I don't know what Ella's mom could actually see by now, after losing so much blood, but she put both hands around the little baby and instinctively pulled her to her ruined chest. That was the cutest thing, a newborn preemie about to die, laying on her mom's bloody breast and exposed ribcage. "Hey, better check to be sure that sonogram was right, and you have an Ella instead of an Elliot."

I helped her trace a path from her baby's back, down the spine, to the little baby butt. This one was too early to have a lot of baby fat, so about all there was to find was a butthole. As my sweetie's finger poked the tiny hole, I told her, "Your baby's never gonna poop, you know. Keep going."

She did, and I heard her gasp as her finger slid across her daughter's vulva. "Ella," she whispered. "My Ella." She looked towards me, and repeated, "My Ella." Then her head lolled back to the edge of the tub as she started going into shock. Her time was getting short.

I put my knife in my sweetie's right hand, and whispered in her ear. "Ella loves you so much. She trusts you. She wants to live, but you want her to die." Together, we moved the knife between the little girl's legs. "Make love to Ella," I whispered, and we pushed the weapon into her delicate folds. Ella drew her first breath, and it came out with a tiny, painful cry.

I saw the love on mommy's face as Ella struggled to draw another breath. Ella's eyes were still shut, and her sweet mom couldn't focus, but I could feel them seeing each other. I thought about the dream they shared together, and how they would share a dream again soon, forever.

"Ella knows you, Mommy. She knows who you really are. She doesn't want to die." I helped my sweetie pull the knife out of her daughter's slippery body. "Ella doesn't want to die," I repeated, "Cut her again." This time, I only needed to steady mommy's hand as she pushed the blade into her daughter's guts. Ella's cry this time was stronger, giving her mother the will to go on. She pulled the knife out of her baby, drew a ragged breath, and pushed it through her again. "She feels it, Mommy. Ella feels you cutting her." With an angelic expression on her face, she pushed the knife into Ella's cunt one last time. The baby's cry was softer now, fading.

"Do you love Ella?" I whispered.

"Yesh," came the strained reply.

"Does Ella love you?"

"Mm hmm"

"Is it time for Ella to die?"

"Mefffgh," I heard my sweetie say. I leaned in closer.

"Mmee… firss"

"You want to die first, and leave your little baby girl in the world all by herself?"

"Yeth"

I took the knife from the new mommy's limp hand. I pushed it into the edge of the cut between her breasts, pointing at her heart.

"Heyy"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Wih I guh tuh heh?"

"Will you go to hell?" I pushed the knife into her heart, and felt it pulsing through the blade. Mommy coughed weakly as blood filled her lung. "I certainly hope so! Cuz I'm gonna be there too, so don't worry, sweetie."

I pulled the knife out of my sweetie's chest. Bright red blood oozed from the sucking wound, and the new mom's last breaths came in red foamy spasms. I watched as she died, leaving her daughter behind forever.

Ella held on for a few more minutes. First, her breathing stopped, because seven month lungs aren't very strong. Her heart kept beating, though, until she bled out.

- d udet