When I blinked my eyes open again, the sharp, pungent stench of disinfectant flooded my nose.
The dull, throbbing ache in my lower belly was gone, replaced by the soft, steady hum of the calming device working away quietly beside the bed.
"Mommy, you're finally awake! I was so scared out of my wits!" A tiny, wobbly but bright voice piped up in my head, my son's little baby lilt, thick with worry. "Don't worry, Mommy, the nice doctor said I'm super tough, I'm holding on tight and I'm all good now! But that dummy Daddy outside looks so sad. He's been planted in the hallway like a doorguard, stiff as a board for a whole day and night, his eyes are so red he looks like he could bite someone's head off. No one could talk him into leaving."
When I heard our baby was safe, every coiled, tense
