Nineteen hours was a long time for any person to be awake, pregnant or not. It hadn’t helped Nora at all that she’d gone to work right before Kaylee went into labor. Had they all just slept in that day, perhaps they would have been fresh and prepared for the coming nineteen brutal hours. As it was, Nora was just as new at this as Kaylee was. Having never gone into labor herself, she and Kaylee had to figure everything out on their own with the help of the doctors of course. Even during those brief moments when Kaylee managed to get some rest though, Nora would find herself with twitchy foot syndrome. She was sure she’d drunk her body’s weight in coffee and had made at least a thousand trips to the bathroom as a result. It was true that Kaylee was not her biological daughter, but it didn’t mean that Nora wasn’t as worried about her as if she’d carried her for months in her own womb.
Throughout the course of the labor, Nora went through a series of emotional swings. She had felt fear and uncertainty. She had felt frustrated and relieved. Anxious and even happy. But the most thriving emotion that stuck with her during the entire event was a quiet sadness that loomed beneath the surface of all her other emotions. Here was a child giving birth to a child. Kaylee’s life had already changed so much because of this baby, and now, it would never be the same again. At one point, Nora even felt compelled to cry, which she did out in the hallway once it was all over and she was sure Cata and Kaylee were doing well. Her baby had just had a baby, and Nora could not shake the overwhelming grief that had settled upon her from that realization.
She had composed herself, and soon, the exhaustion took over. Her sleep was restless, but it was enough to give her a tiny boost of energy when she finally woke. She had been at Kaylee’s side when they brought Cata over, having just been born. However, she hadn’t gotten the chance to hold her yet.
“And how are my beautiful girls doing this afternoon?”
A stifled yawn and a tiny stretch was all it took to get Nora back up and running again. She was at Kaylee’s side before she could answer, just peering over at the baby in her arms. “She looks like you, babes. Healthy baby girl.” She leaned over at gave Kaylee a kiss on the cheek before giving a similar one to Cata. “I am so proud of you. You were so brave. So strong. Both of you.”