Five months had passed since the day Rania lost Arman. Time moved on without waiting for the grief that still lingered in her heart, and throughout that time, Rania continued working while taking care of her pregnancy. Every day felt heavy, but one thing always kept her going: the knowledge that soon, she would finally meet the child she had only been able to speak to through touch.
That day came sooner than Rania had imagined.
Since morning, her body had begun to feel different. The discomfort she initially thought was mere fatigue came more and more often, forcing Rania to stop working several times. She tried to convince herself that everything was fine, but when the pain grew stronger, Rania finally asked Ms. Sari for help.
“Ms. Sari, I think it’s almost time.”
Ms. Sari, who was beside her, immediately understood what Rania meant. Without wasting any time, she helped Rania get ready and took her to the hospital.
Throughout the journey, Rania held Ms. Sari’s hand tightly. Her face was pale, but her thoughts were focused on only one thing.
Her child.
“Ms. Sari...” Rania’s voice was weak.
“Yes?”
“My baby’s going to be okay, right?”
Ms. Sari squeezed her hand more tightly.
“God willing. Don’t be afraid.”
Rania nodded slowly.
But the fear remained in her heart.
Not for herself.
She was afraid something might happen to the baby who, for five months, had been her only reason to keep going.
As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Rania was examined. The medical staff then helped her through a long and exhausting labor. Several times, Rania felt like she couldn’t go on, but whenever fear came, she remembered the promise she had once made.
I’ll protect you.
She couldn’t give up.
Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly.
Rania gripped the fabric beside her hand and tried to control her breathing. Sweat soaked her face, while tears occasionally fell without her realizing it.
“Just a little longer, ma’am.”
The medical staff’s voice was soothing.
Rania nodded weakly.
“Come on, sweetheart...”
She drew in a deep breath.
“Mom’s here.”
A few moments later, a baby’s cries finally filled the room.
Rania fell silent.
The cries were so small, but to her, they sounded like the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.
Tears immediately streamed from the corners of her eyes.
“It’s a girl, ma’am.”
Rania covered her mouth with her hand.
A baby girl was then placed beside her.
The tiny body was still crying, but when Rania saw her face, all the exhaustion she had held inside for so long seemed to disappear for a moment.
“My baby...”
Her voice trembled.
Rania touched the baby’s tiny cheek with her fingertip.
Warm.
Real.
For the first time, she saw the face of the little life she had only been able to imagine for nine months.
“Alena.”
The name slipped slowly from her lips.
A doctor standing not far away smiled.
“Alena?”
Rania nodded.
“That’s the name we chose.”
She paused for a moment.
“Arman and I.”
Saying her husband’s name again made her chest tighten. But this time, the tears that fell were not only from loss.
There was happiness in them, too.
Rania gazed at Alena’s face.
“Your dad must have been so happy to see you.”
Her lips trembled.
“Unfortunately... he didn’t get the chance.”
Rania lowered her face and gently kissed the baby’s head.
“It’s okay.”
She smiled through her tears.
“If Dad can’t see you, Mom will tell you everything about him.”
Alena stopped crying for a moment.
Rania held her carefully.
The tiny body was so fragile, yet it filled Rania’s heart with a new strength.
She no longer had only a reason to keep going.
Now she had someone to protect.
Someone who would become the center of her life.
That night, while Alena slept beside her, Rania couldn’t close her eyes. She simply gazed at her daughter’s face in the dim light of the hospital room.
Her hand slowly reached for Alena’s tiny fingers.
The little fingers moved and accidentally wrapped around the tip of her finger.
Rania froze.
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
“Alena.”
She let her finger remain in that tiny grip.
“Mom doesn’t have much to give you.”
Rania looked at her daughter.
“Mom doesn’t know if she can be a perfect mother, either.”
Tears filled her eyes again.
“But Mom promises she’ll try.”
She stroked Alena’s head.
“Mom will work.”
“Mom will take care of you.”
“Mom will make sure you can go to school.”
Rania drew in a deep breath.
“And someday, when you’re all grown up...”
She smiled.
“I hope you’ll never have to go through the hardships Mom has faced.”
Of course, Alena didn’t understand a single word.
But Rania continued talking to her.
Because for the past nine months, talking to that baby had been one of the things that made her feel she wasn’t truly alone.
The next morning, a nurse came in carrying several baby supplies.
Rania looked at the items with slight concern.
She began thinking about the expenses.
The hospital bill.
Diapers.
Formula, if necessary.
Clothes.
Everyday necessities.
All of it required money.
Rania sighed.
It seemed her new life wasn’t going to be easy.
But when Alena began to cry, all those thoughts came to a stop.
Rania immediately picked her up.
“It’s okay.”
She rubbed her daughter’s back.
“Mom’s here.”
Alena’s cries gradually subsided.
Rania smiled.
She might not have a husband anymore.
She might have to work harder than before.
She might have to face many exhausting days.
But when she looked at the baby in her arms, Rania knew she was capable of trying.
Because now she wasn’t fighting for herself.
She was fighting for Alena.
And without Rania realizing it, the day Alena was born was not only the beginning of a child’s life.
That day also marked the beginning of a mother’s long journey—a journey in which she would give nearly her entire life to make sure her daughter never felt deprived.