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I reach over with a placenta pan, pinch the sac, and let the water flow out Bitsy peels the sac off the infant’s face the way, long ago, I pulled the sac off the filly’s face when I ith Hester to the delivery of the foal

"Is it okay?" Lilly whispers "I don’t hear a cry!"

I pull the baby into irl, and she’s fine"

"The eyes are open" BK is seeing for his wife "Now she’saround Here, feel" He takes his wife’s hand and places it on the baby’s sto pink," the husband continues The baby lets out a reassuring wail

That’s when Lilly grabs her up, still ith the cord dangling "Oh,

Tenchair while Bitsy cleans up efficiently What a to do without her if she and Byrd Bowlin"Thank the Lord Thank you, Lord Jesus"

I feel like crying myself, and I’m not sure if it’s from the wonder of birth or just plain exhaustion Then there’s nant women are emotional

I wipe my eyes and watch as Lilly and BK explore their newborn The husband paints pictures for his wife Having a baby with such a husband would be a different matter But I have no husband, no man to share a child with

"I think her hair is going to be red, no surprise," observes the father The new mother pinches the chubby little arms She sniffs the infant all over, holds the baby up to her face, and licks it That surprises ht She licked her baby too

Mrs Wade edges up to the bed She can’t help herself

"Oh, Ma! Look Isn’t she wonderful?"

"She’s a beauty," Mrs Wade says as she pulls Lilly’s hair back and kisses her cheek "Just like herto call her Velvet," the new mother tells us, "because she’s so soft Oh, look at her little mouth, like a rosebud, and her tiny ears, like shells" Lilly’s laughing and reading her baby with soft quick happy fingers as if she’s reading Braille, and it comes to me

We are only on this earth, as far as we know, one time, and we deserve to be happy It’s our job to be happy In my mind I raise my hand, and another hand, my wiser hand, reaches out to