Later that day
I was discussing names with Jaclyn, Naiomi, and Erik since the baby was less than a week away. We all settled down and took a pad and pencil and wrote down a list of names. One column for boys, one column for girls, since we did not know the gender of the baby. My list read this:
GIRLS BOYS
Donata Donato
Ebony Santo
Anika Joseph
Adrianna Philippe
Natharia
Lilli

We put our lists on the floor and examined eachothers. Eriks read:
GIRLS BOYS
Delanna Dylan
Donnatella Nicholas
Julia Mario
Juliette

Jaclyn's Read:
GIRLS BOYS
Danika Jean
Delanie Leo
Ellie Carmelo
Meghan

And Naiomi's read:
GIRLS BOYS
Nellie Brian
Leanna Bradley
Laliya Brandon

Erik spoke up,
"I really like the names Delanie and Donata for a girl, and Santo sounds nice for a boy,"
Naiomi and Jaclyn spoke and said,
"We second Donata and Santo,"
"So Donata and Santo are the names we choose. If it is a girl, Donata, and a boy, Santo," I said, and I felt a trickle of water fall into my underwear, and I made an unconfortable face.
"Christine, what is wrong?" Erik asked concernedly, putting his hand on my stomach.
"I think I just wet myself,"
Naiomi flew her hands up to her mouth.
"You did not wet yourself, Christine, your water broke! You are going into labour!"
Jaclyn and Naiomi rushed me upstairs and into the room we had sanitized for the birthing of the child. They made me lay down on the bed and Erik ran in and ran to my side just as a contraction ran through my body and I cringed in pain. He heald my hand as another contraction sent me screaming. Naiomi pulled on gloves and helped me into a hospital gown. Contractions kept sweeping through my body, waves of pain as I had never felt before. After what seemed like an hour of contractions, Naiomi told me,
"Push on this one, Christine!"
The contraction came and I pushed. I screamed in agony as I did.
"Good Christine! I see the head! Push again!"
The contraction ran again and I wailed as I pushed. Then it all stopped. There was not a sound exept for the high pitched screams of a newborn baby.

Chapter 13
I heald the small brown-haired baby girl in my arms. She was so beautiful. Wrapped in a pink blanket that was sitting waiting for her, Donata stared up at me with enormous chocolate brown eyes. After staring at her, I said,
"Hello, Donata, I am your mommy. I love you very much and will always love you," then I passed the baby to Erik, who cradled her in his arms as he had so often held me.
"Hello, baby girl. I am your daddy. I may not really be your father, but I love you just as if you were my own daughter," The baby reached up and touched Erik's chin. He smiled and passed her to Naiomi.
"Hello, Donata. Im Aunt Naiomi, and I am one of mommy's friends. I love your mommy and your daddy very much and I now have another person in my life to love," and she passed the baby to Jaclyn.
"Hi little girl. Im Jaclyn. You are such a lucky baby, you already have 4 people in this room who love you very much. The only thing I can say is Ti voglio bene, Donata, I love you," and she passed Donata back to me and I cradled her just as I had cradled my baby doll so many years ago. Nothing and no one could ruin this moment. Not even Raoul.