I can’t do this forever. Years of tests and doctor visits had left her barren, her hope for a child dimmed to embers. How could anyone leave one behind? This tiny thing that she had prayed for and been denied? Her hand hovered over the baby, trembling as she brushed the blanket back. The child’s eyes opened, wide and searching, as if pleading for an answer.
Clara felt her chest constrict, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. For a flicker of a moment, she let herself believe this was a gift. A miracle sent into her tired hands. But she was still a nurse, bound by duty as much as by her heart. She couldn’t just take the child home, no matter how every part of her ached to.