"Thank you, babe, for giving me such an incredible gift."
Aries kissed Liana's forehead, overcome with emotion. The woman had just fought through labor to give him a son.
Liana raised her hand slightly and touched Aries's cheek, a faint smile spreading across her pale-looking face.
"This is a gift for me too, babe. For both of us and for our family," Liana said weakly.
Aries smiled, his expression full of gratitude. He gently stroked Liana's head. His love for the woman he'd married five years ago was immense. His heart had nearly stopped when Liana lost consciousness earlier, but he was grateful that his wife was awake and doing fine now. Liana had been moved to a recovery room.
For five years of marriage, both Liana and Aries had always dreamed that this day would come. At last, after so long, their dream had become a reality.
"You're amazing. Absolutely amazing. I'm so proud of you, babe. Thank you for everything."
The nurse opened the door, pushing in a small transparent bassinet. Inside, a tiny baby boy slept, his cheeks rosy. His thin black hair covered his head, and his hands were clenched as if he were embracing the world.
"Hello, little one..." Aries's voice trembled as the nurse came closer. "This is your son, sir and ma'am," the nurse said with a smile.
Aries lowered his head, gazing at the baby with tears in his eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt truly happy.
Liana reached out her hand.
"Can I hold him?"
"Of course, babe." Aries immediately pushed the bassinet closer to Liana's bed.
When the baby let out a tiny murmur, tears instantly welled in Liana's eyes.
"Oh my God, he looks just like you, babe," Liana said, smiling through her tears.
Aries chuckled softly. "Thank God he doesn't look like me when I was little. You wouldn't be able to stand looking at his pictures," Aries joked.
Liana gave a weak giggle. "What matters is that he's healthy. He's perfect."
Aries took Liana's hand and kissed it.
"Thank you for fighting through it. For enduring the pain. You gave me a complete family."
"You're welcome, babe. Thank you for hanging in there and staying faithful to me alone, babe."
Aries looked at the baby again, then at his wife. "Today, I feel like the luckiest man in the world."
He lowered his head and pressed his cheek against Liana's. "Starting today, our lives will change. But I promise I'll always be here for you and our child."
Liana closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of her husband's gentle hand.
"As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything."
Aries smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."
Their baby wriggled, as if responding too. Aries immediately leaned down, reaching out to touch the tiny hand that finally wrapped around his index finger.
"Welcome to the world, little one," Aries said softly.
"We promise we'll protect you with all the love we have."
Aries looked back and forth between Liana and their baby, his face filled with love and pride. He felt that his life was complete, with a wife and a tiny newborn son. Everything felt perfect.
But Liana wasn't the only one feeling that way. Just two rooms away from where Aries and Liana were enjoying their happiness, a very different atmosphere filled delivery room number 7.
There, a young woman named Reina had just gone through childbirth as well. Her body lay limp, IV lines attached in several places, while oxygen covered her nose and mouth. The heart monitor beside her beeped erratically.
Nurses rushed in and out of the room. Doctor Nadya, the head of obstetrics that night, wiped the sweat from her temple after spending nearly an hour trying to stop the bleeding, which refused to let up.
The woman standing in the doorway, Reina's mother, held back her tears at the sight of her daughter's pale, waxen body.
"Doctor, how is my daughter?" Her voice was faint, almost inaudible.
Doctor Nadya let out a long breath, something she rarely did in front of a patient's family.
"We've done everything we can. The bleeding won't stop."
"Will my daughter survive, Doctor?" her mother sobbed.
"Reina is in a coma," the doctor said heavily.
"We don't know when she'll wake up or whether she'll be able to recover."
Reina's mother's body went limp.
"Oh God... Reina... my child..."