Chapter 1: Nature
Chapter 2: Nurture
Chapter 3: Nurture
“Mama,” I looked up at mother with bright eyes.
“Yes?” Her gaze sought mine over her burgeoning belly as she placed one hand over it protectively.
“Baby?” I asked, reaching out to touch her belly.
“Yes, your baby sister,” she said with a soft smile.
As I rubbed her belly tenderly, my baby sister rewarded me with a thump. I giggled and rested my head on mother’s belly.
“Love you,” I whispered.
“Love you, too,” mother whispered back.
At the time, I didn’t realize that we were both talking to the baby.
~~
We shared more sweet moments like this as mother’s belly grew as if it would take over the world. Sometimes, father rounded out our family of four to shower love on my in utero baby sister. Sometimes, my grandparents joined us to revel in the blessing of our family. Most of the time, mother shared these moments only with me. A soft smile played along her lips as I placed my hand on her stomach for the millionth time that day.
“You’ll help me take good care of baby Maggie, won’t you?”
“Maggie?”
“Yes, we’re naming her Margaret Lynn after my great grandmothers.”
My own lips mirrored her smile, “Beautiful.”
Mother giggled but the giggle faded quickly. She breathed deeply and pressed her hand to her stomach. Her eyes darted to the clock. A little later, the pinched look returned and her eyes sought the timekeeper again.
“Get up, dear,” she gently removed my hand from her stomach where Maggie seemed to be beating out a special message for those of us on the outside.
As I stepped back, she rose slowly from the couch. This proved difficult as she now had both hand pressed protectively to her abdomen. Her face contorted with suppressed pain once more. Finally reaching her feet, she looked back at the couch. A wet spot marked her recently vacated spot. She barely acknowledged it, fumbling for her phone and pressing the screen with a desperation that I had never seen before.
“James, she is coming early,” she gasped into the phone, pausing to listen to father’s garbled response before adding, “Just hurry. This is the third or fourth contraction since my water broke.”
She hung up the phone and nearly doubled over. The phone dropped to the floor as both hands sought to cradle my baby sister. I picked up her phone and looked up at her with wide, worried eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I held to out to her.
“I’m fine, dear. We just need your daddy to get home, so we can get me to the hospital in time to meet your baby sister.”
I followed her as she hobbled toward the door. I still held her phone protectively in my hand, wanting to help but not knowing how.
~~
Maggie didn’t make her entry into the world until late the next day. I had to wait three more days to meet her. Mother and father wanted her all to themselves. Grandma Jane looked after me for those couple of days. She loved me in a reserved way, but for those two days, she made me feel like a princess.
“More pancakes, honey?” She asked, flipping the last batch onto a large plate sitting on the counter.
“No. Thank you.” I took one final bite, chewing and swallowing swiftly so I could ask the question pounding away at my heart. “When do I get to meet her?”
“Maggie? We both get to meet her later today. They are finally discharging your mother from the hospital. Thank goodness,” she furrowed her brow in that way grownups do when they worry they said too much to the child in their care.
I stared back at her without comprehending the concern buried under her words. It would be years before anyone let it slip in my presence that mother almost died bringing Maggie into this world. When they did, she softly whispered that it would have been worth it and turned a smile she saved just for Maggie onto my sister’s upturned face.
I first beheld that smile when father helped mother through the door. A tiny bundle, swathed in shades of pink wiggled enticingly in her arms. Grandma Jane and I rushed forward.
“How can I help, my dear?” Grandma asked.
“We’re fine,” mother assured her wearily.
“You’re here. You’re all here,” I cried with enthusiasm to have my family returned to me after three interminable days.
“Yes, we are. Here’s your sister,” mother leaned forward and father put his arms around her protectively, as if afraid she might fall.
Maggie looked back at me with wide grey eyes, unimpressed. My heart leaped and I knew love at first sight for the first time in my life.
“Hold her?” I pleaded.
“Not yet.” Mother whispered softly.
I sighed and followed in their wake. As we all followed mother and her precious cargo into the front room where a cozy rocker and ottoman awaited the new mom, my grandma reached out to pat my shoulder reassuringly.
“She won’t let me hold her either,” she whispered conspiratorially.
I smiled up at her and reached for her hand. She took it tenderly and I sighed in contentment as mother settled in her chair and we all crowded around to admire the newest member of the family.
Mother cradled Maggie close and started to hum. As my baby sister snuggled into her, the humming gave way to song. My mouth dropped in an awed oval as I witnessed this scene of love. Mother hit each note perfectly as she gazed in wonder at the treasure in her arms. While the sound echoed through me, filling me with admiration, a part of me longed for her to miss even one note.
~~~
Later, in the darkness, my tear-stained cheeks rested against the damp pillow. I thought I felt arms about me. A voice as familiar as my own heartbeat sang softly to comfort me as mother never had. I missed that off key voice and the love that flowed over me, but I couldn’t help but be glad my baby sister had that kind of love surrounding her.
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