The Family We Choose

Chapter 49

For the first three years of Emelia's life it was her and her mom, sometimes her Grandma would be around and of course she doesn't remember anything from that time but the stories alone helped her come to the conclusion that things weren't always okay.

Shannon was a teen mom, plain and simple. Her boyfriend claimed that using protection made him uncomfortable and because she was so in love with him she let it be. Cut to a month later when she's barely 16, holding a stick with 2 lines and having no clue in the world what to do.

Said boyfriend couldn't have run fast enough, as soon as he bragged to his friends that he was the first to have sex in their group he was gone.

Leaving Shannon alone and in high school with a growing baby bump and just her mother to support her.

She gave birth alone too, her best friend stuck in school and her mother out of town. It was a nurse, Emelia Valdez who held her hand the entire time. Only leaving her side to grab ice chips.

You know those special moments they show on TV, when the newborn is placed on their mother's chest while they let out their first cry and you just know that everything is going to be okay. Well that never happened. Instead Shannon was the one crying, struggling to hold the baby while she bawled her eyes out until Nurse Valdez had to sedate her.

As far as giving birth goes, this was terrible.

"Do you have a name?" Nurse Valdez asked, this was her 3rd time since giving birth and still every time she picked up her baby she couldn't find a name.

So Shannon shakes her head, picking up her baby and nursing her.

–

Emelia drove herself to the coffee shop that May and herself have claimed as their spot. She was more than happy to finally be going on a date with her girlfriend. One where it could be just the two of them and a night with no end in sight. She figured they would start at the coffee shop and then maybe make their way down to the movies before ending their night at Mays since she was supposed to have the house to herself.

A perfect night, which they thoroughly deserved.

Emelia stole a table towards the back of the room. She snagged it with no tea in hand, deciding to wait before ordering for May to show up. 15 minutes into her wait, Emelia's leg began to bounce under the table. The empty seat across from her was starting to bring her giddy mood severely down, she scrolled through her phone not really paying attention to what was on her screen.

30 minutes in and she was calling May, it took her three rings to pick up and the second she did she could hear the distant chatter of the dispatch center. She was running late, Emelia told herself, giving herself a last second of false hope.

–

She spent 2 long days in the hospital, being tested for postpartum depression and ensuring that when she was sent home, the little baby with no name would be at no risk. Shannon's mom is the only reason she was able to go home on day 3.

Nurse Valdez walks with her to the car.

"You are going to be an amazing mother," she places the tiny human into Shannons arms. Baby Emelia squirms with her eyes closed but relaxes into her mother's touch immediately. For the first time since giving birth she can feel her heart fill with joy. This was her baby, she realized and even if she did it all alone, she loved her.

"Emelia," she says then. Nurse Valdez, with the matching first name, can feel her eyes welling up with tears. "Her name is Emelia."

For the first year of Emelia's life, there wasn't a single photo of her with her mom. Not to say she didn't have photos because her grandmother made sure of it. She knew that Shannon would always regret missing out on this part of her life so there were dozens of boxes hidden under her crib. Filled with photos of Emelia making a mess of the living room or snuggled up in her crib. Some of her favorites are the ones when she is laying outside in the grass or in the living room staring up at the bright lights above her.