[Bonus chapter] After the Ordeal

Melody's body still trembled from the exhausting ordeal it had endured. The doctor's words about forgetting the pain seemed far from the truth. In the moments of fleeting rest, she would awaken drenched in sweat, her heart pounding, and the memories of the arduous hours of pushing flooding back.

The catheter's intervention had been a saving grace, but the agony still lingered, intensified by the doctor's relentless shouts to push harder, as if she hadn't already given her all.

That struggle, as challenging as it was, turned out to be the easier part. Now, the precious life she had brought into the world relied on her for everything outside of the womb. Every breath, every need had to be fulfilled through her efforts.

Today was no different. Melody spent a few hours nursing or dozing with her nipple in his mouth—she kept counting anyway. During the remaining hours, she had to keep him in her arms, or his cries would pierce the air.