True love will find you in the end

 

Dora wanted to believe she wasn't worried what Delia (Dale) would think when she saw her. Dora wanted to put on some makeup and her best frock, but it was a struggle to get out of bed. It was a fleeting thought.

After all, it was an ongoing battle with her breasts. First, they were so sore from the baby nursing, she couldn't get comfortable to sleep. Darn, if they didn't swell up with milk and she felt as if she was carrying the weight of the world of rocks, sharp rocks of discomfort. She could hardly wait for the baby to feed. And then it started all over again.

Clearly, she was pathetic. She didn't know how many times she asked Holden how horrible she looked. He would just smile and tell her she was beautiful. Of course, he did have that low moment when little Tristan was crying and nothing seemed to satisfy him but to be lulled by a white noise of meditation on YouTube. 

It made Holden cry. 

"You can just blame me. It's all my fault. All of it, I didn't mean to hurt you this way," but it wasn't body shaming, it was the fact that he knew she needed sleep, but the baby kept wanting to be nursed.

She promised she would never let anyone know of his all-time low. "You know, your dad couldn't do a tenth of what you are doing. Did he ever change a diaper when you were a baby?"

"Probably not." Of course, it wasn't long after that that he took a nap on the floor while she had the baby. Somehow they'd get through this. But she wasn't counting on ever being the girl Holden married. She just didn't have that body anymore. 

At least, when Delia and Jade showed up, Dora had just showered. Still, she felt plenty out of it. She might as well have been plastered after a binge-drinking party. 

They brought diapers, but there was a special bag from Delia with all of Dora's favorite makeup and body spray.

"Oh, you really didn't have to," Dora managed to say sleepily. 

"But we wanted to," Delia smiled. She and Jade both carefully hugged her. Told her she looked beautiful.

"Yeah, right." She grinned. She knew the truth.

"You're like a warrior," Jade told her. "You just gave birthday.

"Well, it was a c-section." She felt a little sad that she didn't have a vaginal birth. "But I was in labor for about sixteen hours or so before they decided to do that."

It made Delia cringe. "Do you hurt?"

"Oh, a lot of things hurt, but it's worth it," she told her. 

Finally, little Tristan awoke and was as good as could be. This shocked Dora. He practically cooed. Looked at them with his big dark eyes. He went back to sleep as soon as Jade held him.

"Oh, he really likes you," Dora told her and it made Jade laugh to the point she had tears in her eyes. She handed him off to Delia. The baby awoke for a moment, but he was quiet.

"I'm going to have to have you guys over all the time," Dora smiled. But it was only a matter of time before he'd show his true colors.