Lucy and Tim were so captivated by their newborn, they didn't realize the date until a nurse noted it. "Your daughter was born at 12:04AM on December 9th, 2024," she informed them before departing the room.
They froze for a split second as they struggled to process before her face widened into a smile. "I've fully reclaimed the date," an exhausted Lucy proclaimed, punctuating the end of her sentence with a yawn.
"Thanks for giving us good memories on this date, baby girl," Tim whispered to the sleeping baby.
"You are our best gift, Stacie Hope Bradford, but Mommy really needs to sleep." Lucy yawned again and didn't protest when Tim took Stacie off her hands.
This was the fifth anniversary of one of the worst days of Lucy's life and she'd always live with the trauma but Caleb hadn't taken away anything from her. She was living proof of that and now so was her daughter.
Tim smiled at the baby, in awe of her existence. "I'm right here," he promised Lucy.
"I know you are," she whispered before sleep finally pulled her under.
They had a lot to celebrate now and plenty of time to do it.
