NEW LIFE THE NOW

JOSH

The labor ward felt heavy with a mix of emotions-hope, fear, and exhaustion. I sat in one of the stiff hospital chairs, my sweet baby girl cradled in my arms. She was wrapped in a soft pink blanket, her tiny face scrunched in sleep, her little lips making occasional sucking

motions. She was perfect-every inch of her.

Luke sat beside me, his knee bouncing up and down like a nervous tic. He was waiting, glancing at the clock every few seconds, waiting for Jess and their baby to join us. Jess had been in the theater for an emergency procedure, and Luke had been there with her. But their little boy had been taken for checks and tests, leaving Luke pacing and restless ever since. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor," I said, breaking the silence.

Luke shot me a look, but his lips twitched into a brief smile. "I can't help it, man. I just need to see them both. I need to know they're okay."

"I get it," I said softly, glancing down at my daughter. "Believe me, I get it."

My own nerves were frayed to the breaking point. It had been two months since Laura went into the coma. Two months of

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now, with her pneumonia, I couldn't even go in to see her. The doctors had warned me about the risk of giving Asha a lung infection, so I kept my distance. The guilt was

opening snapped me out of my thoughts. Luke shot to his feet as nurses pushed Jess into the

face was everything-relief, joy, and overwhelming love. He rushed to her side,

couldn't help but smile at the scene. "Don't worry, baby girl," I whispered to my daughter, even though my heart

I hated that. The doctors had been cautious with their words, never giving me the certainty I craved. Laura had fought off the pneumonia

worse news.

in my mind, the way the doctor

think like that. Laura was strong. She had to

had curled around the edge of her blanket, and her face was so peaceful it almost

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earlier, and something about the name had stuck. Asha-it meant life and hope. And that's exactly what she

testing the name out loud. It

holding his baby boy

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