THIRTEEN
Family
Witnessing Laina give birth had been both exciting and terrifying. Unlike Joel, who seemed to cope well with the stress, he had spent most of the Laina’s labour bumbling around, unsure of what to do. Then there was Kai – who insisted on staying by his mother’s side – with his incessant questions, all of which Laina tried her best to field, despite her physical exhaustion. It was not until the day after her water had broken that Laina went into labour. Her contractions were strong, and with limited access to pain relief medication, Laina did well to weather the ordeal. Several times, Kai had burst into tears due to the stress and worry of seeing his mother in pain. Ironically, Kai’s presence, in particular his relentless questioning, had helped Laina by providing a u
