Hannah smiled happily, but when I glanced at my brother, he was staring blankly at the dark screen as if he had seen something terrible.

He did not say a single word during the entire drive back home that afternoon.

Then came the day in the labor room, where the bright lights made everything feel intensely real.

“One more big push, Nora, you are almost there,” Nurse Megan said gently while encouraging me through the intense contraction.

I gripped Nurse Megan’s hand firmly, focused all my remaining energy, and pushed with everything I had left in me.

A moment later, the room echoed with the high-pitched sound of a newborn baby crying for the very first time.