The years drifted by, a slow steady current.
A feeling, a hum beneath the surface,
always just out of reach.
Like a half-remembered song,
a color you almost saw.
Waiting for a moment, a shoe drop, something just on the tip of your tongue.
Then the sterile chill, the bright lights.
A focused tension.
Drowzy, losing blood,
Panicking.
The fear of the waiting, waiting for that
Moment.
The moment you've spent your whole life waiting for.
And then, a sound.
A raw, insistent cry.
Suddenly, the shape of the waiting
snapping into sharp relief.
Tears rolling down your face,
Muscles slumping.
This small, furious sound.
The missing piece, finally found.

Your Son's first cry.