Rina awoke to birds singing merrily outside her hospital room window. This room was Mars to her, so new and strange. Worry sprang into her head, wondering why she was in the hospital. Then she remembered, the tourturing pain and small mass she gave birth to less than 12 hours ago. Her body was overcome by an aching sensation that she had never experienced before. She slowly sat up in bed and grazed her cold hand over her blue hospital gown. She couldn't believe it; her stomach had return to its original size. 'Where was everyone?' she pondered, seeing no one by her side in the room. Her head was pounding, but all she was conserned with was finding where her baby was taken. She slipped on a pair of chincy hospital slippers and crept out of her room.

The hospital was quiet that morning, the only sounds being the occasional call over the intercom and the sqeaks of hurting wheels on the breakfast carts. Rina's eyes laid on Dr. Jing walking briskly toward her. "Dr. Jing," Rina cried to her, shuffling as fast as she could go, "What happened? Where's Angelina?"

Dr. Jing smiled at her, patting her shoulder tenderly. "She's alive but not stable. She's at the neonatal intensive care unit down the hall and to the left."

"Thank you," Rina whispered as she held her hand to her pounding head and walked as quickly as she could to her baby. Her feet couldn't take her there fast enough. Wheezing and absolutley fatigued, she rounded the corner.

A chill was sent down her spine as the growing cries of babies slipped through the glass. She walked to the window, her eyes scanning over the dozens of babies laying drowsily in their beds. They all looked the same, how would she find Angelina? She placed her right palm against the glass and her mouth slightly ajared at the sight her eyes had the displeasure to see.

A baby girl was in an incubator, her body not much more than a foot long. She laid stiff and pale, tiny tubing sprawled from her chest, arms, nose and legs. Petite deep-purple veins tattooed her body from her round head to her tiny feet. The only sign of life was the laggard beeping of the heart monitor. Rina prayed to herself so hard that Angelina's eyelids the size of peas would fire open, that Angelina was playing a cruel trick on Mommy but of course, Angelina wasn't; it was beyond her control. Rina's eyes became pools of tears as she held her left hand to her mouth to brace her cries. Suddenly, someone's hand grazed her back.

"Whoa, it's OK, Rina," Chris told her when she backed away. Rina looked at him like he was a stranger. Chris noticed her face was experincing the stress and pain of motherhood, pimples raising where they please and darkness encomassing her hazle eyes. Her eyes itched red and wet with tears as she leaped into his arms. "Everyone's sleeping in the waiting room. I was just getting a drink of water when I saw you..."

"Look at her, Chris," Rina told him, hurt spitting from her tone as they both locked eyes wearily on Angelina's incubator.

"She's got the strenght of her mother," Chris said with a smile, a single tear rivering down his tanned cheek and finding a resting spot on his quivering lips. Rina noticed Chris's hair wasn't up to his usual standards; it hung at its sides and was starting to frizz. This made her smile inside, but she quickly retorted the smile.

"How can you say that?" Rina asked slightly exasperated, whipping her hands over her salty tears as Chris comfortly hooked his arm around her waist. "She's so small, so fragile."

"Some of the most strong, powerful people were once small and fragile," Chris informed her, his eyes immoble from his falling daughter.

"True," Adrienne whispered almost inaudiably, wrapping both of her arms around his waist. She lounged her head on Chris's shoulder, droplettes of distress still trickling down her frigid cheeks. Their tears touched the floor; everything in the hospital becoming mute to their ears. They needed each other at that moment. It was so hard to look at such an innocent creature suffer and maybe ultimetly, be raised from her incubator to join the Lord above.

"You know what?" Chris broke the silence, inching his hand to Rina's around his waist. Rina raised her head and looked at him curiously, her eyes glassy. Chris glanced down at her, a small smile sliding onto his damp lips. The next thing he said had to be the most honest thing ever said to Adrienne. He looked back at Angelina and stated with pride "If she's taken from us, she'll be the most beautiful angel, forever looking down on us and smiling."