Pam held the baby in her arms, not sure how she was supposed to feel. In every movie she had seen about motherhood, the new moms always loved their child more than anything else in the world, even if they were unwanted at first. But Pam had a strange emptiness in her gut as her new baby cried out in the criminally small doctor's office/hospital. Wasn't she supposed to love this thing more than life itself? She thought she loved Jeremy that much. But of course, he turned out to be an asshole, hitting the road as soon as Pam told him she had been pregnant. Pam wondered where he could have gone. The city, maybe? But what could he do there? The only real skill had was his fishing prowess, which barely sufficed as a career even in Stardew Valley.

Lost in thought, Pam was snapped back into reality when the curtain was drawn back, revealing the doctor Andrew and his young son, Harvey. Andrew started to speak, but Pam couldn't hear him over the baby's cries.

"What?!" she shouted.

"I said, 'How are you feeling?!'" he shouted back.

"I'm a single mom with no money! How the hell do you think?!" she yelled, her irritation growing.

The baby kept crying, and second by second, Pam could have sworn she got louder and louder. Andrew was a little disappointed at this, hoping Pam would have had that beautiful feeling of motherhood by now, as his joy of fatherhood had kicked in a couple days after Harvey had been born.

"Mind if Harvey takes him?!" Andrew asked, wanting to talk to Pam alone.

"Like I care! Go ahead!" she responded.

Harvey went to the right side of the bed, and carefully took the baby, remembering how his father had taught him to hold them. For a moment, he didn't move, and just stared at the infant, unsure what to do. He looked at Andrew.

"Give her this and put her down for her nap!" Andrew instructed, giving him a baby bottle. Harvey nodded, and left the room, heading up the stairs. At last, it was quiet.

"Finally," Pam muttered, rubbing her temples.

Andrew sighed, and sat on end of the bed. "But really, Pam, how are you?"

Pam wanted to lie, say she was doing fine, that she was happy to be a mother, but the words didn't come out. Instead, she said, "Andrew, I can't do this. Raising a kid by myself, especially with my low salary...it's impossible. I can barely take care of me, let alone a newborn kid."

Andrew thought about what to say next, trying to somehow console her. He sighed. "Pam, it won't be easy. I'm not gonna lie, kids get crazy enough even with two parents sometimes. But you can do it." Pam looked away from Andrew, at the mattress, so she could avoid his gaze.

"No I can't," she choked. "Because I don't love her. To me, she's just a problem that I got stuck with because I'm a woman." After saying this, the tears started to cascade down her face, one after another, and she gripped the bed sheets tightly. Andrew looked at her, unsure how to help. He silently cursed Jeremy. How could he have been friends with that bastard? Andrew didn't know Pam that well, but he had thought Jeremy loved her, at least enough to stick with her through this. He stood up, and walked to the head of the bed, where he crouched down to meet Pam's level.

"So you're not a baby person. So what? Some people don't like babies. It'll be different once she has a personality. When she calls you Mommy. When she runs to you to give you a hug. When she makes you proud."

Pam sniffed. "What if that never happens?"

"It'll happen. As long as you're with her and take care of her, it will," Andrew promised. Pam continued to cry, and Andrew put his arm around her. "I know it's really scary right now, but someday you won't be able to imagine life without her." Pam didn't even flinch.

Andrew got an idea. "Think of a name for her. Whatever you pick, it'll be the name you chose. And she'll be completely yours."

Pam calmed down a little, and was able to speak. "What could I possibly name her?"

"Anything you like, that's the beauty of it. You're her mother, so you get to choose. It can be the most ridiculous name you've ever heard. She could even be like, 'Strawberry,' or something."

Pam laughed a little. "Come on, I'm not THAT cruel."

Andrew smiled. "Why don't you get some sleep? When you wake up, maybe you'll have a name in mind, and you can try breastfeeding again."

Pam conceded, sighing to herself. "Ok, sure, I can do that."

Andrew stood up, and closed the curtain behind him as he left. Pam sat there for a minute, trying to think of a name, but she just wanted to sleep, and forget all of this for a few hours. She laid down, and allowed her eyes to close. Pam slept like a log, never even moving from the mental fatigue of the incredible stress she was taking on.

Pam awoke to the sound of the curtain opening. "Pam, time to wake up. Your daughter's here."

Pam groaned and rubbed her eyes as she sat up, wishing she was asleep again already. Andrew had the baby in his arms, and carefully passed the baby over to Pam, secretly making sure she was holding her correctly. Pam looked down at the newborn, wondering what name would suit this little creature.

Andrew interrupted her thoughts. "Want to try breastfeeding?" He asked. Pam shrugged. "I guess so."

As Andrew was helping Pam prepare for breastfeeding, he asked, "So, any thoughts on the name yet?" Pam sighed. "No. Nothing. I have no one I'd want to name her after, girls named after flowers are cliché, and most names just sound so lame."

The baby began to suck, and Pam squirmed a little at the weird feeling. "Wow!" Andrew exclaimed. "She's doing it! Well, you're doing it, but she's taking it! Isn't that great?"

Pam felt guilty, wishing she could get excited at something like this. She felt like an awful mother.

"Yeah," she said despondently, "great."

Andrew saw the look Pam had on her face, and realized what he said might have made her feel worse. When the baby was done, Pam held the baby in the regular holding position again and covered up expertly, to Andrew's surprise. He smiled.

"What's that smirk on your face all about?" Pam asked, a little annoyed.

"Oh nothing," he responded, a little edge of playfulness in his voice, "it's just that I've never seen a mother perfectly maneuver their baby so quickly before."

Pam rolled her eyes. "Stop. You know as well as I do I'm still a crappy mom."

"If you say so," Andrew shrugged. Pam looked at the baby's face, trying to find something about her to love. Pam gazed at her eyes, hair, and small fingers, but she just couldn't find it in her to love this thing, no matter how much she wanted to. Pam knew she couldn't let go of this feeling, like she was stuck with this baby. Like the baby was a problem, not a bundle of joy, not a reason to live, not her daughter.

The curtain pulled back again, this time Harvey slipping in. He tugged on his father's white coated sleeve. "What is it, buddy?" He asked. Harvey motioned for his father to come closer, in order to hear his whisper. Andrew leaned down, and listened, smiling at the end of Harvey's statement. Pam looked at the pair in confusion, curious as to what he was saying.

"What is it?" Pam questioned.

Andrew got up, and walked back over to Pam, holding Harvey's hand.

"Harvey has a gift for you, Pam. It's from his collection."

Harvey pulled out a penny from his pocket, and handed it to Pam.

"Careful," Andrew warned. "The baby might choke on that."

Pam nodded, and took the coin, inspecting it. It was like any other penny Pam had seen. She handed it back to Harvey. "Sorry, kid, but it's just a penny."

"Pam," Andrew scolded, "he's giving you a gift. Take it." Pam had never heard Andrew angry at anything before, and was a little impressed at his ability to switch from nurturer to disciplinarian instantly. She complied, but retorted while rolling her eyes, "ok, ok, geez, DAD." Pam held the penny between her fingers, playing with it. It was really nothing special. Why would he give this to her?

To both Pam and Andrew's surprise, Harvey spoke, eyes glued to the ground. "I... heard you and Daddy talking. I know you need money, and I had some, so..."

Pam was speechless, and looked at Andrew for guidance. He just smiled a proud-parent smile. She had the urge to explain how money worked, and tell Harvey that pennies were basically worthless, but she just couldn't. Even though he was just a little kid, he actually cared and wanted to help. Someone actually cared about her. She might actually be able to raise this baby, if she ends up half as nice as this kid. She gazed down at her baby, knowing she could do it. She could raise this thing. She finally began to feel love in her heart, but didn't even notice. She was too happy. Tears started to fill her eyes as she grinned, and she turned to Harvey. "That's nice of you kid. Thanks." Harvey's eyes were still on the floor as he said, "You're welcome." After that, he left without another word.

Pam could feel Andrew smirking beside the hospital bed.

Pam watched her infant, now asleep, and stated, "I know my daughter's name now."

Andrew beamed, and asked, "And?" already guessing the answer.

"Penny."

"That's a beautiful name," Andrew praised, and was glad to finally see some semblance of happiness on Pam's face, knowing this was the first time Pam had actually felt like a mother. No one said anything for a few minutes, just appreciating the tranquility of the sleeping baby. Pam sighed happily, loving all the little things about Penny. The small mop of orange hair, her tiny fingers, her button nose.

Andrew finally said something in a whisper. "Ready to take Penny home?" he asked.

"No," Pam replied, "but I think I might actually be able to pull this off, a day at a time."

Andrew smiled and nodded, leaving to get her carrier and diaper bag. As soon as he left, Pam removed her legs from the sheets and carefully swung her legs to the side of the hospital bed. Slowly, she stood, still holding Penny in her arms, and slipped on her shoes. Andrew returned with her things, and put his face close to Penny's. "Bye, Penny. It's time to go home with your new mommy, "he cooed, tapping her nose. Pam lowered Penny to her carrier, cautious to not wake her. Andrew tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around.

"If you ever need anything, Pam, we're here for you, okay? Babysitting, a diaper emergency, you name it, we'll be here to help."

Pam nodded. "Thanks, Andrew."

Andrew wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and she didn't return it, but she didn't pull away either. "You can do it Pam. I know you can." He pulled away, and Pam picked up the carrier.

"See ya around," Pam said as she walked out of the clinic, into the crisp air of fall, and into her new life.