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she didn’t want to miss it when the butterfly finally came out. One day, on a bright Saturday afternoon, she came downstairs with her pointless scissors, marching toward the front-yard.
“What are you doing, Honey?” Mark asked.
“I am going to free the butterfly,” Sophie answered, sounding very resolute.
Mark laughed and explained to Sophie why this wasn’t a good idea:
“Getting out of the cocoon is probably one of the hardest things this butterfly will ever do,” said Mark, “but she needs to do it by herself, so she can build enough strength in her wings to fly. Besides, we don’t know if she is ready to come out yet.”
“But when will it be though?” Sophie asked.
“Only nature can tell,” said Mark.
A few hours later, Cecile started to have contractions. Neither Mark nor Cecile wanted to wait and see if it would pass: they decided to drive to the hospital, as contractions were becoming alarmingly long and frequent. They dropped Sophie at their neighbor’s house, who was already prepared for the possibility of such an emergency. Once they got to the hospital, Cecile’s water broke. She was 6 weeks earlier than the predicted birth date, and due to the high-risk nature of her pregnancy, a normal birth was out of question. The doctor decided for an emergency C-section, and if everything went well it would be over in a few hours.
Little Mary was born without crying, was pink and looked very fragile. She was rushed to the incubator as soon as she was born, without proper welcoming from the family. Later, when Cecile was feeling better, Mark rolled her wheelchair down the hospital hallway so they could finally meet their daughter.