Chapter 248 EPILOGUE NINE.
KAI’S POINT OF VIEW
I’ve faced a psychotic mother, survived the pain of hunger and thirst as a child, and looked death in the eye without flinching. But standing in this delivery room, watching Aurora, my Green fight through the final stages of labor, I have never felt more terrified or more in awe.
"Almost there, Aurora. Just one more push and the baby is here…..i see the head," the doctor encouraged. Aurora’s face was pale, and glistening with sweat, her knuckles white as she crushed my hand.
“Easy, deep breaths, baby…” I encouraged her as well, breathing with her, but she grabbed me even tighter, almost making me wince in pain. "Kai... if you... tell me to breathe... one more time..."
"I’m shutting up," I rasped quickly, leaning down to press my forehead against hers. "I’m right here. I’m not letting go."
And then, with one final cry and one last push, my world stopped. A sharp, loud cry pierced the room, a sound so vibrant, so beautiful, and demanding that it could only belong to a Mercer. The tension that had lived in my chest for a decade finally snapped.
The nurses moved quickly, cleaning our baby girl up and checking on her for everything, and then a small, warm, crying weight was placed against Aurora’s chest. "It’s a girl," Aurora whispered, her voice trembling with exhaustion and a joy so pure it felt divine.
I looked at the tiny human in my wife’s arms; our daughter. She had a thick mass of dark hair and, when she finally blinked her eyes open, they were a deep, beautiful grey that mirrored my own. My heart didn't just beat; it expanded, threatening to burst from my chest. I watched as my wife nursed her, nuzzling her engorged breast to her lips so she latched on and sucked hungrily. Aurora let out a sound that’s both a chuckle and a sob at the same time, her other hand stroking her mass of hair.
"Jade," I murmured, my voice breaking, a tear landing from my cheek to her chest. I reached out, my large hand trembling as I touched her perfect, soft cheek. "Hi, Jade. I’m your Dad. And I promise... no one is ever going to hurt you."
Aurora looked up at me, her eyes wet with tears. We weren't just survivors anymore. We were the start of something beautiful… and our legacy was born.
I continued, vowing to myself that my daughter would never suffer the hell I had to endure at my mother’s hands. I would be a fierce protector, shielding her innocence for as long as I could so she never had to face this evil world. “You will never know hunger. You will never know fear. You will only know light, my precious gemstone."
Aurora reached out, her fingers tangling with mine over our daughter’s small body. We weren't just survivors of our hell anymore. We weren't just the children of monsters. We were the start of something beautiful... and our legacy was finally, irrevocably born.
"She has your nose," Aurora whispered, smiling through her tears.
"Poor girl," I joked, though my chest was so tight with love that I could barely speak.
I leaned down and kissed Aurora’s sweaty forehead, then pressed a lingering kiss to the top of Jade’s head. The scent of her, new life, and hope, filled my senses. For the first time in twenty-eight years, I felt peace all over again; the sensation reminding me of the joy I felt at the fact that Aurora had not died like I was told.
For once in my life, I felt it….the truth that finally; The war was over.