It was three years ago. A very cold day. Not much different then today. The days in January are very cold. Sometimes it's so cold that it feels like the air is freezing as it comes out of your mouth. There is snow everywhere. The blanket of snow looks as if it so pure. It is truly beautiful.
Elizaveta and Matvey were excited. Although it was so cold and the economy was tough, they were waiting on the birth of thier child. Having another child was a happy moment for them. It was hard making it sometimes, but the love they had for thier children far outweighed that. If anything, the constant fight made them stronger as a family.
"What do you think she will look like?" Elizaveta asked.
"She will be beautiful Veta. She will be strong and graceful. Full of vigor like her mother." Stated Matvey.
Elizaveta hugged her husband. She knew that this little girl was going to be a fighter. She knew this little girl was going to be a beautiful angel. Elizaveta so loved her family. This child was going to be no different. Having another child was something they had wanted to do for awhile. This baby was a gift. They were already proud of her. Elizaveta hugged Matvey even tighter.
It was in the middle of the night. Elizaveta woke up. She knew it was time. The baby was coming.
"Matvey, Matvey, wake up. She's coming." cried Elizaveta.
Matvey didn't even take a second to think. He jumped up out of bed. He woke up his mother and told her they were leaving, so she could watch the kids. The children were in bed. Matvey didn't wake them. Afterall, they needed thier sleep to help with the baby. They would want to be with her the next day. They needed thier rest. Matvey and Elizaveta walked out the door and found a cab.
"To the hospital." Matvey called out to the cab driver. "My wife is having our baby."
It was several hours into the labor and Elizaveta was tired.
"Matvey. Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"Yes you have Veta. I know you do, and our baby...she will know how much we both love her."
By the next morning Yana was born. As Elizaveta and Matvey held thier daughter tears rolled down thier faces. She was so beautiful. Her eyes were so blue. She had this thick layer of brown hair on top of her head. There was something different about her. Her eyes were almond shaped and her toes, they had this gap between them. Matvey thought that Yana must have taken after his father that he never knew. This was common, especially in this time. You were lucky to even have one parent. As the day went on the weather became to harsh. The children would have to wait until the next day to see thier sister. It was getting late. Elizaveta was tired. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. Matvey was in the chair next to her asleep, holding baby Yana.
The next morning the doctor came into the room.
" I have some serious news for you. Your daughter has Down syndrome. We have made arrangements for you to place her into custody of the local baby house. You know that children like THIS do not have a place in society here."
With that, he closed the door behind him.
"What did he just say Matvey?" Elizaveta asked as tears were rolling down her face.
"She's not ours anymore Veta. She belongs to them." cried Matvey. "We will not be able to take her home. Veta, you know we have no choice."
Within moments the nurse came into the room. They signed some type of documents and she was now to live in the orphanage. They were letting her go. Never to see her again. Elizaveta's heart was broke, but she knew it had to be this way. That is what they all said. It just didn't seem right to her. Her daughter, her beautiful Yana, was never to be held by her again. How could she go see her there and leave her behind? She couldn't. This would be the last time she saw her. It had to be that way.
Matvey was already outside of the hospital. He couldn't look at the baby. It was to tough. There was nothing he could do he believed. It was better to not see her or touch her again. Elizaveta stayed behind to see Yana one more time. She gently leaned over her crib. Touched her smooth, warm skin. She looked at her as a tear fell onto Yana's chest.
"I love you baby Yana." Elizaveta cried with a choking sound. "You will always be here in my heart. I will always love you."
Elizaveta walked out the door of the hospital holding onto her heart. She was leaving her daughter behind. She knew the pain she was feeling would never go away. Elizaveta would never hold her again. To her this was the end. She knew she would never see Yana again....
She turned around and looked at the door of the hospital, then she quickly walked to Matvey. Her life, thier life, would never be the same.
