*The Birth & The Aftermath*

The scent of antiseptic filled Valentina’s nose as she stepped into the labor room, the bright overhead lights almost too harsh for her sleep-deprived eyes. But none of that mattered because Elizabeth was on the hospital bed, sweaty, breathless, and looking seconds away from either bursting into tears or launching herself at the doctor.

"Took you long enough," Elizabeth gritted out between heavy breaths. "I could’ve died."

She barely had time to process the ...