Jenny opened her tired eyes to the sight of her husband Charlie asleep beside her. Yawning, she stretched out her fins and turned toward the back of the house where her guppy daughter Dory lay sleeping on a purple shell. She smiled at the innocent sight before her and carefully gathered her baby girl into her fins. Her labor had been long and tiresome, but every second of pain had been worth it to hold her little girl. The second Charlie had put her in her fins, Jenny had found her purpose in life. It was to love and protect the tiny egg in her fins.
It had only been a few short days since Dory had been born, but it had triggered monumental changes in both of them. Charlie had fallen in love with their daughter, and Jenny had sacrificed all of her rest the past few days to care for her. Her body was getting accustomed to the lack of sleep. The thing she worried most about though was the idea that she might forget these precious moments with her little girl because she hadn't slept well in days. Now though, it seemed ridiculous. How could she forget something so beautiful?
She cradled the little egg close to her and began to sing quietly to her little one, enjoying the closeness and the quiet. Her heart was bursting with love for her daughter, and it seemed incredible that a few short days ago Dory hadn't existed. Now she couldn't imagine life without her. She looked at the egg in her hands, and imagined the life her daughter would have. Who she would grow to be, what dreams she would chase, and what struggles she would overcome. She shuddered to think of her baby girl getting hurt in any way. As a mother she would have done anything to protect her from all heartache, but she knew in her own way that her daughter would push through it all and come out stronger.
"Mommy loves you so much, sweetheart." She whispered.
She watched her daughter for a few minutes before looking out the front of her home. It seemed like everyone was getting up and ready for the day. As much as she enjoyed the promise of a new day, she didn't want this moment of peace with her daughter to end. She knew from her friends that babyhood and childhood were fleeting. These moments wouldn't last forever, no matter how much she wished they would, so she had to live in every moment while she still could. She rocked her daughter gently and watched her neighbors and others in the Open Ocean exhibit come to life in the early hours of the morning.
Jenny watched a few moments more before turning back to her daughter. Dory would be waking up soon, and would probably be hungry. Charlie would get the both of them something to eat, and then would take Dory for a swim around the neighborhood while she cleaned up around the house. It was something special that the two of them always did together. The rest of the day would be spent doing family things together and relaxing. Charlie would put an arm around her as he went to sleep and she would drift off until Dory needed her. Each day would run into the next until their little girl grew big enough to do things on her own. That's when the real adventure would begin. Teaching their little girl what she'd need to know to make it through life.
She looked down at the precious egg in her fins. She would never stop loving her beautiful daughter. She was already so amazing at only a few days old. Jenny wondered what she would be like once she hatched. Her daughter's whole life stretched endlessly before her. She couldn't imagine what her daughter would do with the life she'd been given, but Jenny knew that if she had her way she wouldn't miss a moment of it.
Charlie began to stir in front of her, and she smiled. He opened his bleary eyes and turned around, smiling tiredly at his wife and daughter. He smiled tiredly, swam over to his wife, and kissed her on the cheek.
"Good Morning, honey." He said. Jenny smiled at him.
"Good morning. How are you doing today?" She said with a smile.
"Tired, but good." He replied, and then turned to the egg in his wife's fins. "And how's our little kelpcake today?" He cooed, a grin stretching over his face.
Jenny chuckled a little as he leaned over their daughter. "She's good. I think she's going to be hatching soon."
"I don't even want to think about that until we have to." He said, putting a fin around his wife.
"I know. She's growing up so fast... soon she'll be swimming all on her own and saying her first words and going to school... and then she'll find someone and get married and be raising her own family before we know it..." Jenny's voice cracked, and she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down honey." He soothed. "Lets not get ahead of ourselves. We still have today."
"You're right, you're right... I just can't help but worry. I just wish she could stay this way forever. We could always protect her and keep her safe." She said, cradling Dory closer to her.
"I know. But we have to let her go or she'll never grow." He said quietly. Jenny nodded. Charlie purposefully brightened his smile. "How about I get us something to eat, hmm? Maybe that's a better way to start the day!"
Jenny smiled and nodded, kissing her husband on the cheek. He kissed her cheek, kissed Dory, and went off in search of food. Jenny stood in the doorway of their home, watching the sea life around them for a moment or so before turning to her daughter.
She smiled, kissed her gently, and said: "No matter what happens in our lives, I will always love you, Dory. And I will always be with you."