There were too many people in the maternity ward that morning. It was odd for things to be quiet in a huge hospital in the midst of Mexico City. Dr. Alejandro had just finished a cesarean section when he got a call saying a woman was in labor and needed him immediately soon.
He quickly changed out of his scrubs and proceeded to the delivery room. But as soon as he saw the patient’s face, he halted.
Valeria had been with him for seven years and then one day she just up and went without saying anything. She used to be his girlfriend. She was now lying there, sweating a lot, with her stomach tense and about to give way. She was holding her phone, and her expression exhibited both fear and surprise.
“Are you the main doctor?” She said in a quiet voice.
Alejandro didn’t say anything. He nodded swiftly and moved the stretcher forward.
The job got risky. Valeria’s blood pressure fell, the baby’s heart rate slowed down, and something had to be done immediately away. But Alejandro stayed calm, and his staff was uneasy but worked together.
After around forty long minutes, the baby came out.
When Alejandro picked up the kid again, he froze.
The newborn has the same dimples and dark, deep eyes that Alejandro had when he was a kid.
His heart pounded, and the sounds in the room got quieter. He noticed a little blemish on the baby’s shoulder that looked like a rip. It was a special family insignia that his grandfather gave to his father, who subsequently gave it to him.
The nurse held out her arms to take the baby, but Alejandro stopped for a while before finally giving it to her. She gently touched the boy’s cheek before carrying him away to wash and wrap him up.
Valeria was sleepy and resting on the bed. She didn’t glance at him as he got close.
“Why… why didn’t you ever tell me?” Alejandro spoke in a hoarse voice.
Her lips shook as the tears spilled.
I wanted to. But everything around me was ruined. My parents pushed me, and you were preoccupied with work… “I thought you would leave me and hate me…”
Alejandro stayed there for a time, then took the wrapped baby back. His hands were shaking. He felt a great wave of recognition and revelation flood over him, awakening up a strong instinct: the instinct of a father.
—Valeria… He stated firmly, “No matter what happened in the past, I will never leave you or our son.”
Finally, she looked up, her eyes red but full of fragile hope. The baby’s wail resonated through the hallway, letting everyone know that he was there and that two souls that had lost each other were now together again.