The Switched Heiress

"Push, Ava! One more push." The midwife encouraged me. I screamed as yet another contraction rippled through my exhausted body. Sweat clung to my forehead while salty tears blurred my vision. I gripped the hospital bed so tightly that my knuckles turned white. It had been hours now. I was tired. "I can't.. I just can't do it anymore," I gasped. "You can and you will." My husband of five years stood beside me; he squeezed my hand reassuringly and stroked my cheek with his other hand. "You got this, just one more push." Another contraction came, and I closed my eyes tight before pushing down hard. "Ava?" The midwife suddenly was by my side, shaking me vigourously. I tried to sit up more, but I felt weak. It was as if the room was spinning around me. My heart began to race. "I don't feel well." I muttered. The midwife's eyes widened as she hurried to put an oxygen mask over my face. "Doctor" She yelled. "Her blood pressure is dropping. We need to get this baby out and pronto." I heard someone say. "Ava, everything is going to be okay." Ethan tried to assure me. "My baby, please save my baby." "Ava, we are going to give you something to help you relax." The doctor said calmly and then I felt a sharp scratch on my arm. The ceiling blurred. "Ethan.. please!" His face faded into darkness as my eyes closed. When I woke up, the room was empty. I blinked a couple of times, my eyelids felt so heavy. My head pounded, and I felt so weak as I reached up to rub the pain away. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out, but there was no answer. Where was everyone? And where was my baby? Ethan was not with me, he promised me that he would not leave my side. Confusion filled me. A wave of panic rushed through me. I yanked the oxygen tubing from my nose and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen. "Ah!" I cried out, falling back against the pillows. The door suddenly swung open. "There you are. You're awake." A nurse hurried inside carrying a clipboard, her smile warm but tired. "Where's my husband?" I asked immediately. "Where's Ethan? And where's my baby?" The nurse's smile softened. "Your husband stepped out for a few minutes. He hasn't left the hospital. Your little girl is perfectly healthy." Relief washed over me for a split second. "A girl?" I whispered. She nodded. "A beautiful baby girl." My heart should have soared. Instead... A strange feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't relief. It wasn't happiness. It was dread. "I... can I see her?" "Of course." The nurse disappeared before returning moments later, gently wheeling in a clear hospital bassinet. "There she is." I looked down. A tiny baby lay sleeping peacefully beneath a pink knitted blanket. She was perfect. Tiny fingers. Tiny nose. Soft dark hair. The nurse smiled as she carefully lifted the baby into my arms. "Here you go, Mum." My hands trembled as I held her close. She let out a sleepy little sigh but never opened her eyes. Everyone always talked about that magical moment. The instant a mother held her baby and everything else disappeared. But... I felt nothing. Not love. Not recognition. Only guilt. Horrible, crushing guilt. What's wrong with me? I forced myself to smile as tears burned my eyes. "She's beautiful." The words sounded hollow, even to me. The nurse beamed. "She looks just like her daddy." I looked back down at the baby. Dark hair. Dark eyes beneath closed lids. Olive skin. She looked... Nothing like the little girl I'd seen in my dreams. Every night throughout my pregnancy I'd dreamed about the same baby. A little girl with bright blue eyes. Golden curls. A tiny birthmark just below her left ear. I'd never told anyone except Ethan. He'd laughed and kissed my forehead. "Dreams are just dreams, sweetheart." Maybe he was right. Maybe I was exhausted. Maybe the emergency surgery had scrambled my emotions. That had to be it. Because surely no mother looked at her own baby... ...and felt like she was holding someone else's child. The thought horrified me. I quickly pushed it away. "I'm just tired," I whispered to myself. The nurse smiled kindly. "Most mothers feel overwhelmed after an emergency C-section. Give yourself time." I nodded. I wanted to believe her. I needed to believe her. Because if she was wrong... I had no idea what that feeling in my chest meant. Then the door opened again. Ethan rushed inside carrying a huge bouquet of pink roses. "There are my girls." He leaned down and kissed my forehead before looking lovingly at the baby. For the first time since waking up... I smiled. Behind him was my stepsister, Chloe. "Oh my God, Ava!" she cried, hurrying to my bedside. "You scared us half to death." She wrapped her arms around me before pulling back to look at the baby in my arms. For a brief second, her smile faltered. Then she reached out with trembling hands. "Can... can I hold her?" Before I could answer, I caught Ethan looking at Chloe. It lasted only a heartbeat. A silent glance. By the time I looked properly, they were both smiling as though nothing had happened. I blamed the medication. I had no idea that look would haunt me twenty years later.