Running with the baby

She stood at the nursery room window looking out at the garden, trying to see as far as the gate.

Darcelle's heart was beating heavily in her chest.

She glanced at Monique again who was happily playing with a rubber doll.

"The gate is not that far, but so many things can happen on my way there. I could run into someone and Monique could make a noise. Then it's over for me. François will skin me alive for messing with his plans," she mumbled to herself.

On the other hand, that obviously rich lady promised that she would reward me in spite of me just doing my duty. Hopefully she keeps to her word and I can still pursue my dreams of becoming an actress."

After a few more moments, she went to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water.

The other baby nurse was due within an hour and the security guard at the gate knew that she, Darcelle was coming out with her overnight bag.

She usually got a taxi just outside the gates. So, hopefully the security guard would think that she was busy with her usual routine. The only difference would be the bigger bag that she was carrying.

"I just hope they don't decide to search my bag," she whispered to herself as she picked Monique up and began to rock her until finally, she fell asleep.

Now Darcelle had to wrap the baby up in a blanket and put her into her big, padded overnight bag.

Darcelle wished that she could pray for protection but she felt too guilty to do that. She gently placed Monique into the bag.

Darcelle's hands were shaking as she zipped up the bag halfway.

She then took a doll out of a plastic bag and placed it under a blanket in the cot where Monique was laying before.

"Hopefully this helps if anyone just peeps into the nursery without really looking into the cot.

They will only bother if the child us crying. So, this way they will think that the child is asleep because she won't make a sound," Darcelle said into the empty room before walking out of the nursery with the heavy bag in her hands. She then closed the door behind her softly.

At this time of the day the mansion was full of activities. People were preparing for dinner and other meetings.

So, there was no reason for anyone to worry about Darcelle leaving for her night off.

The bag was too heavy to hang over her shoulder, so she hooked it over her elbow.

She walked down a long corridor which led to various rooms. At the end of it she went out through a small side door.

Out in the front yard Darcelle's hands began to shake and her heart pounded faster in her chest.

"Just walk calmly and tell yourself that you're going home to your parents for a change," Darcelle told herself as she began to hum softly.

When she reached the gate she had to go through the small pedestrian gate and pretend to be going out for a taxi.

She began to sweat. If anyone saw her up close now they would notice that something was not right.

"Hey, wait there!" someone called from behind Darcelle when she was only a few steps from the small gate. She could not recognize the voice so she walked straight towards the gate without looking back.

She hastened her steps, praying that she would not be called back because then her game would be over. They would find the sleeping child in her bag and that would mean the end for her.

"They will really kill me then," she told herself.

When she was almost at the gate Darcelle heard a sound like a gunshot behind her.

"Oh, no! They want to assassinate me!" she exclaimed and ran to the small gate which she had already opened remotely.

There were more gunshots as she ran and dashed out of the gate.

Darcelle was so relieved when she saw the many police vans standing right outside the massive gates that she almost burst into tears.

A police woman walked up to Darcelle quickly.

"Is the baby okay?" she asked in an urgent tone.

"Oh, my goodness! They didn't manage to shoot me but I don't know about the child. Is she okay?" Darcelle asked in a panicked tone as she put the bag down on the pavement and unzipped it all the way.

She heaved a sigh of relief when Monique stretched out her arms in her sleep.

"Right give her to me," the police woman said immediately then.

Darcelle handed the bag with the baby over to her just as the main gates of the mansion drew open.

Darcelle ran to the first open police vehicle that she saw while gunshots rang out behind her.

"Oh, no! They're now shooting at the police! How daring of them!" she told herself as she jumped behind a police van instead of trying to get inside it. She didn't understand herself but she suddenly didn't feel that it would be safe to get into the van.

Darcelle wondered who was shooting at them. Could it be one of François's men or François himself? She wondered if anyone had actually been shot.

"This means that someone inside knew about my plans. They were just waiting to see if I carried it out.

Or, maybe they noticed the fake baby in the baby crib and then came after me?" she wondered as squatted behind the police vehicle, shivering all over.

"They won't be able to kill all the police and then get to me," Darcelle said to reassure herself.

"Stop your fire or you will all be killed!" someone said over the police loudspeaker.

"Please let them listen to the police," Darcelle prayed as she bit the back of her hand to stop herself from screaming out in fear and panic.

The gunshots stopped then. Darcelle wondered where François was.

"He's gonna be so pissed off when he realizes that I betrayed him. He better not hire anyone to search for me afterwards," Darcelle told herself as she sat there shuddering.

"I might have to move far away or get police protection until François forgets about me. Can he though?" Darcelle wondered.