Sister's Sacrifice

Chapter 17

Daniel stood beside the hospital crib, his fingers resting gently on the transparent edge as he stared down at the tiny miracle sleeping inside it. The baby’s chest rose and fell in soft, steady rhythm. Her fingers were curled into delicate fists, her lips slightly parted as though she were whispering secrets to the heavens.

He swallowed.

Why am I overthinking? he asked himself.

It was Ella’s birthday — the day balloons floated above their heads and laughter filled the air — when everything changed. None of them had known she was pregnant. Not even Ella. She had complained of dizziness and fatigue, and they had rushed her to the hospital thinking it was stress. Then the doctor had come out with that unexpected announcement.

Pregnant.

Daniel had replayed that moment in his head countless times.

He remembered the shock in Ella’s eyes. The confusion. The fear. The silence that had swallowed the room.

Yet here he was now, staring at the result of a journey they never even knew had begun.

Ella will never hurt me, he reassured himself again. She didn’t even know. How could she have planned something she didn’t know about?

Still, doubt was a stubborn visitor. It knocked even when you locked the door.

The baby stirred slightly, her tiny lashes fluttering. Her skin was soft and glowing, a light golden tone that seemed almost unreal beneath the hospital lights. Nurses had come in earlier just to admire her.

“She’s so beautiful,” one of them had whispered.

“Are you sure she was born at thirty-two weeks?” another had asked in disbelief. “She doesn’t look premature at all.”

And it was true. There was no frailty in her limbs, no signs of struggle in her breathing. She looked like a full-term blessing, wrapped in pink hospital cloth, glowing like morning sunlight.

Ella lay on the hospital bed, her face pale but radiant. She looked exhausted, yet joy shone through her tired smile. Every now and then, she would turn her head to look at Daniel, as if checking whether he was still there.

He always was.

Anita stood slightly apart from them, watching everything in silence. Her eyes moved between Daniel and the baby, then to Ella, then back to Daniel again.

The door creaked open.

A doctor walked in.

His face was serious — too serious.

Anita’s heart skipped.

“Doctor… please,” she said quickly, stepping forward. “Why is your face this serious?”

The doctor paused for a moment before speaking.

“There’s good news,” he finally said.

The tension in the room shifted instantly.

“Due to the tests we carried out on the baby,” he continued, adjusting the file in his hand, “it shows she was born at exactly thirty-two weeks.”

Ella gasped softly.

“And,” the doctor added, his tone softening, “it also shows that the mother maintained a healthy diet during pregnancy. She was well nourished. That is why the baby is healthy despite being premature.”

“Oh my gosh,” Ella breathed, tears pooling in her eyes.

Daniel let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Healthy.

That was all that mattered.

“All thanks to my fiancé,” Ella said suddenly, her voice emotional but steady. “I’m sure I will beat postpartum depression with my man beside me. I’m so much in love, guys.”

Daniel smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Anita forced a smile.

“I also wish to have a man who will love and cherish me unconditionally,” she murmured quietly to herself.

Mamacita, who had been standing near the window observing everything, heard that whisper. She didn’t say anything immediately, but her eyes softened.

Later that evening, the discharge papers were signed. Nurses wheeled Ella out gently while Daniel carried the baby with protective pride.

The sun was setting, painting the sky with streaks of orange and purple.

As they reached the parking area, Ella suddenly stopped.

“Babe,” she called softly.

Daniel turned.

“Yes?”

She tightened her grip on his arm. “We are engaged now. We’re fiancé and fiancée. We should start living together. I refuse to go back to my sister’s house. I’m going with you to your house.”

Daniel blinked, surprised by her firmness.

“You know we can’t just do things like that,” he replied gently. “We need to ask your sister. She has been both father and mother to you since you lost your parents.”

Ella looked down.

He was right.

Anita had sacrificed her youth for her. Paid school fees. Stayed up late during sickness. Protected her from harsh realities.

They walked back toward Anita and Mamacita.

“Anita,” Daniel began respectfully, “Ella would like to—”

“I want to move in with Daniel,” Ella cut in quickly.

Silence fell.

Anita’s throat felt dry.

Emmmm…

She struggled to find the right words. Her eyes moved from Ella’s hopeful face to Daniel’s calm expression. Something about it unsettled her, though she couldn’t explain why.

Before she could speak, Mamacita stepped forward.

“Yes,” Mamacita said firmly. “It’s okay by her. You can go and live with your fiancé. I will bring your loads for you.”

Anita turned sharply to look at her.

“Thank you, Mamacita,” she whispered. “I was struggling to say something but you helped me.”

Mamacita squeezed her hand gently.

“I will always be by your side,” she said. “You are my sister.”

Ella hugged Anita tightly.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice breaking.

Anita hugged her back, but her eyes remained open, watching Daniel over Ella’s shoulder.

He smiled politely.

They all departed and returned to their respective houses.

Daniel’s house felt different that night.

It was no longer just his.

It carried the soft cry of a newborn. The scent of baby lotion. The quiet footsteps of a woman adjusting to a new life.

Ella sat on the edge of the bed, holding the baby close to her chest.

“I can’t believe she’s ours,” she whispered.

Daniel paused at that word.

Ours.

He walked closer and sat beside her.

“We’ll give her everything,” he said. “Everything she deserves.”

Ella looked up at him lovingly.

“You’re not doubting me, right?” she asked suddenly.

The question caught him off guard.

“What do you mean?”

She hesitated.

“About… the pregnancy. About how we didn’t know. About the timing.”

Daniel stared at her.

He could lie.

Or he could be honest.

“I was confused,” he admitted quietly. “But I trust you.”

Ella’s eyes filled with tears.

“I would never betray you,” she said. “Never.”

He pulled her into his arms.

Outside the bedroom door, however, uncertainty lingered like a shadow.

Because in another house across town, Anita lay awake in her bed.

Her mind replayed the doctor’s words.

Thirty-two weeks.

Healthy diet.

Healthy mother.

Healthy baby.

But she remembered something else.

She remembered Ella falling sick weeks before her birthday. She remembered her complaints of nausea months ago. She remembered subtle signs they had all dismissed.

Was the timeline correct? Anita wondered.

Something wasn’t adding up.

And she couldn’t ignore the strange unease in her chest whenever she looked at Daniel.

Was it jealousy?

Loneliness?

Or intuition?

Mamacita knocked softly and entered her room.

“You’re thinking too much,” Mamacita said gently.

“I just want her to be safe,” Anita replied.

“And you think she’s not?”

Anita sighed.

“I don’t know.”

Mamacita sat beside her.

“Sometimes,” she said wisely, “when we’ve been hurt before, we see danger even where there is none.”

Anita nodded slowly.

But deep inside, a quiet voice whispered:

Watch carefully.

Back at Daniel’s house, the baby began to cry softly.

Ella panicked slightly.

“Why is she crying? Did I hold her wrongly?”

Daniel chuckled softly and took the baby carefully.

“She’s just hungry.”

They moved slowly, learning together. Adjusting. Growing into roles they never prepared for.

That night, as Ella finally drifted into exhausted sleep, Daniel stood again beside the crib.

The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting silver shadows across the room.

He looked at the baby.

Then he looked at Ella.

Then he closed his eyes.

Ella will never hurt me, he repeated silently.

But somewhere deep in his heart, a question still lingered.

Not loud.

Not clear.

But present.

The doctor confirmed it,I took good care of her.

He looked at Ella and smiled.

Then,he fell asleep.