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She was in labour—without the man she had loved all her life by her side.
That was the hard truth, wrung from her soul as she bore down and gritted her teeth and knew she would rather be alone that accept his crumbs.
No matter if those crumbs might be solid gold and would provide for her baby and keep her in style.
‘I hate him!’ she shouted as she gripped her thighs in the delivery suite and bore down.
‘Stop shouting and push,’ the doctor said.
But Aurora ignored medical advice and carried on with her rant. ‘He wants his freedom—he can have it!’ she declared loudly. ‘I’ll survive better without him.’
Aurora did not pick up on the midwife’s smile, but she got her support.
‘Yes, you will! Come on, Aurora—use that anger to push!’
She was furious, and it felt so good to be angry as she pushed her baby out. ‘I’vegotthis,’ she declared.
‘You have, Aurora,’ the midwife said. ‘Come on—another big push.’
She was raging, and fury gave her strength, and she pushed with all her might…
And then fury left as love came rushing in—the purest love as she glimpsed her son.
He was long, and he had a lot of thick black hair, and huge navy eyes, and a dent in his chin as if an angel had stamped it there. His huge mouth let out husky and indignant cries.
She reached out for him with a love so fierce it pierced her soul. For the baby was the perfect blend of her and Nico. She laughed as she kissed him, for after one look not a person in her family or in the village would need to ask who his father was.
‘He’s beautiful!’ she cried. ‘He’s perfect. My baby!’
Her baby—and also a real tiny person, who cried and seemed soothed when she held him. His eyes seemed to recognise her, for he held her gaze and fell quiet.
She had never fathomed that love for her son would be so immediate and so intense.
He was worth all the pain and fear and Aurora knew she could take care of him.
Louanna and the children came to visit her on the ward.
‘Oh, Aurora…’ Louanna said as she held the tiny little boy. ‘He is perfection. Have you thought of a name?’
‘Gabriel,’ Aurora said. ‘God-given strength.’
‘Have you told your family?’
‘Not yet.’ They could wait.
‘What about—?’
‘I just want to get used to being a mother,’ Aurora cut in. ‘I want some time with my baby and to know what I’m doing. I want my confidence back.’
And Gabriel brought extra blessings! A little post-partum haemorrhage on the day Aurora was due to go home meant a trip to the operating theatre and staying in hospital for a few extra days.
Which meant that Christmas was over and Louanna’s husband had gone by the time she brought her baby home.
It was a golden time.
The first two weeks passed by in a blur and she lived on Gabe’s schedule.
He was such a sweet, quiet baby, and even when the husband came home Aurora did not notice as she was holed up in the summerhouse, getting to know her tiny baby.
