Page 48 of Hearts Collide

“So did you,” Ava said as relief finally started to settle into her body. She was still numb from the chest down, but somehow she knew that she was going to be all right, all her worry, all her concern now was going to be centered around this new little girl.

When they wheeled Ava back into the recovery room, Elizabeth was waiting for her, holding their daughter against her chest. She handed the warm little bundle to Ava who immediately pressed the infant to her chest. Her breath hitched as she looked down at the perfect face of the tiny child.

Emotion swept through her, deeper and more intense than anything she had ever felt before. She looked at Elizabeth as she held onto their daughter, and a whole new depth of love and adoration hit her, for her new daughter and for her beautiful wife. Elizabeth’s eyes were damp with tears as the weight of Ava’s emotion hit her. She snuggled up into the bed with Ava both of them staring in wonder at this little miracle they had created.

“I love you,” Ava whispered, and she meant it for both Elizabeth and their new daughter.

“I love you, too,” Elizabeth said. “Both of you.”

“What are we going to call her?” Ava asked.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. “I thought it would come to me once she’s here, but I just don’t know.”

“Hope,” Ava said, and the word settled around the room. Even the nurses could feel the intensity of the name.

Elizabeth nodded. “Hope,” she repeated. “It’s perfect.”