Dolphin Tale 7

Chapter [6]

The moment the nurse gently placed her daughter in her arms was the moment Hazel instantly broke down. She simply could not help it—they had been waiting for this moment for months, and now it was here. It was finally happening.

"Hi!" she said, her voice taking on a gentle, velvety tone as she looked down at her daughter with unbridled joy and adoration. Her heart was so incredibly full.

Sawyer, his hand on his wife's shoulder, looked down at their daughter, a soft "aww" that was filled with joyous wonderment escaping his lips as he watched her yawn and stretch out her arms.

Hazel sighed in contentment, sinking into the back of the armchair as she allowed herself to relax, relinquishing the tension within her muscles. Her daughter lay comfortably within her arms, and the feeling of her tiny body sinking into her embrace was enough to elicit the effects of a compression blanket. All of Hazel's feelings of anxiety were suddenly alleviated as she simply stared down at her daughter, an outpouring of happiness raging through her veins and radiating from her in rays of pure sunlight as her brain released a flood of oxytocin.

Although their daughter was still connected to various machines that beeped and blinked like malfunctioning robots, as well as lines and tubes that delivered essential medicines and nutrients, she was beginning to look more human day by day. She had grown immensely over the two months since she had been born, and Dr. Hanson had been delighted to report that her heart was functioning normally, her lungs now almost fully developed.

Hazel and Sawyer had been even more delighted to find out that, within a month—should everything go to plan—they would finally be able to take their baby girl home. And it was that thought that made them excited to start each new day, counting down the hours until their dreams came true.

But with the elation of the news that they would be able to head home soon and sleep in their own beds came the sudden realisation that the nursery had yet to be completed.

In the whirlwind of events that had occurred over the past couple of months, both Hazel and Sawyer had forgotten that their nursery remained incomplete—IKEA boxes remained unopened, the walls needed a second coat of paint, and they had yet to purchase a few essential items that every nursery required.

The sudden panic expressed on Hazel and Sawyer's faces must have raised an alarm among those gathered around them because Phoebe immediately asked if everything was okay.

"The nursery," was all Sawyer could manage, his mind racing, wondering how on Earth they were going to be able to finish it in time. Sure, they had one month, but there was still so much that had to be done. On top of that, there were still supplies to buy and bills to pay.

The hospital bills were not going to be cheap.

To their surprise, everyone around them only smiled, sharing glances that suggested they knew something Hazel and Sawyer did not.

"Now is probably a good time to tell you that the nursery has been completed."

Hazel and Sawyer's gazes snapped to Dr. Clay who was doing his best not to smile, but his lips were not listening and his eyes were glinting with something close to pride.

"What?"

It was Kyle's turn to grin, stepping forward and slinging an arm around Phoebe. "Well. We knew that you two were going to spend all of your time here being the dedicated, loving parents you are, and we all seemed to have a lot more free time on our hands...."

"Everyone pitched in and took turns working on the nursery," Phoebe concluded, unable to contain her happiness as she watched Hazel and Sawyer's faces cycle through various emotions—concern, confusion, relief, and then back to confusion.