Khamsa ٥

“Khamsa?”
Yes, Madame, khamsa.
“Khamsa!”

In the Labor & Delivery triage this morning, an Arab woman arrived in the throes of labor contractions. Her mother was with her, both dressed in their black abaya and speaking Arabic. She came straight to the triage room for vital signs, fetal heart rate monitoring and a vaginal exam. Following the exam, the mother questioned us:
“Five?” she asked.
“Yes, five centimeters,” we confirmed.

“Five!” and she smiled a great smile, knowing that labor was well on its way and soon her grandchild would arrive. It did so, about two hours later. Mashallah!