For a brief second, everyone allowed themselves to believe that perhaps life could still carve beauty out of ruin.
But even as Laurel watched the newborn being cleaned and wrapped carefully in a white cloth, a faint unease crept up her spine. The woman on the bed had grown strangely quiet, her breathing was too even, and calm after such exertion.
Susanne reached for her baby. "Let me hold her." She said with a cracked voice.
The nurse glanced at Laurel, but she gave them an approving nod.
The moment the child rested in her mother's arms, tears trailed down Susanne's cheeks. Her fingers shakily caressed her baby's face. She lowered her head pressing her lips on the baby's forehead.
"You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time," Susanne muttered under her breath.
The nurse stood close to her, glancing at Susanne and the baby before glancing back at the beeping machine.
"Her blood pressure is normal, and her vitals are good." The nurse said.
