Between Women
By Polly Bringhurst
body to Amy and she reverently placed the dead
Amy stared at the stillborn puppies,
tears of devastation on her cheeks. She grasped
my hand and pleaded, “Save them.”
puppies against their mother, hoping one might
suckle, knowing it wasn’t meant to be. Briar
Rose looked at us with big brown eyes and
whimpered her sorrow. Turning her head, she
The puppies and their mother, Briar
Rose, were Amy’s whole world. This wasn’t
began to lick her dead babies, offering the only
act of motherhood she could give.
about lost profits from buyers expecting healthy
“Will you pray with me?” Amy asked.
Rotties—my sister didn’t need the money—
these were her babies, the only children she
would ever have, and as a mother, I understood.
Tenderly, I lifted a tiny wet body and
held it in my palm, exposing the soft belly. I
smelled the newness, felt the warmth of being
sheltered in a womb. With one finger placed on
the breast, centered between the front legs, I began compressions. “One, two, three, four, five.”
And while I pumped the heart with my finger, I
placed my mouth over a face of innocence and
whispered, “Breathe.” The smooth round belly
rose slightly, inflated by false air. A taste of
hope touched my tongue, and I willed a miracle.
None came.
With each failed resuscitation, I passed a
I squeezed her hand and rested the other
on Briar Rose. Forming a circle of love, we
sent the babies back to God, and asked Her for
peace.