Forever Sisters

Being an only child for the first twelve years of my life, I didn't know what to expect. My thoughts were in a jumble. The only thought I could decipher was nervousness, and lots of it. Everything seemed like a dream, but here it was. The moment I had been waiting ever so patiently for.

I strode down the pristine white hallway, glancing at the occasional picture of adorable babies in various positions. It was all clean and white, with the exception of the machines in the hallways, pictures on the walls, and nurses in blue scrubs. All that could be heard was the steady rhythm of machines beeping, the murmur of nurses chatting quietly, importantly, and our own footsteps against the off-white tiles.

My father comes to a halt in front of a brown, wooden door. He grips the shiny, silver handle before looking at me. Our eyes lock, and I realize that this is the moment I was waiting for.

"Are you ready,” he inquires, voice a soft whisper. I could only nod in reply, my heart ramming in my chest like a jackhammer. Suddenly, I felt scared, but also excited.

My dad heads into the room, and all I get is a glance at the darkness that lies beyond. It's my turn to grip the handle. The metal is cool against my skin, almost comforting. For a fleeting moment,I have my doubts and worries. I quickly shake my head, banishing the smallest notion of the thoughts. I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath, the sterile hospital smell filling my nose and lungs. I can only see the darkness behind my closed eyes. I'm not completely ready, but better now than never, so I open my eyes, pulled away from the comforting oasis of my mind. I smooth my hair back into it's low ponytail. I straightened my lacy, white shirt. My hand tightens on the handle and I step forward. The door sweeps across the floor quietly, quickly. I shuffle into the dark room.

I was met by a floor to ceiling curtain about five feet away. I stride forward and open the curtain a small bit, ducking underneath, into the spacious room that lay in front of me. I stand in front of the curtain as it swoops downward, closed again. I feel two sets of eyes fixed on me, but I ignore them as I drink in the sight of the room. The paint job was of course, white, like the rest of the hospital. The wall behind me was bare, the curtain being the only adornment. On the wall to my right, was a television. It was off, a blank screen staring straight ahead. In the right-hand corner on the wall across from me was a rocking chair. The rocking chair had a mountain of objects piled on it. Clothes, toys, socks, shoes, and bags were everywhere. I slide my eyes to the last wall, now here was something interesting. A soft chair placed by the bed in the middle of the room. In that bed was my mother, smiling at me happily. She looked tired, and her shoulder length brown hair was down, instead of in its normal ponytail. But what was that she was holding? It looked like a pile of blankets. Could it be? The thing I have been waiting for? Of course it was, it could be nothing else.

"Come here, beside me,” Mom said.

"Coming!" I replied, making my way to her side.

I could see the bundle more clearly now. Wrapped up like a Christmas present in blankets, I couldn't see much. I knew what it was though. To be more specific, who she was. Her name was Piper. Piper Jane, my baby sister. It was in that moment that I fell in love.

"I have something for you, go look in my purse,” my mom instructs. I find her purse and rummage through it, picking up a blue drawstring bag and holding it up. "This?" I ask.

"Yes, look inside,” Mom answers. I peek in the bag and draw out a beautiful infinity ring, engraved with the words "forever sisters" in elegant script. I slip the silver ring on my ring finger. It's the perfect fit.

"Thank you," I say, admiring the ring on my hand.

"Would you like to hold her,” my mother says in a hushed whisper.

"Yes!" I whisper back, my excitement seeping into my voice.

I sit down on the nearest chair, a dark green cushioned armchair right next to the bed. My dad, who had been silent, tiptoed over and gently scooped the infant from my mom's arms. I held out my arms the way I had been taught, and he placed the warm weight of the baby in them.

"Be sure to support the head,” he says gently.

"I know.” I reminded him, not daring to move in fear of waking the baby. She sleeps soundly, and I wonder if she has both of my parents brown eyes. I think that she will, when she opens them. Her skin is pink, almost a red color. I trace her cheek with the tip of my index finger, slowly, softly. Her skin is warm, soft and smooth, just like how I had imagined. I could see the thin dusting of black fringe on top of her head, like my dad. Looking at her face closely, I realize she is a carbon copy of my dad, in looks. I would later find that she acts like him to, even though she was still a baby!

"Just so you know, she has all ten toes and ten fingers" Mom teases lightly, referring to my curiosity before she was born.

"Hi, Piper." I whispered in awe to the baby. Piper said nothing, and didn't move at all. She was perfectly content resting in my arms. We all sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own flurry of thoughts. I was wondering what the future would hold for me and my sister. I wondered what she would look like as she got older, and how she would act. I hoped I would be a good sister in the future. I thought back to before I met her, when I had anxiously been waiting at school for the day to be over. Then at home, all alone, while my parents were at the hospital, feeling worried. I wondered if she would be born alright. After that, eating out with my neighbors, wondering how much longer, musing about the new addition. Getting the message on my phone from my dad, with the picture of the baby, just born. I felt elated at that moment, so excited I wanted to just scream, I recall. Finally, at the hospital, my thoughts swirling by so fast I could only feel the nervousness and excitement, along with so many thoughts and feelings I had no time to decipher.

Right now, in this moment, my thoughts were calm, my feelings relaxed as I hold my sister. I knew then, that that was the best moment of my life. I will always remember the day I first met my sister, because we are best friends, and always, forever sisters.