicine? Thomas had thought, but hadn’t dared to say it aloud to the Priest. They had one Italian priest at their church, who had even referred to Lila as “Lilith’s daughter- the bringer of death,”.

“Do you think I’m a witch?” she asked him, looking at him long and hard through her hazel eyes. The truth was that Thomas didn’t know what to think anymore. Whatever the young girls story, she was certainly here for far more complex reasons than she had initially shared upon arrival.

“You are our third visitor here in fifteen years, Lila,” he pointed out, “Gtyr isn’t exactly famous for the tourism, “You came to help sure, but who sent you here? Please be honest,”

“My Father,” she replied.

“I see. And your Father has visited Gtyr before?”

“What exactly am I being accused of doctor?” she asked, “I have worked solidly for weeks ever since coming here. I have delivered seven healthy babies, and I have helped with the passing on and memorials for those that could not be saved.”

“Noone can fault your work ethic, Lila. You work tirelessly. You have worked harder, dare I say it, than any nurse I have ever employed here. The nurses and women love you. Its not so much that. It’s the part about….passing on. It’s the memorials. Take this for example…,” His voice tailed off as he looked down at the piece of paper in front of him, which he had been scribbling and doodling on for days. “I have several reports here, Lila,” he continued slowly, “Three families. All of whom who had husbands that came back to the hospital to speak to me about the things you have been telling them,”

“What have I said that is wrong?” she asked, looking genuinely curious. As far as she was aware, she had tried her best to console every set of grieving parents that had lost their newborns over the past few weeks. 

“You told the McCarthey’s that their wee daughter was upset as she had been coming to Earth to become a historian. And what’s this? You told the Lameth’s that you had spoken to their wee deceased boy Artie and that he’d said if his mam had had some other medicine, his journey would have been successful…,” His eyes widened as he read out each statement and allegation in turn, and took in for the first time the severity of not only the claims made by this woman, but the responses of the families, too. 

“They deserved to know,” she said, without a flicker of emotion. 

“For pitys sake, Lila!” he choked in disbelief, loosening his top button as he became irate for the first time in years, “This is post war Dublin! You can’t go round saying such things, so ya can’t!”

“You said you wanted the truth,” she said firmly, with no remorse what so ever.

“So, you’re intent of sticking to these delusions then?” he said, rubbing his forehead, “There’s really nothing I can do then, Lila. My hands are tired. I will have to sign your release papers this afternoon, and that’s not all. The Priest at Saint Mary’s isn’t happy either, so he’s not. He wants you in prison, Lila. In the neighbour town,”

“Ok,” she replied, “I will clean out my locker then, Doctor. Will they take me there, or will you take me?”

Thomas stared at her open mouthed. “Have you not heard what I’ve said, Lila?! You must retract these disturbing things and put these bizarre superstitions aside.”

“I must finish what I came here to do. I hoped you would support the right for every soul to live, doctor,” she persisted.

“You’re talking in riddles, Lila. Whatever do you mean?!” The words were barely out of his mouth before the door to his office flew open and in stormed two uniform clad men in longish white jackets, with the Town’s head Priest in tow. 

“State your purpose,” Thomas said, looking at the three men sternly.

“We have had concerning reports of the conduct of your head midwife, Doctor,” one of the men explained, looking down at Lila, who was sat in her greyish blue pinafore and white nursing cap, with her back to them. She looked at Thomas curiously, as if wondering what his course of action would be. 

“That’s her!” snarled the Priest, shoving between the men and glaring at Lila. Turning back to the men, he commanded, “Arrest her!”

“I’m afraid its not that simple, Father,” one of the men told him, “We must have a testimony and statement from the Doctor confirming these claims of manic and disturbing behaviour,”

The Priest nodded at Thomas. “Tell them,” he insisted, “Tell them she’s mad, and to be locked up. She’s a witch, you know,” he added, looking back at the men. 

“Is this true?” asked one of the men, looking at Thomas. Thomas shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

“Don’t deny it, Doctor!” The Priest reached over the desk and snatched up the paper that Thomas had been observing for the past few days.

“Right here!” he said, waving it in front of the faces of the two men. “It’s here in black and white! Feeding labouring women herbal potions from her country, communicating with dead babies and tales of being a messenger of the dead! Lock her up and throw away the key!”

The first man studied the paper carefully for a good minute or so, before handing it to his colleague, who gave it a brief glance. Both men looked over at Thomas for an explanation.

Despite having grown fond of Lila himself, even Thomas had to admit that these circumstances demanded some kind of answers. 

“I have noted down what I was told by patients,” Thomas said, trying to remain calm. “I was just asking Lila about it when you all barged in here unannounced,”

“I apologise, Doctor,” said the first man, “We meant no disrespect to a fellow medical professional, but the Priest here did make it sound a grave and urgent matter. Perhaps you could explain further?”

“What’s to be explained?!” demanded the Priest in indignation, “She’s a soothsayer! Arrest her!”

“Doctor?” asked the first man, “Will you confirm that the allegations made by the good Father are true?”

“I cannot deny them,” said Thomas, with a slight wince. He looked apologetically at Lila, but she remained sat motionless with her head held high and no expression upon her pretty, pale face. The Priest grinned in delighted pleasure. The first white coated man nodded at the second. He then stepped forwards and bent down to speak gently to Lila.

“Miss?” he said, “May I ask, are you competent to talk to me?”

“I am fully competent,” she said boldly, turning and glancing up to meet his eyes, displaying not a shred of fear. Whoever this woman truly was, nothing seemed to spook her, Thomas observed. Lila did not need to show fear. He felt scared enough for the both of them. As she calmly stood up and submissively complied with them, and they each took one of her arms and guided her gently out of his office, Thomas sighed deeply. Had he made the right decision? He had no idea. 

“I shall see you at mass then, Thomas,” said the Priest, smacking him on the back lightly in admiration, “Well done my lad. I always knew you were your Father’s son, so you were,” The Priest etched the cross in the air in front of himself from his forehead to his breast plate, and then horizontally across, before exiting Thomas’ office. 

No sooner had he left than Thomas sat with his head buried in his hands sadly. He felt awful about not protecting Lila, but he had no idea what he was protecting her from. There was another heavy knock at the door. He heaved himself up with great effort and went to open it. It was another of his nurses, Margaret.

“Maggie, is everything ok?” asked Thomas anxiously.

“Lila! Where has she gone? Where’d they take her? Whats happened?” the words came tumbling out of Maggie’s mouth before she could properly form a sentence, and tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“I have no idea, but my guess would be to a psychiatric facility outside of our town, Maggie,” he said through pursed lips. Maggie narrowed her eyes at him.

“She is not crazy, Doctor! You know she isn’t. It’s the Priests, they just want her out because what she is saying is true!” Maggie was sobbing violently now, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand as tears streamed down her bright red cheeks. 

“I don’t think it’s for us to judge what’s true and what isn’t, Maggie,” said Thomas, putting an arm around her shoulders lightly.

“But its ok for those Priests to judge her just because she’s different?!” spat Maggie furiously, shoving Thomas’s arm off her.

“Lila is a very complicated woman, there is no doubt about that. But we can’t have her distressing the patients that way, Maggie. The things that she was implying and claiming go contrary to our faith in God most high,” 

“God teaches us to love, like Jesus did!” protested Maggie angrily, “Lila was the most loving woman who ever came here. She brought life back into this hospital! You know she did. She was an angel sent from God himself! She helped save all of those seven babies. You know, most of them would be dead if it weren’t for her, so they would!”

“What are you saying, Maggie?” gasped Thomas, baffled, “Those seven successful births were orchestrated by a brilliant team here at Gytr hospital,”

“Rubbish!” yelled Maggie, her volume increasing by the second, “The first, she insisted on taking the lady into a trance like state and then told her that she wasn’t in pain, she was having surges! She gave them all special mint tea and herbs to help the births. She refused to use the instruments here-she had her own! She’s a miracle worker. Most of those women would have blacked out if she hadn’t given them tablets!”

“Tablets?!” Thomas was stunned. 

“Yes, tablets, medication, pain relief! That’s what she called it. She gave tea and antibiotics to every one of those seven women who left here to take for several days after they left!”

“I must stop you there, Maggie. I can’t listen to anymore. You’re implicating yourself in these affairs by telling me,”

Maggie had no intention of stopping. The information came flooding out, as if a dam had burst. “William and me have been trying for a baby for years, Thomas, you know that! We’ve begged borrowed and stolen. Why, we’ve read every book at the library in this wretched town! We’ve been to three neighbouring towns by ferry, and two by car! We were ready to travel abroad and try other means, other medicines. I was even ready to adopt. Billy said he could never bond with a baby that isn’t born of us, God bless his heart. Then she came. Our angel. Lila. She touched my belly right here….,” She took Thomas’s hand and placed it over her slightly curved tummy. He looked at her in shock.

“It’s not possible,” he said, “I’ve been examining you for years, Maggie. You are barren, so you are,”

“I’m with child! My menstruation ceased weeks ago Thomas, as Lila said it would. She told me of a beautiful baby boy, a soul who has chosen me to be his Mammy. But if he’s to survive, we need new medicine, Doctor,”

Thomas was dumbfounded. He felt like pinching himself to check he wasn’t dreaming. Just then, his door knocked for a second time. It was the post man, who always delivered the mail for Gtyr by hand in the afternoons.

“Sorry, Jimmy, we’re busy just now, will you come back, lad?” said Thomas, breathing deeply. He felt as if the walls were closing in on him.

“I’ll only be a minute, so I will,” said the friendly delivery boy, hurrying over to the desk. He handed Thomas a small brown envelope marked Thomas McGabe-Deliver urgently.

He then bid them farewell and left. Maggie, who was still crying and cradling her tiny bump, stepped closer to Thomas’ desk. “What does it say?” she demanded.

Thomas sighed. Defeated from the day, he tore it open right there and then, in front of Maggie, who had worked with him for years. 

Dearest Dr McGabe,

I thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your beautiful hospital and express my deepest love for each and every one of you. I was sent to your Town with an urgent message. For the past five years, England’s Chief Physicians and politicians have been trying to get you to sign a contract agreeing to accept new medications into the Town of Gytr, and to try new surgical procedures for women in severe distress whilst in labour. Your Town’s rate of infanticide is not only the highest in all of your country, but also in the world at this time. You must change your ways and let the babies live. Or face the death of the entire next generation of Gytr. Babies are dying. Souls who have chosen to come to Earth with a purpose. Because you will not stand up to the Catholic church and allow the women of Gytr to access modern medicine and proper antibiotics. Let them live, Doctor.

Lila

“Thomas?!” said Maggie, staring at him desperately.

"I can't say it," He willed the right words to come.

Thomas stared long and hard at the letter in front of him, and for the first time in all of his life, made the right decision.

“Maggie,” he said, pointing to his old worn filing cabinet in the opposite corner of the room, “Get me the letters from England. Let them come,”