Rock A Bye Baby

The morning sun rose in the Far East, illuminating the bedroom floor. Dianne and Marcus lay in their bed, cuddled close with one another under their smooth silk blankets. The heat of the sun puncturing their eyes, awakening them from their slumber.

Dianne squinted at first then stared deeply into the eyes of her husband of twelve years. They had a joyous marriage except they were missing something. They never had any children, not that they didn't want any. They couldn't. Dianne was infertile.

"Good morning baby," she whispered in his ear as she caressed his face gently. "You're gonna be late for work."

"It's okay, they can fly without me," said Marcus as he lay gazing into her eyes.

Marcus was a pilot, gone for days at a time he never got to spend much time with Dianne and when he was home, he wanted to stay with her. It made him feel content.

"Baby, I know you love and want to be here with me, but we need the money, if we are ever going to pay this place off," Dianne looked into his hazel eyes.

"Ugh," he sighed as he removed the blanket from over himself and rolled out of bed. He walked over to the window and watched as the sun rose higher above the Toronto sky rises.

"What's wrong Hun?" asked Dianne as she still lay in the warmth of the bed, enveloped in the sheets.

It took him a minute to get the words out. "It's just...I...Do you want to adopt?"

Dianne rolled her eyes and got upset. "I told you, I do not want to adopt. If I can't have my own children, then I want none at all!"

Marcus turned in dismay and went into the ensuite, closing the door behind him. He did not say one more word to Dianne.

* * *

"So, you talked to your wife about it, and she got mad?" wondered Isabelle, the flight attendant who always flew with Marcus. They have been good friends for four years. They were sitting in the food court of the airport terminal.

"Yeah, I don't know why she won't," said Marcus as he put his face into his hands. "I just want to feel the love of a child, and she doesn't see that."

Isabelle rubbed Marcus' back gently. "You know, when I adopted my son I felt like a million bucks. Like everything else in the world froze around me, and all there was, was me and my son. Nothing is more satisfying then waking up with your child standing next to your bed wanting to go to the park or playing catch.” She ceased rubbing his back and gave it one last tap. “Just talk to her."

"I've tried, but every time I do, she gets angry. I mean I love her to death, but when it comes to children..." he couldn't go on.

Isabelle placed her hands on her hips and smiled, “How about I talk to her?”

* * *

"Honey, I'm home," shouted Marcus as he walked through the front door carrying a suitcase in his right hand. There was no answer, but the car was on the driveway. Usually Dianne would come running and wrap her arms tightly around his neck and kiss him.

He placed the suitcase gently on the newly tiled floor. "Dianne? Hello?" He glanced around wondering where she was.

She turned a corner wearing a bathrobe and had a towel in her hair. "Oh, hey," she smiled as she held a newspaper.

Marcus still looked worried, "Thank God, I thought something might have happened to you. You didn't answer me when I called you."

Dianne shrugged her shoulders, "I'm fine, and everything is fine.” She showed him the newspaper. “Look at all these babies born today. One’s name is Emma. I love that name. If we had a daughter, that’s what we would definitely name her. What do you think? Isn’t it a beautiful name?”

"Ya.” He frowned and looked down at the floor. “Ummm listen,” he brought his eyes back up, “ I invited Isabelle over for dinner tonight if that's alright with you? She’s going to bring her son Devon," said Marcus.

She curled her lip, "That's fine. Having another kid in the house for a change will be good. I guess I will get started with the cooking. I think I will make pasta." Dianne headed into the kitchen.

* * *

The doorbell rang and as Dianne went to answer it she could already hear Devon screaming that he was hungry. She opened the door with a broad smile on her face.

"Hi Isabelle and this little devil must be Devon. Hey buddy, I have lots of toys upstairs in the spare room on the left," Dianne grinned. Devon smiled and ran up the stairs in a flash.

"I thought you guys didn't have any children?" wondered Isabelle as she took off her coat and placed it over the sofa.

"We don't, but I found boxes full of Marcus' old Hot Wheels and Transformers earlier today and thought since you were bringing Devon over that he would need to occupy his time instead of sitting around listening to us boring adults talking about adult things." Dianne laughed then gestured for Isabelle to come in and take a seat on the couch.

About 20 minutes later, Dianne called everyone into the kitchen for dinner. Everyone was famished.

"So, how was the drive over here Isabelle? Was the highway busy?" asked Marcus who sat at the head of the table.

"No, not..." Isabelle turned to Devon, "No, Devon. You use a fork not your hands!"

Dianne turned to Marcus, "See, that's why I don't want to adopt. Those kids have habits from their previous parents that they can't get rid of no matter how hard you try.”

Isabelle dropped her fork and stared angrily at Dianne, "Excuse me? I'll have you know that I adopted Devon when he was 9 weeks old. I practically raised him."

"That is not how you raise a child," smirked Dianne as Marcus took hold of her arm.

"Dianne, what's your problem?"

She pulled her arm out of Marcus' grasp. "Nothing, I'm just saying that's not how you raise a child. I raise mine with love and devotion."

"And you don't think I do?" yelled Isabelle as she stood from her chair, "Come on Devon, we are leaving!"

"Wait Isabelle," Marcus rose from his chair as well and glanced at Dianne. "What do you mean you raise yours with love and devotion? Honey, we don't have any children."

Dianne closed her eyes. Her head was trembling. "Of course we don't Hun, I don't know where my mind is."

For the first time that night Devon spoke, "Mommy? When I was playing with the cars upstairs, one went into the closet and I ran to get it and I tripped.”

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“No Mommy.” Devon shook his head. “A box fell on me and there was a baby in it."

“Must be one of Dianne’s dolls from when she was a little girl,” said Isabelle with a smile.

“No, it was a real baby.” Devon looked very serious.

Dianne silently picked up the wine bottle that was on the table and smashed it across Marcus' skull, sending him crashing to the floor.

Isabelle screamed and pulled her cell phone from her purse, about to dial 911 when Dianne grabbed her hair and cracked Isabelle's head off of the table, knocking her unconscious too.

* * *

Marcus came to and awoke in the spare room, but now it wasn’t empty. It looked like a nursery. There was a dresser on the far wall with a pink Care Bears Lamp resting on top of it. Next to it was a jewelry box, opened with a tiny ballerina dancing and playing the tune of “Rock A Bye Baby”.

Scanning the room some more he saw toys all over the floor and in the centre of the room was a pink crib. Marcus couldn’t move. His hands and feet were tied with rope. Suddenly he noticed Isabelle lying next to him, still unconscious.

“Isabelle? Isabelle?” he called. She finally regained conscious, unaware of her surroundings. She too was tied up.

“Devon? Where’s Devon?” she shouted as she flung herself up. “What the heck has she done with Devon?”

The door to the bedroom slowly creaked open and Dianne walked in wearing pink satin pajamas with fuzzy pink slippers.

“What the hell is wrong with you, you psycho? Where’s Devon?” yelled Isabelle. “Untie us you bitch.”

Dianne rushed over to Isabelle and slapped her across the face. She whispered, “Shhh, can’t you see Emma is sleeping.”

Marcus began to have tears come from his hazel eyes, “Emma?” His vision started to get blurry from the tears. “Dianne? We never had a baby.”

As if she paid no attention to him, Dianne strolled to the crib and picked up the baby that lay there. She was humming “Rock A Bye Baby” as she danced around the room with the baby in her arms. She rocked back and forth, with a psychotic glare in her eyes.

“Dianne?” Marcus cried, “Please tell me what’s going on?”

Dianne placed the baby back in her crib. It wasn’t even fully developed, around 3 months premature. She stepped towards Marcus and placed her hand on his face, “Oh Hun. It happened when you took that job for Swiss Airlines. Remember you were gone for a year. I just found out I was pregnant before you left but didn’t tell you because then you wouldn’t take the job offer and we needed the money…”

“That was 9 years ago.” Marcus was confused. This was too much to take in. “So you lied to me all these years saying you were infertile. How could you do this to me?” he cried.

Not hearing a word he said Dianne continued, “So I was having a healthy pregnancy until about 6 months in. Something went wrong and I went into labour. She was a stillborn. When I left the hospital I took her with me, which was a very difficult thing to do. I had to be very sneaky. I had to bring her home, this is where she belongs. Emma needed a home. See I called her Emma, I told you I would name our daughter Emma.”

“Your crazy!” shouted Isabelle.

“No, I am not crazy.” Dianne’s eyes widened and were bloodshot. “A mother’s love for her child is not crazy. You should know that, although your child is not really yours. You couldn’t possibly know the feeling.”

“Listen, I may not be Devon’s biological mother, but I am all the mother he needs. I raised him and I am proud to call him my son. Speaking of which, where is he?”

Dianne smiled, “Don’t worry he is safe. I would never harm a child. If you excuse me, I have cookies in the oven.” She left the room humming the same tune of “Rock A Bye Baby.”

Marcus turned to Isabelle, “I’m sorry Isabelle. I didn’t mean for any of this.”

“I know Marcus. We will get out of this.” Just then the door opened again, but this time it was Devon. He poked his head around the door to make sure the coast was clear. “Devon, thank God you’re alright. Come and untie us.”

Devon sneaked across the carpet trying not to make a sound. He untied both Marcus and Isabelle.

“Come on Marcus, we gotta get out of here,” she whispered.

He was walking towards the crib. He looked into the face of his daughter. He wiped the tears from his eyes. He gently rubbed the face. The skin so cold.

“Marcus?” she said again.

He reached into the crib and picked up Emma, “I’m not leaving without her.”

They crept out of the room and headed towards the staircase. As they looked down the stairs they saw Dianne holding a knife in her hand. “You will not leave this house with my baby!” She ran up the stairs towards them. Marcus, Devon and Isabelle ran into the bathroom which was the closest door to them. They locked the door.

“The window!” said Marcus, pointing to the other end of the room. He opened it and they climbed onto the roof of the house. They could hear the banging on the bathroom door from Dianne.

“Quick down the drainpipe,” he said as he placed Emma underneath his shirt. They climbed down and were in the backyard. “We have to call the police.”

All of a sudden they heard the faint mumble of Dianne singing, “Rock a bye baby, on the treetop. When the wind blows the cradle..." She was outside on the other side of the yard with the knife still in her hand. She bent in the bushes looking for escapees.

Isabelle picked up a large branch that had fallen from a tree and sneaked up behind Dianne.

"Hey bitch!" Dianne turned around and got whacked across the face with the branch. She tumbled to the lawn, moaning, and the knife on the ground next to her. Marcus picked it up and held it in his hands.

"Isabelle, go inside and call the police, I'll make sure she doesn't move." Marcus held the knife to Dianne's face as Isabelle and Devon ran into the house.

Dianne held her face, it was protruding blood.

"Why Dianne? Why didn't you tell me we had a daughter? You could have gotten help. You're just going through depression. We can get you help now." Marcus never moved the knife from her face.

"I don't need help. I need my daughter. I need Emma" She began to cry, "And you won't take her from me!" She reached up and grabbed Marcus' wrist with one hand, twisting it until the loud crack. He howled in pain as Dianne punched him in the face with her other hand. He fell to the ground and Dianne got up, her face still bleeding. She took the Emma from underneath Marcus' shirt and she ran.

Marcus got up and dashed after her. Through the gate, they ended up at the front of the house. Marcus stopped suddenly as he saw Dianne begin to scurry across the road.

“Dianne! Stop!” he yelled.

He watched in horror as a pick up truck collided into Dianne. Her body lay in the road twitching. Her leg was broken and blood spread like a rivulet down the pavement. Marcus sprinted over to her and watched as she took her last breath holding Emma in a tight grasp.

Isabelle and Devon stormed out of the house when they heard the noise. They came up beside Marcus. Isabelle placed her hand on his left shoulder. Marcus got down on his hands and knees and released his only daughter Emma from the stiff grasp of his wife’s lifeless body. The night was silent until the first sound of police sirens filled the air.