Page 177 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 1-4

The obstetrician was addressing Siena, but he threw an encouraging smile at Vincenzo as well. ‘Now, I’m just going to finish off...tidy up. Then I’ll zip you back up, make sure everything’s tucked away neatly,’ he went on, ‘and then we’ll get you into Recovery. But first...’

He turned away, beckoned to the midwife who was just scooping something up. She came towards them. A little mewing sound came from the white-wrapped bundle in her arms. The obstetrician disappeared behind his screen again.

‘Here he is,’ said the midwife.

And she placed into Siena’s outstretching arms the most perfect human being who had ever existed...

Siena gazed and gazed as love—instant, overwhelming, overpowering love—poured through her.

‘Oh, my darling...my darling one...my darling...’

The tiny, perfect face of her tiny, perfect baby looked up at her. And her love for him encompassed her, became her whole being for ever and for ever.

Then another voice was speaking, low and impassioned.‘Lui è perfetto. Perfetto! Il nostro piu prezioso—’

Siena’s hand pressed his arm. ‘Our son,’ she said. ‘Oh, Vincenzo...’

He crouched down beside her, his eyes only for the tiny, so precious bundle in her arms. Tears stood in his eyes.

‘I never realised—’ he said.

She looked at him. ‘Nor I...’

Then the midwife was speaking, smiling down at them both. ‘He’s doing very well, considering. I’m sorry it was all so dramatic, but these things can happen. We’re going to pop him into Neonatal ICU, just to—’

Siena’s eyes flew up, a cry breaking from her.‘ICU?’Stark terror was in her voice suddenly.

‘For observation only...just for a little while,’ the midwife was instantly reassuring.

‘There’s something wrong!’

The terror was still in Siena’s voice. Her eyes distended. Fear hollowing her out.

Something wrong! I knew there would be...that I couldn’t...that I didn’t deserve...

The midwife was speaking again, calmly and clearly. ‘No, there is nothing wrong. I promise you. All the signs are good. We just want to ensure he gets a really good start after his rushed arrival.’

She felt Vincenzo’s hand tighten on her shoulder. ‘So there is nothing to fear?’ he asked.

Siena could hear the same note of terror in his voice as had been in hers. Her hand clutched his sleeve.

‘Nothing at all,’ the midwife said firmly.

‘Exactly so!’ The voice of the obstetrician, busy behind his screen, corroborated the midwife’s assurance.

Siena felt the terror draining away, felt Vincenzo’s hand lighten on her shoulder.

She heard the midwife continue, brightly, ‘So, enjoy this time with him, both of you, and then we can get all of you out of Theatre.’

She smiled benignly, then disappeared behind the screen again, where whatever was being done to her Siena could not feel, and right now did not want to know. Because all that existed in the entire world was what was here—for which she was so grateful...so abjectly, desperately, heart-wrenchingly grateful.

The precious, perfect baby in her arms.

Vincenzo stood by his parked hire car, still dazed. When he’d parked the car in daylight, all those hours ago, all that had been in him was the urgency that had possessed him since they’d begun heading to the hospital, the knifing fear he’d been trying to hide from Siena, because it would only add to hers. Now, the entire universe was transformed.

Slowly, he opened the car door, got into the driving seat. He felt overwhelmed, wrung out. And at the same time...

He closed his eyes a moment, feeling the emotion that had possessed him ever since that first frail cry had told him that his desperate prayers had been answered possess him again, more strongly yet. Gratitude, thankfulness pierced him. And more.

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