Letters to Kelsey

A couple of hours went by slowly as the big hand finally touched the twelve. The more and more I waited, I wanted it to be all over. Eighteen and pregnant, I still didn't regret a thing. Besides, I was perfectly happy with Noah being the father of our first child, whom waited outside of the delivery room. I couldn't take the pain anymore. Contractions were about a few minutes apart, disabling me to move at all and the worse part of it was that I couldn't take anything to stop the agonizing pain. I wanted to scream, cry, and all the of the other mixed emotions that was present in the process. Trying very hard ignoring the throbbing sharpness of my bulging stomach and pelvis area, I bit the corner of my lip until I could taste blood. Subsequently, I began to feel a little ill.

"Am I supposed to feel like this?" I managed to ask the doctors and nurses around me, which they had appeared to be huge, blurry figures and then everything became sightless.

"Everything is going to be fine, honey. Just relax." One of the nurses answered, in their strong southern accent.

Still unable to see clearly, I shut my eyes tightly and then, opened them again until I was finally ordered to begin pushing. Thank you, God! I thought to myself, feeling even worse--perhaps the worse pain in my life. I took a deep breath in and then, exhaled heavily.

I was excited and I knew for a fact that Noah was as well, indeed. Although young, we were inseparable and nothing was going to destroy our happiness. We were going to share the world together too, with our new baby girl. Her name is Scarlett, named right after my grandmother who died a year earlier. We were fairly close and she loved to work in her beautiful garden. From what I can remember is that, that's all she did, ever and I looked up to that when I was younger.

Little Scarlett couldn't wait for the ride of life either. In that very moment, when I felt her ripping me apart as she pushed and shoved my insides aside; in discomfort--I was flattered. A sigh of relief filled the hospital room as a cry spilled from a small child's lips, covered in blood and body fluids from the both of us. I brought myself to stop breathing so loudly, grunting between my teeth as I did and stare. I was speechless, of course. I never seen anything so beautiful in my life, let alone coming from me.

Scarlett screamed awfully loud as the nurses cleaned her up and then, wrapped her up in a pink blanket. I could see her tiny fists held in the air, in a victorious manner and continued to scream. Eventually, it only produced ringing to my ears. I didn't even cry myself actually. I guess I didn't need to cry to show affection of happiness because I was very happy and that everything was just perfect.

"Scarlett." I finally answered breathlessly, mostly to myself and I was given a damp towel to wipe my face. "I want to hold her." I told them, holding my arms out for my beautiful new born. One of the nurses, Gina McCarthy, smiled at me and brought Scarlett over to me.

By the time she was able to fit in my arms, safely, she was silent. Her large brown eyes gazed into mine as a smile swept across her tiny face and then, it faded. I smiled back, marveling Scarlett's facial features that were similar to her father's. And as I continued to stare at Scarlett, I heard the door open and close. The doctors and nurses were gone, but there he stood, Noah. For only a few moments, we were looking at each other with passion in our eyes and then, at Scarlett.

"That's our little Scarlett?!" Noah replied, seemingly way more excited than what to be expected from a teenage boy with a new child.

"Yeah, come here. She looks like you, baby." I noted, lightly bouncing her in place. Noah walked over towards me, smile huge as a diamond and took Scarlett from my arms. I couldn't help but to admire the bond that immediately became special, between him and the baby.

"She's beautiful, isn't she? A piece of art, indeed." His remark made me chuckle, he always referred something and or someone as a piece of art. In some sort of way, I saw that too.

After a few weeks went by, the world was changing right from under our feet, when we heard that America was going to help take down Hitler and Noah was going off to war, as well. I was completely lost for words and I still had to take care of Scarlett. It was a horrible feeling to know that Noah was leaving us, not to mention weeks after our child had been born and I didn't want him to go.

I didn't think it was fair, although, maybe, it was the right thing to do at that point in time. Before Noah had left, he had told me that he would be back before I knew it and that, he would always write to me. He knew that I didn't feel right without him around and ever since then, we haven't seen each other. Hopefully soon though because I miss him, so dearly.

Three years later...