We all smiled as we conversed with the doctor. He teased me about how tired I’d been earlier and mentioned how I told the nurses I wanted to give up when they were trying to convince me to push.

I giggled.

“No one would believe that it’s the same woman sitting here, healthy and laughing like nothing happened.”

Feliks and I only laughed. I took his teasing as a compliment—of course, it was. Not everyone would have recovered this way after passing out the way I did.

The doctor decided to give us some privacy. As he turned around to leave, I suddenly remembered something.

“Doctor,” I called as I scratched my head.

He stopped abruptly and turned around to face me with a questioning eyebrow.

“When are you going to discharge me?” I asked him.

He took a few steps back toward us, then stopped before he got to bed. He smiled apologetically. “We have to monitor you for a little bit longer before we discharge you.”

I nodded my head and forced a smile. I didn’t like the smell of hospitals. It didn’t bring back good memories. I wished I could just promise the doctor that I was okay, so he’d let me go.

I sighed heavily and turned to face Feliks. “How do I convince the doctor that I am okay so we can leave?” I asked him.

“Here,” he said as he handed the baby back to me.

I carried him carefully, then kissed his forehead. Even though he wore clothes, he was covered in a small blanket. The nurses had dressed him in the onesie Feliks had brought.

I lifted my head and faced Feliks. He hadn’t responded to my question. I wanted answers, yet I didn’t want to repeat the question.

“Jenna,” he called gently. “The doctor is right. You shouldn’t be in a hurry to be discharged. What is more important right now is your health—and the baby’s.”

I sighed deeply and nodded my head.

“Let’s allow the doctor to monitor you for a bit longer. I love you so much, and I cannot afford to let anything happen to you right now.”

I nodded again. They were both right. I shouldn’t be impatient, even though I badly wanted to leave. I should put my life and health first, and that of my child.

Feliks stood and came to sit beside me on the bed. He put his hands over mine—the baby was still securely held in my arms—and stared deeply into my eyes. I gazed back, and I felt this spark.

I felt like we were more connected now. I wondered if Feliks felt the same way, too. We were both staring at each other without moving or saying a word. I had so much to tell Feliks, and I knew he’d have things to say to me, too.

He pulled himself closer and held my fingers even more firmly, squeezing gently. He didn’t let his eyes leave mine. Not even for a second.

“We have now entered a new phase of our lives,” Feliks told me. “A phase that we didn’t expect so soon, but it happened anyway.”

We both looked down at the baby and chuckled lightly. Feliks faced me again. His look was serious now. “I don’t know how to thank you for giving me this precious gift.”

“We gave us this precious gift,” I corrected Feliks.

We chuckled for another few seconds before lifting our heads again. I loved the fact that we were adding levity to this serious moment. It made it more relaxing and more fun.

“Truly, Jenna, I’m indebted to you. Thank you for coming into my life and for giving me another part of us.”

We looked down at the baby and smiled hopefully.

“Enough, Feliks,” I said and pulled my hands away from him. I held the baby properly and concentrated more on him. I didn’t want the moment to get too emotional.

Feliks understood what I was trying to avoid. He smiled as he grabbed my face and pulled me closer, then he planted a wet kiss on my forehead.

“You and our baby mean everything to me now.”