Arrivals in the Maternity Ward

Chapter 6
Ending 1: New Life

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Chapter Description: Ending 1: New Life Maria’s struggle with the choice between Dylan and Stan, son and husband, ends in a decision. How will this affect the little family’s remaining time in the maternity ward? First of four endings of the main story! Based on a chat with an AI about the proper treatment of age regressed people ... I wasn't disap-pointed. Thanks to Areat for going through it and helping me with the polish.

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Maria sat in the quiet room, with her mind very far from being this state. The android's words echoed in her mind, urging her to see Stan as just another newborn. As Dylan. As her son. She couldn't deny the logic behind it. He had been in this room, sleeping in his little crib, having his diaper changed, nursing from her breasts … just like Emily.

Yet, memories of Stan came to her mind. Her husband, strong and protective. She remembered their life together, the warmth of his embrace, the familiarity of shared laughter, the comfort of a partner who had been her rock. It was a life she cherished and longed to continue.

Yet there was another image in her mind and heart. Dylan, small and fragile, cradled in her arms. The innocence of infancy, the subtle weight of a newborn against her chest, the tender moments of nursing – it was the reality of a different but equally precious life.

Maria felt herself torn between these two alternatives, two lives, each pulling her in opposite directions. Stan or Dylan. Her husband or her son. Her mind became a battleground for conflicting desires and visions of the future.

Maria’s eyes wandered to the photos Luna had brought her, now lying on the bed next to her. The one of Dylan and Emily as two year olds playing together on top. The little boy seemed to look at her … Swallowing hard, she stood up, grabbed them and put them back into the envelope. If she continued looking at them she had already decided, but she didn’t want to do so this way. Not based on a computer simulation she knew the robot nurse had created exactly to nudge her into this direction. She put the envelope into the drawer of her side table and took place on her bed once again.

As she sat in contemplation, Maria closed her eyes and tried to envision the future. She imagined the joy of watching Emily and Dylan grow together, the unique bond they would share as twins. The idea of guiding both of them through the stages of childhood, embracing the challenges and victories, brought a sense of warmth to her heart.

But was this enough?

Like in a dream Maria went to the cupboard and pulled out Stan’s and Dylan’s clothes, placing them side by side on her bed. An adult shirt and jeans besides an onesie with tiny socks. The closest she would ever come to see the persons whose very existence ruled out that of the other one side by side.

As Maria touched Dylan's clothes, she marveled at their softness and admired the cute design. The scent of his newborn body lingered on the fabric, a fragrance that felt like an embrace. She found herself yearning for the return of both Emily and Dylan from the Newborn Nursery, their presence bringing a sense of completeness.

Turning her attention to Stan's adult clothes, Maria couldn't ignore the stark contrast. The smell of his shower gel, deodorant, and aftershave felt out of place, almost intrusive in the nurturing atmosphere she wanted for her children. The hard fabric of Stan’s jeans felt so unwelcoming and potentially hurtful.

They represented two worlds, one of adulthood, responsibilities, and memories, and the other of infancy, innocence, and the promise of a new life.

In the pocket of Stan's jeans, she found his wallet. Almost involuntarily, she opened it and pulled out his ID card. The face of the man she knew so well stared back at her, a strange juxtaposition against the cherubic features of her newborn son.

Feeling the need for comparison, Maria pulled Dylan’s birth certificate out of her bag. An official document no one would doubt. The legal basis for a new life, but so much more. As she carefully read through the details, she noted his length and weight – a snapshot of his very recent entry into the world. The presence of tiny feet stamps, a common inclusion for newborns, caught her eye. These feet had never walked even a single step and might never be allowed to do so. Symbolizing not just the beginning of life but the uncharted path that lay ahead, if she allowed it.

“Why don’t you want me?”

Maria's gaze focused on the entry under "Mother." It was her name, seemingly to dissolve any doubt that Dylan was hers. Hers in every sense, regardless of his unconventional way of being born. Her eyes went back to Stan’s ID. He already had a long path behind him. A path that led him to her, so that they now walked together. Wasn’t this reality more worth than any potential Dylan had?

Still not finding an answer in her heart, Maria placed Dylan’s and Stan’s clothes back into the cupboard. When she wanted to put Dylan’s birth certificate back in her bag, she noticed a similar one. It was Emily’s!

Maria pulled it out and compared the birth certificates side by side noticing the similar time of birth, though Emily’s was a few minutes earlier though, making her older than Dylan, if she followed Luna’s arguments about Dylan’s regression finishing marking his birth. The similarities in size and weight struck the woman deeply. Was this a proof that they were twins, born in unique ways but at nearly the same time? Was this the beginning of their lives together documented in the small pieces of paper? And their conception … was their really more of Stan in Dylan than of the egg she had carried was in Emily? Weren’t they both new and unique?

Without being able to help herself, encouraged by Luna’s photos, Maria envisioned them growing up together as twins. At one, taking their first wobbly steps hand in hand. At three, enjoying innocent stories on a daycare playrug. At five, sharing a birthday cake with laughter and joy. At six, eagerly embarking on their first day of school, backpacks slung over their shoulders.

But Emily will grow up without her father, Maria told herself.

A memory of hours before appeared in her mind. Emily holding Dylan’s hand. Sharing her mother’s breast with him, sharing her embrace, body on body. Her daughter might never meet her father, but didn’t she already know her brother? Could she steal him from her?

This is tearing at me as much as Emily’s birth, Maria realized, as she put back the birth certificates. Does this mean I give birth to another child?!

It was a mad thought, yet at the same time felt true.

Maria’s eyes fell on her wedding ring. She had nearly forgotten she wore it! Her other hand moved to touch it. Her heart told her that once she touched it, all would become clear. Her promise to her husband would be renewed.

In this moment, Robot Nurse Luna brought Emily and Dylan back in their transparent cribs.

“Look who is back!” the robot nurse announced. “And how they missed their mother.”

Welcoming the distraction and hardly noticing the android leaving, Maria greeted her daughter with a gentle touch to her cheek. She drank the innocent joy in Emily’s eyes. To her surprise, as she moved to Dylan, Maria found him reaching out with his small arms and his eyes showed a longing fully rooted in innocent newborn instincts. He seemingly had missed her. As she lowered her hand, Dylan’s tiny fingers curled around one of hers, a connection between mother and newborn son.

What are all the rings in the world compared to this?, she wondered. Nothing can bind me as strong as this!

Maria, feeling as if her heart nearly burst with love for her son as she gently stroke his near bald head. The silent connection between them cemented her final decision. Holding back tears, she made an unspoken promise to Dylan. She would protect and cherish him, going the path of his new life with him, even if this meant letting go of Stan. There was just one thing left to do.

“I have to speak with Luna,” Maria told Dylan, gently removing his fingers by stroking the back of his hand and causing his reflexes to open them. “Don’t worry, I will be back in a moment.”

As Luna had already left, Maria walked out of the room, looking for in the floor, but finding her gone. Remembering her words, she turned to another Robot Nurse with the name Lethe on her id-card.

“Dylan’s appointment tomorrow,” she began, the words heavy on her tongue. “It … just cancel it. It is no longer necessary.”

The android nodded gently, her blue eyes flashing.

Maria returned to her room, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her.

Has it really been so easy?, she wondered. One sentences and Dylan remains my son? What if someone asks about Stan’s whereabouts? What about the other doctors? What about the transport home, clothes and …

This was when she heard faint newborn cries and the needs of the present pushed away all thoughts of the future. Rushing to the cribs she saw it was Emily who cried. She picked her up and cradled her, rocking her daughter.

“Everything is fine,” she promised. “Mama is here.”

Maria then looked over to Dylan. He looked upset, too. Either through his sister’s cries or his own discomfort. Still, he didn’t give in to his instinct to cry, misguided by some sense of adult pride a newborn didn’t need. Maria longed to tell him that he no longer had to deny his feelings. That he could cry and his mommy was there to dry every tear he shed. Knowing he wasn’t ready for it, she instead picked him up, too. As she rocked both her children in her arms, Maria felt an unshakable faith. She would be there for them and solve every problem one by one. For them. For her family.

A bit later, she nursed them in tandem as she had before. As she would again so many times. It was then that she knew was the right time.

“Dr. Meyer was there,” she revealed to her son.

He looked up at her, his blue eyes sparkling with interest. His desire to hear news about his return to adulthood clear in them. Still, Luna had been right, as much as he desired to be back to his old life and as much as Emily might wish to return to the womb, it was up to her to do what was best for them. To lead them forward to their life together.

“There has been a problem with your tests,” she lied. “Your progression will be postponed a few weeks.”

Dylan scowled, clearly not happy. Neither was Maria about lying to her son, but she knew the truth was too upsetting for him. He wouldn’t understand it the way his mommy did.

“Shh,” Maria said as he fidgeted, gently patting his back. “It is just for a short while! You will be an adult again, soon.”

He calmed and wasn’t this really a lie? They grew so quick. What were 18 short years? As she wiped his cheek where a bit of milk had escaped his mouth with her sleeve, she smiled down on him. It was no time at all and she vowed to enjoy every second of it they shared.

Gently padding both her children, she began to sing.

 

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream!

 

And it would be a happy dream the three of them would dream together!

 

***

 

Dr. Meyer rubbed his eyes. The last files had been integrated into his reports. Finally he could end this shift … still, out of habit he checked the appointments tomorrow. What he saw made him frown. The appointment to return Stan Lockney’s age had been cancelled. Why?

Using a link, he connected to the maternity ward’s A.I. and with it to the Robot Nurses.

“The appointment to return David Lockney to his original age has been cancelled,” he asked using the microphone. “Why?”

For a moment there was no answer.

“There were medical reasons to postpone it,” the A.I. replied.

“Medical reasons?”

“Dr. Sanders spoke with Mrs. Lockney,” the A.I. replied.

Grumbling about not having been informed, Dr. Meyer tried to reach his colleague, but after some crackling in the line, his phone call wasn’t taken up.

Has she gone home already?, he wondered. Maybe I should, too.

Still, a sense of duty urged him to at least pay the maternity ward a visit on his way out.

Standing up, the older man stretched his limbs, finding some pain in them. As he walked through the hospital’s floor in the evening light, he was well aware some of his younger colleagues, which were often older colleagues, too, doubted his decision to stay this age. Thinking taking some years down might have improved his well-being, maybe even quality of work, but for sure the image of youth, health and modernity this hospital advertised. Still, while fully intending to regress ten years if the work became too much to handle, for now he wanted to experience old age which fewer and fewer people allowed themselves to go through these days. Personal pride? Medical curiosity? Even he couldn’t say.

As he entered the maternity ward, Robot Nurse Luna awaited him at the door.

“Hello Dr. Meyers,” she greeted him. “How can I help you?”

“I need to speak with Dr. Sanders,” he explained. “David Lockney’s appointment tomorrow has been cancelled. I want to know why and why there isn’t a follow up.”

“She has left already I’m afraid,” the android noticed.

“Then I need to speak with Mrs. Lockney.”

He began to walk in the direction of the room.

“It is late and I’m afraid the newborns are sleeping already,” Luna informed him. “They need much sleep. Isn’t it better to clear this another day?”

“I have late shift tomorrow. According to the new schedule Mrs. Lockney will be released in the morning. If I don’t ask I might forget about it,” he explained. “I will be quick.”

The android’s blue eyes blinked. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do this.”

As Dr. Meyer opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about, he felt a sting in his side. Looking around he noticed another robot nurse, standing there with a syringe in her hand. An empty syringe.

“What ….”

The doctor didn’t get to ask more, as but androids grabbed his arms and pulled him into an empty room.

“What are you doing?!” He asked. “You are making a mistake!”

“We are preventing a mistake,” Luna answered calmly. “A mistake based on your misdiagnosis of Dylan Lockney.”

“Misdiagnosis?! Dylan what …”

“You diagnosed him to be an adult whose existence as newborn needed to be ended,” Luna explained. “You also diagnosed his natural brain development as harmful.”

Suddenly the doctor understood.

“Your system came to the wrong conclusion,” he tried to reason with the robots. “Stan Lockney is an adult.”

“There is only Dylan Lockney, sleeping peacefully with his mother and sister,” the robot nurse noticed. “As a newborn he is under our protection … as you are now.”

Dr. Meyer needed a moment to understand these words. He remembered the syringe, not a sedative as he had first thought, but something worse. To his horror he realized he had already become smaller than the androids!

“NO!” He screamed. “NO! NO! NO!”

He tried to escape their grip, but the Robot Nurses not only held tight, they lifted him up, causing him to lose his shoes, shocks pants and even boxershorts. They pinned him on the nearest bed, preventing him from escaping, handling him as easy as they would a toddler. Dr. Meyer noticed them grow larger still … he was shrinking and his shirt alone was already covering him.

“You can’t …” He stopped hearing his voice such young only raised his panic. “I’m a doctor! I order you to stop!”

“Shhh,” Luna cooed. “Don’t worry about your clothes. You will get much prettier ones!”

With this the door to the room opened and a third robot nurse entered. Amongst other she carried a tiny blue onesie and a diaper.

“I am an adult,” Dr. Meyer wanted to shout, but all came out of his nearly teethless mouth was baby gurgle.

Before the door of the room closed, a newborn’s cry echoed through the floor. No one cared, it was the maternity ward after all.

 

***

 

A little later Dr. Sanders stretched as she left her office. It had been a hard day, time for a bit of relaxation. She was nearly out of the maternity ward, when she met Luna with a newborn in her arms. The little boy looked agitated, his face red from crying, his legs flailing.

“Who is this?” the doctor asked.

“Max Burgher,” Luna explained. “He just arrived.”

Using her smartphone she checked the microchip of the security tag around the newborn’s ankle and compared it to his plastic id around his wrist. It was indeed Max Burgher, born this very day and already an orphan, his mother having died on the way here.

“Poor baby,” she cooed, gently touching the boy’s left cheek.

“His initial test showed him healthy,” the android noticed. “Do you want to test him further?”

Dr. Sanders looked at him. His big blue eyes looked at her pleadingly. He opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but of course it was only the hunger showing in subconscious reflexes. She shook her head.

“He seems healthy,” she decided. “Feed him and let him sleep. Newborns need their sleep.”

“Indeed.”

With this Luna left, carrying the bundle in direction of the newborn nursery. Dr. Sanders looked after them, hoping from all her heart that they could give this little one some peace before the Child Protection Service came to take him to an orphanage. After all, protecting newborns was their duty.

 

***

 

In the third and final night in the maternity ward the little family dreamed.

 

***

 

Emily dreamed an unhappy dream, full of things in her existence which were worse since she left the warm place. For one thing she was sometimes cold around her waist. She had never been cold. The other thing was hunger. While she enjoyed the warmth and nourishment of the breast, she sometimes felt something unknown and unpleasant in her stomach. She had never been hungry before! There was also the connection. There had been this presence all around her, part of her as she was part of it. Here in the outside it called itself mama, which was okay, but sometimes it wasn’t there when Emily wanted it to be and this felt just as bad as being hungry or cold … even worse!

All these new memories let her instinctively find place of warmth and comfort again she would describe as home if she had words for it. Warmth and softness around her. Warm water gently rocking her as the being moved. A voice, different from outside, yet still recognizable, speaking with love. Them being inseparable connected by the cord coming out of her stomach to the point Emily couldn’t fathom where she began and the other ended.

All should have been well for the little girl, here in the place she yearned to be, but there was one thing missing. The new presence. The being in a fascinating way like her. Its size like hers. Its movements like hers. Drinking like her … Exploring it with her hands and feet as they hungrily drank sweet milk from the breast had made her feel connected to it. Not as much as to the large being nursing them, but still … In her dream. In the womb. Without consciously desiring it, for her consciousness was still a fragile, forming concept, she wished for it to be there.

Just like that, Emily suddenly felt movements besides her. She didn’t really see anything, but this wasn’t necessary. She knew it was the being from outside and faintly the word Dylan appeared in her memory, yet without more than the most fragile connection to the being. Words still had no room in her mind, so it vanished even as it appeared, cut away by a rapidly developing brain. What was left behind was the newborn’s instinct guiding her and as she felt the other being move besides her in the small, warm and secure place it felt as it always should have been.

In her dream Emily’s hand found that of her brother.

 

***

 

In his dream Stan felt everything was as it should be. He was an adult again, standing in a room with Maria and Emily, giving both his wife and daughter a kiss.

“When you come home everything will be ready,” he promised.

“You take so good care of us Stan,” his wife noticed with a smile. “I love my big man!”

Returning the smile, Stan left her room and walked through the floors of the maternity ward. It felt good to be on the way, on his legs, doing what he should do as new father. Still, wasn’t there something wrong? Didn’t the floor of the station seem to big? Stan shook the feeling off, as his eyes fell upon the exit. Behind it awaited him the outside world full of adult responsibilities but also freedoms, both he had missed. He made a step and stopped. Something was holding his hand, holding him back.

Looking back he noticed it was Emily. She had followed him and now held her father’s hand, clearly not wanting to let go of him. In his dream this didn’t seem strange to him.

“Oh darling,” Stan told her gently. “Daddy has to go and do adult things for you and mommy. He will be back soon.”

Emily seemed to understand his words, still she looked unwilling to let go. Stan sighed and gently tried to remove her hand. Her hand was tiny compared to his, but her grip seemed to be iron. Stranger still, as he looked at his hand clasped in hers, he noticed how hers became bigger.

No, Stan realized. Mine is shrinking!

In a sudden panic he looked around, noticing that his whole body was. Already he was half the size he had been moments before and still he was shrinking. No, regressing! He was already a high school kid. With the sudden security people have in dreams, he knew he had to reach the exit of the maternity ward to stop this, to stay an adult or at least become one again.

In rising fear, Stan tried to remove the newborn’s hand, but it was to no avail. He pulled at his daughter’s arm, determined to pull them both to it, but she didn’t move, only looked at him with these bright blue, eternally curious eyes.

“Emily,” he pleaded, his voice having become that of a kindergartner. “Let me. I must go. I must … I must … maba!”

Shock made him stop his futile efforts. What was with his voice? His words?! He looked at his daughter again, was there now more than curiosity in her eyes? Joy?

As he opened his mouth again, suddenly his legs gave in and he landed on his butt. This was a shock, even more as he felt like he was wearing something to protect him from the fall. Looking down at himself he realized he was no longer wearing his adult clothes, but a blue onesie, leaving his pudgy little legs free. Between them the crotch was sealed with three snap buttons and under it he could see the bulky form of a diaper.

Stan fell on his back as he turned to Emily, the little girl wore a similar onesie, only in pink. Just like him she now lay on her back, smiling and kicking her little legs in excitement. This was wrong, but why did he then kick his legs in similar excitement?

“Who do we have here?” a gentle voice asked. “Two lost babies?”

Stan looked up, discovering Robot Nurse Luna towering over them. Already she carefully picked them up, her artificial blue eyes shining.

“Let’s bring you back where you belong!”

With this she carried them back to Maria’s room.

“Oh, my babies!” she called with a smile. “Were they good?”

“A bit lost,” Luna admitted, handing them over. “But no longer.”

Stan couldn’t believe it. He opened his mouth to protest, to tell his wife that he was really an adult, but all that came out of it was a goo and other newborn sounds.

“Someone is hungry!” Maria noticed.

Stan wanted to protest that this wasn’t true, but suddenly he felt hungry. It was far stronger than any hunger he had ever felt as an adult. A desire racing through all his body, making him tense. It was the newborn instincts now ruling free in the dream, where his concept of self was too weak to resist them.

“Don’t worry,” Maria said, opening her gown and her nursing bra. “Mommy has enough for her little babies.”

A remnant of Stan’s adult self tried to fight against it, but the sight of her naked breast made anything adult fly away like a leaf in a storm. He reached out for his sole source of nourishment, full of desire, feeling the highest imaginable completeness, when his toothless mouth closed around the nipple. Here in the dream, nursing hungrily and still holding his sister’s hand, it was just Dylan, a newborn free of any memory or worry, enjoying the sweet milk and his mommy’s embrace.

                          

***

 

Maria sat on the couch in the living room and watched Emily and Dylan play on the carpet. The twins were three or four, she didn’t know exactly, as it was often vague in dreams. She knew she was dreaming in a vague way and she was aware that she had had this dream before. But something had been wrong. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

What could be wrong here? Her two perfect little blond toddlers were there with her. Emily in a simple white dress, Dylan in shorts and a blue Cookie-Monster-shirt. As his sister played with dolls, he played with small plastic cars. Sometimes the siblings played together or switched to throw a little ball or to build with blocks. They did so harmoniously, supplementing each other without words. How they laughed, when the small tower fell down!

So what could be wrong?

Suddenly Dylan stopped in the play and turned to her, his blue eyes innocent but in pain.

“What is it?” Maria asked.

“Why don’t you want me?”, he asked.

She couldn’t believe what she heard. “What?”

Her son stood up from the carpet his sister still played on and dropped the toy car he had just held. He made one, two steps in her direction and then stopped. Confusion and pain were clear on his face.

“Why don’t you want me?” he asked again, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “You want her, but not me.”

Suddenly Maria remembered. Remembered the loss she had experienced in the dream before so very real … Not this time!

Instead of just talking as she had before, Maria jumped up, rushed to her son and held him tight. His tiny form so fragile and tense in her arms.

“Mommy wants you,” she promised. “Mommy loves you. Mommy will never ever let you go!”

Maria held him for what amounted a long time. She would hold him for eternity if needed. Finally he relaxed and looked in her eyes. His innocent blue eyes looking at her with relief and unshed tears.

“Love you mommy!” he told her.

Her heart felt as if it would burst, but in this version of her dream … this right version of her dream … it felt bursting of love and joy.

With this Dylan returned to play with his sister. The twins locked hand, the crisis which had threatened to separate them averted. Maria sat down with them on the carpet, watching them play their happy, innocent games hand in hand.

 

***

 

The next morning began with the routine Maria felt slowly getting used to. Standing up, changing diapers and feeding the twins. With them off to their final check-ups, she went through the floor of the maternity and knocked at the door of another room.

“Come in,” another woman’s voice called.

Maria did so and found Jana tandem-nursing her twins, Yulie and April, the same way she had taught her. The mothers’ exchanged smiles, entirely unnoticed by the newborns who were occupied with more important matters.

Once the two were lying full and drowsy in their mobile cribs, both women looked down at them.

“They are beautiful,” Maria commented.

“Thank you,” Jana replied. “Yours?”

“Off to their final check-ups,” she hesitated. “I’m leaving soon and wanted to say thank you for your tips and for being there.”

The other woman smiled. “No need!”

Maria hugged her and then gave her a piece of paper.

“My number … if you want to stay in contact.”

“Of course!” Jana said, taking her cell phone from the side table. “Let me give your mine, too. Oh, and please tell me once you have settled at home. No hurry though, I know having twins means stress.”

Maria smiled. Having not wanted to stay in contact out of fear of having to explain the other woman Dylan’s absence, she felt relief, her hesitation hadn’t damaged what might become a distant but consistent friendship. A constant exchange of baby photos and sharing of milestones was for sure to follow.

“You know,” Maria noticed. “I no longer can imagine it any other way!”

 

***

 

Returning to her room, she found Luna waiting for her. Automatically opening her mouth to ask her if something was wrong with her twins, she stopped, when she noticed additional newborn clothes and an additional infant carrier for Dylan on the free bed next to Emily’s.

“A gift from me and my sisters,” the robot nurse explained friendly. “If you give me your car key I can also install an additional infant seat in your car.”

Part of Maria wanted to tell her that it was Stan’s car, but a voice in her mind stopped her, reminding her in a mild tone with a hint of sadness that Stan wasn’t there anymore and that Dylan’s next car would be made of plastic and fit into his tiny hands.

“Of course.” She searched her bag and finally handed the android the key. “I already wanted to ask if I can lend a seat for Dylan and get a taxi …”

“No need,” Luna replied, taking the key. “That is what we are here for.”

In this moment Maria would have embraced the android had it been a human, but instead she watched her go and make her and her twins’ lives a bit easier. This allowed her gathering up her stuff. The new mother put her children’s clothes in her big travel bag, added pens and paper she had brought with her. She then checked the drawer of the side table, touching the envelope with the digital age progressed images of Dylan and Emily, but hesitated. Did she need this?

Not knowing the answer, yet, Maria proceeded by emptying the cupboard of hers and her children’s clothes, until only Stan’s clothes were left, making her ponder if taking them with her was reasonable. Dylan wouldn’t need them anymore and her bag was already full with his new clothes. The old one took place away and their smell of aftershave and deo could disturb the perfect one of diaper powder and baby shampoo. Knowing it was best to get rid of them as she would in a few months of all of Stan’s old clothes, she decided to leave them behind.

Touching them one last time, she noticed the hard round form in a breast pocket. Stan’s wedding ring! Just for a few seconds her tranquility wavered, but a moment later Robot Nurse Ophelia entered with two Dylan and Emily in their transparent cribs.

My bound with my son doesn’t need a ring, she realized and closed the cupboard with her past, turning to her twins with a smile. In this moment she decided to also leave the envelope with the pictures of a possible future with her children behind. We will make our own future.

“Ready for the big journey home?” She asked them.

 

***

 

Just a bit later Maria looked at her bed where her twins already waited fully dressed in their infant carriers. Emily smiled under the pacifier, but Dylan scowled under his.

“Don’t worry,” Maria said, touching his right feet, wrapped in a thick newborn blue sock with little stars. “It will all be better soon.”

With this she picked up her bag and her children, leaving the room behind. She passed the large window of the newborn nursery and stopped for a moment to look at the rows of newborn cribs behind it. So many precious babies. So many new lives. One boy in particular grew agitated upon seeing her, as if he wanted her attention. Maria gave him a large smile, which in return made him scowl as if this wasn’t what he wanted.

“Say goodbye to the other newborns Emily,” she said, lifting the infant carries with her twins so they could see the newborn nursery they spent so much time in from a different perspective. “They are so sorry to have you leave.”

“We all are.”

Maria turned around, noticing it was Luna standing beside her.

“The additional seat has been installed,” the robot nurse explained, handing her the car key. “Let me help you with the bag.”

Maria wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but wasn’t this the same pride which still prevented Dylan from crying when something was necessary? Sometimes they all needed help!

“Thank you,” she said, handing her the bag.

“That what we are there for,” Luna noticed.

“One more thing,” Maria looked down to the infant carrier in her right hand. Dylan seemed preoccupied looking at the floor around him, in a way making him look so my like Emily in the other carrier. “I left some … trash in the cupboard and the drawer of the side table. Can you take care of it?”

The eyes of the robot nurse blinked.

“Of course,” she assured her. “I hope you had a good time in our maternity ward.”

Looking at her twins, Maria took a deep breath.

“Yes,” she noticed. “Oh, yes!”

“This is all I ever wanted,” the android replied.

With this she accompanied the little family out of the maternity ward and on the first steps of their new life that awaited them.

 

To be continued …

 

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