"You've got this, Cora!" Ella cheered beside me as I squeezed Roger's hand, panting and shouting with the final push the nurse had instructed.

I poured everything into that moment, squeezing my eyes shut and pushing as hard as I could, desperate for it to be over—desperate to hold my baby. Suddenly, the pressure lessened, my eyes flew open, and I gasped. A little baby's cry filled the room.

"Here!" I gasped, leaning forward urgently. A primal need to hold my baby overwhelmed me, even as I saw him in the nurse's hands. "Give him to me!" The nurse hesitated, glancing at her colleagues. I moaned, still reaching, desperate for him. "Do it," Ella snapped, rising from my side. She approached the nurse, putting a hand on her shoulder and gesturing toward me. "He needs his mother." Roger remained still beside me, his eyes fixed on the baby, who was crying his heart out.

"Please," I begged, reaching for him.

"All right," the nurse said, nodding and bringing him forward. "We'll clean him up in a minute—" She took two steps, leaned down, and placed my baby in my arms. Tears immediately streamed down my face.

The weight of him against my arm—his little head nestled against my elbow—broke my heart in the most beautiful way. He felt so strange and new, yet completely right.

I stared at my baby, tears falling as I took in every detail: each tiny finger and toe, his wide, crying mouth with its perfectly formed lips. Roger held me close, his arms wrapped around me, gazing down at our perfect son.

"I can't believe he's here," I whispered, awestruck.

"I can't believe he's so mad," Roger replied reverently.

I burst into laughter, glancing at my husband and shaking my head, sniffing back tears, grateful for his oddly timed humor. "You know, Roger," I said quietly, "most new parents say something nice about their kid when they meet them, like how beautiful they are, or how much they love them." "Well, he's making a lot of noise, Cora," Roger murmured, still staring at the baby with an expression somewhere between shock and awe. "I doubt he'd even hear a wasted compliment."

"Ignore him, gorgeous boy," I murmured to the baby, cuddling him close and kissing his forehead. "Welcome to the world. You are very, very loved."

"See?" Roger sighed. "I couldn't have come up with something that good. He needed you for that."

"Well, he's got me," I sighed. "My whole heart, forever, little baby." And though exhausted and aching, I felt an overwhelming, complete happiness.

We sat for a few minutes, feeling like the only three people in the world. I almost jumped when I felt Ella's hand on my shoulder.

Her face was streaked with tears of joy. "What do you think, Cora?" she asked quietly. "Will you let the nurses clean him and wrap him in a blanket? I'll check you over and see if I can heal you."

"Oh," I said, suddenly remembering—yes, the baby needed to be checked.

I laughed as the nurse approached, reaching for the baby. "I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I didn't mean to yell at you earlier."

"It's okay, you didn't," the nurse said, grinning. "You're just an excited new mom, and the birth went beautifully, no complications. There's no harm in wanting to hold him first." My eyes followed the nurse as she carried the baby across the room to be weighed and examined. She was right—everything went well, and the baby seemed fine. I didn't anticipate any problems.

"You lucky thing," Ella murmured, sitting beside me and holding out her hands, palms up. "I basically bled out after my traumatic pregnancy, and you get away scot-free?"

"Don't be jealous, Ells," I sighed, placing my hands on hers and laughing softly. "I'm sure your next one will be perfectly smooth." She flinched, looking at me wide-eyed, and I tilted my head, confused by her reaction. Then she grinned and shook her head, dismissing it. "I'm sure it will," she said with a happy sigh. "Now, does anything hurt?"

"Aren't I the one who usually asks that?" I murmured, leaning my head on Roger's shoulder, feeling my exhaustion more acutely now.

Ella laughed and closed her eyes, beginning to use her gift. I felt it as it flowed through me, and I sat up curiously. This wasn't the first time Ella had healed me, but I was more aware of it this time—the way her gift coursed through me, mending the aches until… until I felt perfectly fine.

"There," Ella said, removing her hands and opening her eyes. "All good?"

"Yeah," I said, laughing. "Honestly, Ella, it's still crazy that you can do that."

"Thank Mom, not me," she murmured, standing as the nurse returned with the baby. He wasn't crying, though he fussed a little in his swaddled blanket. I saw Ella bite her lip and tuck her hands behind her back, and I laughed, realizing she was stopping herself from grabbing him because she wanted to hold him so badly.

"Take him, Ella!" I encouraged my sister, who I knew would love this child almost as much as I would. "You can hold him."

"No," she said, nodding toward Roger. "His dad should have that honor first."

"Yeah, Cora," Roger grumbled beside me. "It's my kid, too."

"Oh, shut up," I sighed, taking the baby from the nurse and turning slightly to better see Roger. "You're scared to hold the baby, and you know it."

"Well," Roger said, hesitating as he unwrapped his arms from around me and reached for the baby, stopping just short. "He's very small…"

"I'll go get Dominic," Ella whispered, leaving the room. "Give you two a minute alone." The nurses and obstetrician discreetly left, giving us a moment, though I knew they had work to do now that the baby was born.

"Are you ready?" I asked, preparing to pass the baby to Roger, who really did look at the infant with wide eyes.

"I'm used to them bigger," he murmured. "Rafe I can handle…"

"Come on, new daddy," I laughed. "You can do it." And then I slipped our newborn son into Roger's arms. And I swear, I saw his heart melt.

"Hey, little guy," Roger murmured, his lips trembling slightly as he looked the baby over. The baby squeezed his eyes shut and let out a small, unhappy mew. "Oh, it's all right," Roger sighed. "It's nice here, I promise. You'll cheer up really soon." The baby yawned in reply, and we both broke into smiles.