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“What… what happened?” my mother whispered, her voice shaking.
I didn’t answer immediately. I was exhausted, stitched, sore, and hollow inside. When I finally spoke, my voice was calm in a way that surprised even me.
“I went into labor alone. I collapsed. The doctors said if the ambulance had arrived ten minutes later, Ethan wouldn’t be here.”
The doctor walked in then, his expression serious.
“No,” he said firmly. “He is not fine. Oxygen deprivation caused brain injury. We don’t yet know the long-term effects.”
The room fell silent.
My mother reached for my hand, tears streaming down her face.
“I didn’t know it was that serious,” she sobbed. “I thought you had time. I thought—”
“You thought my pain was inconvenient,” I interrupted quietly. “You thought Madison’s party mattered more than your daughter giving birth.”
She collapsed into a chair, crying uncontrollably. Madison stood frozen, unable to look at me or the baby.
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