“It’s a boy! A healthy boy,” The nurse rejoiced holding my newborn in her arms,
I reached out as she placed my baby in my arms, tears rolled down my eyes staring at his cute face.
“Oh my he is so beautiful,” I sobbed placing kisses all over his face,
“After nine good hours of painful labor you finally have your miracle,” Nurse Darlene says with a smile on her face, one which I return.
Seeing my baby alive and healthy was worth every pain I had gone through, the doctors had suggested a C-section as the baby was too large for a normal vagina delivery, but I knew mine and my baby’s life were at risk moreover I did not have the money to sort the bills out.
My baby had only arrived, and I could not afford to waste money on a C-section. I needed to purchase a few things for my newborn.
“Such a strong and beautiful baby,” A lady complimented as I fed my son from my breast.
“Thank you, ma’am,”
We were still at the hospital as I needed to recuperate my strength after the birth. Thankfully, it was a cheap infirmary in the town where I had settled for months now.
She came closer to my bed, staring closely at us, “What’s his name?”
“I named him Daryl, my Daryl…” I say observing how he could firmly grip my nipples at just five days old.
“I’m sorry to pry, but I noticed no one has come visiting, what about his Father?” the lady asked,
I could only stare at the older lady who stared back, she had short hair with a cute round face for her age,
“It is just the two of us,” I managed to say, I waited for her to curse or snort as others did, but instead she took my hand in hers,
“I understand you dear, and I must say how lucky Daryl is to have you as his Mother,”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” I reply with a warm smile,
“Oh, please call me Ana,”
“I’m Laine,” I introduced and we became friends.
Ana said she was only visiting a church member there at the hospital that day, yet the next day she stopped by to say hello to me and Daryl and then the next until it was time for us to leave.
“Are you sure you want to come with us? Please, Ana, I would not want to stress you,”
“Relax Laine, allow me to assist you today, you have an infant for heaven’s sake…”
Ana insisted on helping me move back home, she lived in the center of the town whereas I lived in the disclosed part of town, away from prying eyes.
“I’m sorry about my place Ana, It was all we could afford,”
“You don’t have to apologize dear, at least you have a roof over the head,”
Ana helped me clean the place up and also set up Daryl’s cradle since my labor came unexpectedly with me still at work. I found myself a job at a hardware store two weeks after I moved here, I would lose my mind if I stayed idle.
After we put my always hungry baby to sleep, I made dinner for both of us and then we sat by the fire telling stories of our lives.
Ana was super cool and fun to be around, despite her age she was witty, making me laugh often. It was great to finally have someone to speak to after so long,
I found out Ana was a widow who had lost her son and husband in a fire accident five years ago, she moved here a year ago after her husband’s family seized all his properties without offering her a dime.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I have no idea where my child’s Father is,” I told her sipping my tea,
“What happened?”
“Everything happened so fast, It was love at first sight…. We made sweet love on the first night, and it was the best night of my life,” Ana listened with a smile on her face, she gave out a homely feeling, one I felt only with my Mother.
“The only thing I know of him is his name, but we had promised to meet each other the next month in the States, he said he was going to Introduce me to his brother and his wife, and he said he was going back home to attend the baby shower of his sister-in-law, and that he would call me, but after months of waiting I heard nothing, and now I am all alone, cast out by my Father raising my son all by myself.”
“You are not by yourself anymore, you have me to take care of you and Daryl,” Ana lets out,
Her words brought peace and joy to my aching heart, I barely knew this woman, but I realized just how much I needed her in my life at the moment.
***
Two years later.
“Bye Laine,”
“Goodnight Ricky,” I yelled back at my co-worker, it was past my closing time at the hardware store and everyone had left except me.
After shutting down the store, I turned to leave when I noticed a figure across the street hiding behind a tree in the woods,
Though I made sure to hide my identity as a shifter from these humans, my abilities were still very active, so I sensed some weird smell in the air.
There was no way I could miss it, Lycan, a fucking Lycan was spying on me. My heart skipped knowing my Father must have finally found my hide-out after so long.
Hastily I drive back home to the bungalow I now shared with Ana; three months after Daryl’s birth Ana had managed to persuade me to move in with her insisting the house was always lonely and too enormous for only herself.
It was a tough decision to make but after many advantageous facts given by Ana, I understood that she was right, living in that shady environment was too dangerous for a twenty-one-year-old and a newborn, so I grabbed the offer to move in with Ana.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Daryl ran towards me dressed only in diapers, he was too grown for a two-year-old with his cute baby voice,
I picked him up raining kisses on his face making him giggle excitedly,
“You are just in time for dinner my dear,” Ana calls out from the kitchen,
“Ana!” I called out, and she ran out with a questioning look, “I believe trouble has finally found me,”