My eyes shot open the next morning as the old familiar cramps tugged at my insides again. I’d been free of them over the last few days, so their sudden return jolted me out of sleep. I moaned and winced, reaching for my sides, trying to breathe through the pain and contorting myself as if a different position would help—it didn’t.
“Sophia,” I whispered, nudging her gently. “Sophia, something’s wrong.”
She stirred, blinking against the early morning light seeping through the blinds.
“Is it the baby?”
“I think—I think I’m in labor!”
I eased myself out of bed, teeth clenched against the increasing ache. Sophia sat up without panic, brushing the hair out of her face.
“Okay,” she said, rubbing my arm. “It’s the early stages. Just breathe through the contractions. Unfortunately, that’s about all you can do until we get to the hospital…unless you want to go for a walk.”
“Like this??“
“Just breathe, baby,” she said. “You’re a yogi. If anyone can breathe through pain like a boss, it’s you. I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving me to call on all my breathing techniques I taught to dozens of others. But the pain was getting so bad, I couldn’t recall a single thing.
“Sophia!”
The shower water turned on. I think the contractions knew she couldn’t hear me and increased just to spite me. The pain surged again, curling up my spine and stealing my breath until all I could do was scream for help.
“SOPHIAAAAA!!”
I remembered when she went into labor. She said these things took a while and put her PJs back on to relax before going to the hospital. True, we never made it, but she was right. If that was the nature of labor, I needed to suck it up and start breathing if I wanted to survive until we got to the hospital. Luckily, just like with Sophia, the contractions paused momentarily, giving me relief, before kicking back in minutes later.
I waddled downstairs to eat something. Desi was just finishing up and about to head upstairs to get dressed.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “I heard you screaming.”
“No. I’m not. Your little brother is coming.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything right away. Just stared at me like she was debating on saying something.
“Can I come?”
“That’s sweet, but no. Don’t waste your vacation day on this.”
“But I want to come.”
“I know, but I promise you’ll just be bored waiting in the lobby for us. It’s hard to say how long it will take. And they won’t let minors in the room. Just go to school and do your best to stay focused. By the time you get home, you’ll be a big sister, hopefully.”
“Okaaay,” she said before dragging herself upstairs.
I didn’t see much of my son at the hospital. They plopped him onto my chest for a minute or two before whisking him away to get his vitals and such. When we got home, we settled in our bedroom, and I studied him for the first time. His skin was buttery soft and deep blue, like the night sky from whence he came. His eyes were black as night. They scared me at first, having not even a speck of white in them. Although I couldn’t see where he was looking, I sensed his gaze on me. It felt warm, like he knew I was the one caring for him all week. Even his cries were different. They sounded like the high-pitched mewing of a ghost kitten, echoed and distant. My child was most certainly strange, but he was beautiful in a way I hadn’t expected.
I placed him back in the bassinet in case Sophia wanted to hold him, but as I did, I watched in awe as he shifted into a completely different baby. His skin went from blue to a brown tone more like mine. Even his outfit changed from the weird, glowing, armor-like sheath to a cozy blue onesie!
“Sophia! Did you see that??”
She nodded.
“That was freaky. I wonder…”
“What?”
“Well, I don’t know much about aliens, but I do know they all have sim-like disguises. Maybe he’s too young to know how to control it?”
“Hmmm. Good theory. I seriously need to do some research. You know more than I do.”
“You should really lay down, babe. You shouldn’t be on your feet so much this soon after surgery.”
Looks like my warden was still on the job, heh. She was probably right, but I was just so relieved to not be pregnant anymore. I wanted to move again and feel normal. Most importantly, I wanted to bond with this strange yet perfect little creature I never expected to love this fast.
The front door opened and shut, and hurried footsteps up the stairs followed. Desi bounded into the room like it was Winterfest morning. She stopped short when she saw him, then looked at me.
“What’s his name??”
I looked at Sophia, and she looked at me. I shook my head and chuckled at our inability to choose a name again. Neither of our children had names at birth, but this time, I had an ace up my sleeve.
“What do you think he looks like, Des?”
“Hmmmmmmmm…”
She took a few moments to look at him and feel him out.
“Logan,” she said finally, like the name was at the tip of her tongue all along.
My head whipped toward Sophia, impressed by our super intelligent kid.
“It’s cute,” she said. “I think it fits.”
Honestly, I was too exhausted to even think about whether it suited him. My name had already proven any two-syllable L name would roll nicely off the tongue, so I went with it.
In the morning, I understood Sophia’s warning. All the anesthesia had waned, and every step, stretch, or twist sent lightning bolts through my midsection. The incision area throbbed with every breath, but Sophia didn’t say I told you so or give me more warnings. She just helped me back into bed. And for once, I obeyed without commentary. I stayed put, and now and then someone would hand Logan to me, and I’d lay there with him nestled against my chest. Desi even sat with us and read him a story once. I didn’t do anything that day except fall in love with my family all over again.
