Her hand drifted unconsciously toward her stomach.
The movement was so natural now that she rarely noticed herself doing it.
Could she really be a mother?
The question surfaced quietly but refused to disappear.
Daniella had never doubted her ability to fight.
She had never doubted her ability to endure hardship.
Life had forced her to learn those skills long ago.
But motherhood felt different.
Far more frightening.
Children didn't come with instructions.
Nobody handed out manuals explaining what to do when a baby cried endlessly through the night.
Nobody taught you how to know whether a fever was dangerous or harmless.
Nobody prepared you for the responsibility of shaping another human being.
Watching Felicia hold her son only made the uncertainty worse.
Everything appeared so natural.
So effortless.
The baby cried.
Felicia adjusted his blanket.
The baby cried again.
She shifted him against her shoulder and gently rubbed his back.
The fussing gradually eased.
