Just then, a nurse rushed in. “There’s a problem with the baby.”
Elissa stopped crying immediately, her eyes filled with panic. “What happened? What’s wrong with my baby?”
“He has a bacterial infection.”
As part of the routine, the baby had undergone a series of post-delivery checks. “With an infection like this, he can’t be discharged. He needs to stay in the hospital for treatment.”
The adoption couldn’t proceed immediately.
The baby was transferred to the neonatal unit.
Elissa remained at the maternity center. And every day, whenever Savannah wasn’t watching, she found a way to sneak over. She would stand quietly by the glass, watching the tiny figure in the incubator.
He was so small, barely the length of her forearm. His fists were curled tightly as he wailed.
The nurse had to lift him from the incubator to soothe him. But it didn’t work.
Elissa hesitated, then stepped forward with trembling hands. “I’m his mother. Can I hold him?” ? Find?Novel.net
“Sure.” The nurse placed the baby in her arms.
The moment he settled against her chest, the wailing stopped. He lay still, his little fingers finding their way to his mouth.
The nurse smiled warmly. “He smells his mom. He knows you’re here.”
“Really?” Elissa glanced down, still cradling him like he might break.
“Yes,” the nurse assured her. “He was in your belly for nine months. Babies know their mothers. They love their mom’s scent—that’s what makes them feel safe.”
Elissa’s lips curved into a smile. She looked at the infant, brushed her fingers over his hand, and whispered, “You love Mommy, don’t you, darling?”
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“Did you think of a name for him? Most of the babies here have their names even before they were born,” another nurse nearby asked with a smile.
“They do?”
“Of course.” The nurse smiled encouragingly.
Elissa hesitated. Her brows furrowed as she thought of a name for her boy. “What should I call him?”
After thinking for a moment, she finally said, “Locke. Let’s call him Locke.”
“Locke? That’s adorable,” the nurse remarked, then immediately took a pen and wrote the name on the baby’s empty name tag. “We have a name now. Isn’t that great?”
Elissa cradled him close and patted him gently. “Locke… Locke…”
Locke remained in the hospital for two weeks. And every single day, Elissa came to see him.
One night, the wind roared and the rain slammed against the windows.
Elissa woke with a jolt and called out, “Mom?”
To her dismay, Savannah wasn’t there. The room was silent except for the sound of the rain against the glass.
.
.
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