Leaving Eva (The Eva Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

inside and she screamed, loud and long. Just when she thought she couldn’t do it any longer, she heard a cry.
    Thank God! It was finally out!
    The other nurses quickly whisked the baby away while Ellie’s nurse squeezed her hand and hugged her hard. Through the haze of exhaustion, Ellie could hear the other nurses in the room whispering in hushed voices. The nurse looked at Ellie, wearing an expression that the girl couldn’t read. “You did a wonderful job,” she said to Ellie smiling under her mask, her beautiful blue-gray eyes glistening. Ellie looked up and smiled weakly. The nurse hurried over to the other nurses with the baby.
    “I’m going to push on your belly, and you will feel pressure while we get the placenta out,” the doctor said. Ellie was so tired that she didn’t care. She just wanted to sleep. Her eyes were closing uncontrollably and she was drifting. Momma, I miss you. I wish you were here to tell me that everything was going to be okay.
    Ellie felt as if she were dreaming about the last time that she saw Momma. She could see them standing in the foyer of their big house and Daddy was yelling. Momma was standing behind him sobbing loudly, but nodding in agreement. Ellie felt tears on her cheeks. I miss you both so much.
    Ellie heard a tiny cry. She quickly opened her eyes, feeling her heartbeat quicken. My baby ! “How is my baby?” She said weakly.
    “She’s doing pretty well. Her Apgar is a little lower than we like, but we will just keep an eye on her,” one of the nurses she had not met said brightly. “She is five lbs., two ounces, and nineteen inches long!”
    Apgar? What is that? “Is that good?” Ellie didn’t understand.
    “Your baby is a little on the smaller side, but we will just have to teach you how to fatten her up. Do you want to see her?” Ellie heard her nurse’s voice, and she felt better. She felt lost without her and was relieved that her nurse was still there. The shift had already changed over once, but her nurse stayed with her.
    Ellie’s nurse knew her shift had been over hours ago, but she couldn’t leave. She was drawn to Ellie’s helplessness in a way that didn’t happen with all of her patients. She had two daughters to go home to, and she would never want them to be as alone as Ellie. She had been a nurse for a long time and was typically a favorite amongst the patients because of her compassion and sincerity and this time was no different. Something inside of her told her that Ellie would need her, and she wasn’t ready to leave just yet.
    “Yes! Yes! Please, let me see my baby!” Ellie suddenly felt eager and excited for the first time since she found out she was pregnant.
    It was a girl! Her heart was full of pride and happiness at the thought of having a daughter. Ellie hadn’t even allowed herself to think of the baby as a person referring only to as it in her mind. And now she felt a flutter in her chest, suddenly realizing that her baby was real and she could actually hold her.
    My baby! Ellie was no longer tired and suddenly nothing else mattered than to see and hold her baby.
    Her nurse brought the tiny bundle to Ellie and laid it in her arms. She arranged Ellie’s arms around her daughter, holding her own hands over hers for a moment as if to seal them there. “Here’s your sweet girl,” her nurse said smiling. The nurse never grew tired of this moment, and wrote it in her heart every time she introduced the parents to their children.
    Ellie took a deep breath and looked into the blanket. Oh my! She’s so small!
    The baby’s face was dark and wrinkled with tiny lips that were slightly purple and puckered. Ellie tentatively pulled the blanket back and reached for her tiny fingers. One by one she touched them staring at each one for long moments. “So perfect!”she sighed, her voice barely audible.
    Each tiny fingernail amazed her, and Ellie was in awe. The baby’s skin was so soft, like rose petals, and when she pulled her close