When I finally came to, almost ten hours had passed since the delivery.

I covered my wound and sat up on the hospital bed. The dim light and tightly drawn curtains made the room feel incredibly lonely. Realizing my belly was empty, I instinctively tried to get up and find the baby, but before I move, my sister came in and quickly held me back.

“Don’t worry,” she said, trying to calm me. “She’s in the NICU. The situation’s a little tricky, but the doctors are doing everything they can.”

Tricky?! What does that even mean?

Panic surged through me, and I grabbed her sleeve, my voice trembling. “Please, just...