Chapter Text
When she woke up from the dreamless nap she'd taken and the little pinkish bundle was, once again, placed in her arms, Angela realized she was frightened. There had been no time to be scared when she held her bloodied child on her arms for the first time, shaking and crying, as there was room for little more than fascination and a convoluted, gigantic affection that she couldn't handle yet. She recalled spewing greetings and promises with a raspy voice, unaware of her own words, the raw scent coming from both of them, and little else.
Now that they had both rested a little and started to understand their new places in this world, Angela could allow herself to be taken aback by that small, toothless human tucked in her arms. No matter how many times she had seen babies in the hospital; this felt completely unprecedented. Now, she realized, her job had just started.
Angela shifted in bed, carefully unwrapping the child just enough to examine their body. She could see a small bump in their chest, thumping quickly, and a shiver went down her spine realizing the baby's little heart was just a few thin layers of skin and muscle away. Their wrinkled face contorted slightly, making a small squeal when they yawned. Angela trembled more.
It was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard, and the strangest. She wondered if laughing at that poor little creature would be acceptable for a new mom. But then again, there was no one to judge her there, so she chuckled delightfully.
Her baby was the cutest wrinkled thing in the world and made the funniest sounds, and was delicate as a milhojas. Angela caressed their nearly inexistent fair hair with the tip of her fingers and wondered if it'd get darker with time. She stared deep in their greenish eyes and wondered if they'd stay like that.
Probably not, but still it was a spark of herself in another person, in the most intimate way. She'd touched lives from all around the world, twisting organs and bringing people back to health for years now. Her mark was burned on every one of them. But this time it was from inside out, flesh she built and nurtured in her own entrails, and that now was someone who was breathing and producing lovely sounds. She believed they had all fingers and toes (she didn't check) and that their insides were okay (she didn't ask) and that they were overall healthy, that there was nothing to be aware about (she couldn't know). She also believed they were a boy, but that was something she'd have no say in their life.
Angela realized she was crying when tears fell on the child's blanket. She nonchalantly wiped them from their face, knowing too well they were from sheer fear. It'd been a long time since she was that afraid.
But they were worth it. And she placed a tender kiss on their forehead, lowering her head to touch the tip of their nose with hers, grinning just for them.