Waiting for Dawn

Chapter Four

A few weeks later, Rebecca stood outside the same office doors once again.

But this time, she wore the biggest smile of her life and cradled the softest comforter in her arms.

Everything had finally cleared. The last approvals signed. The final match done. The waiting over. The adoption process took all of her energy, but gave her so much more in return.

“I knew the moment I saw you,” she whispered to the fabric. “I knew this was where you were meant to be.”

The comforter stirred gently as the tiny baby nestled inside gave a long, sleepy sigh.

She hadn’t opened her eyes once during the entire paperwork process. Not a flutter. Not a fuss.

But the moment Rebecca stepped out into the sunlight, the baby blinked her eyes open, and looked up at her.

A single heartbeat passed. So still. Rebecca thought her own heart had stopped beating.

And then the baby gave the smallest, sweetest smile.

She nestled deeper into Rebecca’s arms, as if she already knew.

This was real. The wait. The interviews. The hope that had lived in silence for so long. Finally, she was hers.

Rebecca gently stroked the baby’s arm, barely believing the moment was real. Just as she began to pull her hand away, a tiny fist closed around her finger.

Rebecca’s heart soared.

She was finally a mother.

She held the baby closer, pressed her lips to the top of her tiny head, and whispered into the rainbow-coloured folds:

“Aurora. My baby.”

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If the ending felt familiar, you may have once read my earliest version of this story “The Rainbow,” written many years ago. This version holds the same heart, just told with a little more patience and a lot more light.