Chapter 7 - Welcome to the World, Lily
At 4:15 PM, after an hour of pushing, the room filled with the most beautiful sound I had ever heard: a sharp, healthy cry.
“She’s here,” Ryan choked out, tears streaming down his face as the doctor placed a warm, slippery weight onto my chest.
I looked down at my daughter. She had a mop of dark hair and furious, squeezed-shut eyes.
“Hi, Lily,” I whispered, touching her tiny, perfect fingers. “Hi, my sweet girl.”
There were no flashing cameras in the background. No one jostling my husband out of the way. No one stealing the announcement. It was just Ryan, me, and Lily, bathed in the soft afternoon light filtering through the hospital blinds.
May you like
We stayed in the hospital for two days, soaking in our newborn bubble. We took our own photos. We called our close friends. We announced her birth on our terms, two days after she was born, with a simple photo of her tiny hand holding Ryan’s finger.
When we drove home, I felt a fierce, primal protectiveness. I had protected my daughter’s entry into the world. Now, I had to protect her life in it.
