Chapter 1008

The moment she finished cursing, Lena jolted awake. She sat there, dazed. What kind of ridiculous dream was that? She had assisted in delivering countless babies before, but this was the first time she had ever dreamed of giving birth herself. And not only that—she had dreamed of giving birth to Aaron’s child? That was beyond outrageous. Absolutely absurd! What a way to start the new year. That dream was anything but beautiful.

Lena ran a hand down her face, shaking off the lingering unease. She quickly got up, poured herself a glass of water to calm down, and then left the break room.

Back in the hospital room, Hayden was feeding Keira. Keira was perfectly capable of eating on her own, but he insisted on feeding her, saying that she was in a special period and should be treated like a queen. That this was the time to learn how to be spoiled properly.

Fine. If this was how he wanted to make up for the suffering she endured giving birth to their daughter, she’d give him the chance. The soft, silky bird’s nest porridge paired with dumplings they had wrapped together the night before was an odd combination—but surprisingly delicious.

Hayden said that the official postpartum meals would start in the morning. This was just a midnight snack. “Already eating?” Lena strolled in, her white coat casually draped over her shoulders, hands tucked into her pockets. She looked every bit the authoritative department head.

“Want to join us? I can’t finish it all,” Keira offered.

“No thanks. I have no one to feed me, so I can’t eat,” Lena teased.

“Then call Uncle over,” Keira quipped, feeling energetic now that the pain and exhaustion had mostly faded.

Lena shot her a glare. “Even with food in your mouth, you still can’t stop talking.”

By then, Keira had just about finished eating, so she shook her head at Hayden, signaling that she was done. He didn’t force her to eat more. Instead, he set the food aside and brought her some warm water to rinse her mouth.

Meanwhile, Lena had shifted her attention to Keira’s daughter. “I’ve delivered so many babies, but ours is definitely the best-looking,” she said proudly.

“And she’s so well-behaved—she hasn’t cried or fussed at all,” Keira added, turning to admire the little girl with her.

“This baby came to repay you both. Just look at you two, grinning like fools,” Lena said, gently tapping the baby’s cheek. “Right, little one?” Then she turned to Keira. “Have you picked a name yet?”

“She’s called Aurora.”

The moment Keira said it, Lena let out a sarcastic snort. “You two sure put a lot of effort into naming her,” she said dryly. “Born on the first day of the lunar year, so you name her Aurora. What if she was born on New Year’s Eve? Or on the second day?”

“It’s just a nickname—something easy to remember,” Keira defended. “Besides, we’re just following her godmother’s example.”

Lena raised a brow. “Fair enough.” After all, Aaron had given her the nickname Lil’ Lena because she was born on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

“Aurora, my little Aurora, are you hungry?” Lena cooed, lifting Keira’s baby into her arms. “Mommy’s full now, so it’s time for you to eat too, isn’t it?”

“Already?” Keira asked, suddenly nervous. She had never breastfed before—this was completely new territory for her.

“Of course. You can’t let your daughter go hungry while you sit here all content,” Lena said, turning to Hayden. “Go get some warm water for a quick cleaning first.”

Keira knew exactly what she meant by cleaning, and that it was something Hayden had to do for her. Even though they were husband and wife, Keira still felt awkward about it.

“Didn’t we hire a nanny? Let’s just wait until they arrive,” Keira stalled, trying to find an excuse.

Hayden had made all the arrangements well in advance—nannies, caretakers, and postpartum nurses were all scheduled to start working first thing in the morning. Since it was New Year’s Eve, they had agreed to let them come after dawn instead of in the middle of the night.

Lena shot Keira a look. “It’s still three hours until dawn. Are you really going to let your daughter go hungry?”

Keira hesitated. She was trapped.