“You’ve got this, Cora!” Ella cheers at my side while I squeeze Roger’s hand, panting and shouting as I give what the nurse has told me is one last, final push.
I put everything I have into this final moment, squeezing my eyes shut and pushing as hard as I can, wanting this done – wanting to feel my little baby in my arms And suddenly the pressure lessens, and my eyes fly open as I gasp And there’s a little baby’s cry ringing out through the room.
“Here!” I gasp, leaning forward fervently, some motherly demand in me needing my little baby now even as I see him in the nurse’s hands. “Give him to me!” The nurse hesitates, looking towards her colleagues. I moan a little, still reaching, wanting him now “Do it,” Ella snaps suddenly up from my side. She stands and moves towards the nurse, putting a hang on her shoulder and gesturing towards me. ” He needs his mother – ” Roger is completely still at my side, his eyes focused totally on the baby, who starts to cry his little heart out.
“Please,” I beg, reaching for him.
“All right,” the nurse says, nodding and bringing him forward. “We’ll clean him up in a minute – ” And she takes two steps forward, and leans down, and places my little baby in my arms And I burst immediately into tears.
just
in every ounce of him, every tiny finger and toe, his wide and crying mouth with its perfect tiny lips – Roger is
he’s here,”
believe he’s so mad,” Roger replies, his
tears, grateful that his strange sense of humor has at least stopped my crying. “You know, Roger,” I say quietly, “most new parents say something nice about their kid when they meet him for the first time, like how beautiful he is, or how much they love him.” “Well, he’s making a lot of noise, Cora,” Roger murmurs, still staring at the baby with an expression somewhere between shock and awe. “I doubt he’d even
where it feels like Roger and the baby and I are the only
you let the nurses clean him up and wrap in him
“It’s okay, you didn’t,” the nurse says, grinning at me as she takes the baby from my arms. “You’re just an excited new mom and the birth went beautifully, no complications, so there’s no harm in wanting to hold him first.” My eyes follow the nurse as she carries the baby across
smooth.” She flinches a little, looking up at me with wide eyes, and I turn my head to the side, not understanding her reaction. But then she just grins and shakes her head, dismissing it. “I’m sure it will,” she says with a happy sigh. “Now, does anything hurt?” “Aren’t I the one who usually asks that?” I murmur in reply, leaning my head on Roger’s shoulder, starting to
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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!