Cora

“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.

curled against my elbow-my heart just breaks to feel him close to me, so strange and new and yet so completely

in every ounce of him, every tiny finger and toe, his wide

pressed tight to my side, his arms

believe he’s here,” I whisper

believe he’s so mad,” Roger replies, his

sniffing back my 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

staring at the baby with an expression somewhere between shock

baby, cuddling him close and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Welcome to the world.

with something that good. He needed you for

sigh.

I’m exhausted, and my whole body is aching, I

and I are the only three people in the world. I almost jump in surprise when I

you let the nurses clean

to be checked. And I laugh as the nurse comes close,

my arms. “You’re just an excited new mom and the birth went beautifully,

be weighed and checked out by the doctor. But the nurse

next to me and holding her hands out, palm up. “I basically

placing my hands on top of hers 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,

the one who usually asks that?” I murmur in reply, leaning my head on Roger’s shoulder, starting to feel

up a little with curiosity. This isn’t the first time Ella has healed me, of course, but this is the

until I

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