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Article: Baby girl. (short story)
- Article from:
- TriQuarterly
- Article date:
- March 22, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 TriQuarterly. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The baby was born on a Tuesday night at the end of July, its mouth rimmed with a tarry green-black crust that had a sweet, pungent odor. "Now what do I do?" said the obstetrician.
"Bring her on up to Mom." The nurse stretched out her arms to receive the baby. "Cute little fella," she said. She laid the baby on the mother's chest.
Are you a boy or a girl, the mother wondered. "Hello," she said.
The baby's chest rose and fell in a rattle of inhalations. Its back left a soft green crud on the mother's breast. The nurse reached across and tapped the baby.
"Come on, baby," she said. "Breathe for your mother."
"Hi, honey," the father said. An ...