UNBROKEN PROMISE

~79~ A girl

After hours of waiting, Oma came out from the room, her face glowing with the relief of having seen Megan through the worst of the labor. She met Jacob's anxious eyes and offered a smile. "Megan's given birth to a baby girl," she said softly. Jacob's expression went from nervous to pure joy as he nodded quickly.y

"Thank you, Oma," he muttered, stepping past her. He couldn't wait to see his wife and the new life they had brought into the world.

Logan, standing nearby, stepped forward to take Oma's hand. He kissed her gently on the forehead, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for how everything had unfolded. "You did good, Oma," he whispered.

Oma smiled warmly, she had stayed by Megan's side throughout the entire labor, and despite the emotional rollercoaster of the night, everything had finally settled.

Inside the room, Jacob had already made his way over to Megan. He ignored the tiny baby in the crib for a moment, his focus solely on his wife, who was lying back in bed, exhausted but glowing.

Jacob dropped to his knees beside the bed and cupped her cheeks in his rough hands. "You're alright?" he asked hoarsely.

Megan gave a tired laugh and nodded. "I am now."

He kissed her then. Her forehead. Her cheeks. Her lips. Again and again. She giggled, weak but glowing.

The midwife was getting ready to leave, having already cleaned Megan up. She had done her job, but now it was time for the family to bond. Mama Becca, who had been busy tending to Megan's needs, gently placed the clean, squirming baby in Jacob's arms.

Jacob stared down at the baby, his eyes filled with awe. He kissed Megan's cheek again before softly whispering, "You gave me this. You gave me her. You gave me everything."

Megan smiled, her eyes brimming with tears. "You're welcome."

He leaned over, kissed her once more, and turned back to the child. He ran a fingertip across the baby's soft cheek, brushing over the wisps of dark hair on her head. "Hi there, little one," he whispered. "You're a lucky girl. You got the strongest mama in the world."

After a while, Megan reached for the baby to feed her. Jacob helped position the baby gently, watching as his daughter latched.

Once the baby had finished feeding, Megan passed her back to Jacob, who received her gently. He sat beside Megan, cradling his daughter and brushing a thumb across her tiny fingers.

At that moment, Mama Becca, who had been in and out of the room, came over to Logan and Caleb, who were waiting outside. "You two can come in now," she said with a warm smile. "The baby's ready for her visitors."

Caleb squealed with delight and darted toward the room, nearly slipping on the rug. Logan caught him gently by the shoulder, steadying him before they entered together.

Inside, Jacob looked up as they came in. "Look, Caleb," he said softly, "come meet your sister."

Caleb climbed carefully onto the bed beside his mama, his eyes wide. "She's so small!" he exclaimed.

Jacob chuckled. "She sure is."

"What's her name?" Caleb asked, pressing close to the bundled baby.

"Miriam" Jacob replied, exchanging a look with Megan.

Logan stiffened where he stood. His breath hitched, eyes pinned to the bundle in Jacob's arms. For a long time, he didn't speak.

Jacob met his gaze and held it. The two brothers exchanged a look, something deeper than words, older than memory. An ache. A healing. An unspoken thank you.