The road was pitch dark and frightening. My heart was hammering against my chest. Goosebumps decorated my arms despite the warmth in the car. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, turning my knuckles as white as snow. I glanced at the rear-view mirror and found my pregnant wife holding the hand of our sleeping three-year-old.

At last, the hospital’s neon banner came into view. All three of us entered the emergency entrance. To my utter dismay, it was vacant without a single nurse in sight. A fit of nerves erupted in my stomach. That was when I spotted a bell on a desk and rang it like a madman. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw two nurses rushing towards us. They took my wife to the labour room leaving my daughter and me alone in the waiting room. 

My daughter was crying as she was not able to comprehend the commotion happening around her. I gingerly sat her down on my lap and reassured her. I patted her tousled hair and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She calmed down once a kind nurse gave her a paper and some crayons to keep her occupied. 

The past two hours felt surreal. It was just another Wednesday night. I had put my daughter to sleep and sat next to my wife while she talked on the phone. Merely seconds later, my wife gave me the unexpected news. She was having the baby. 

The squeaking sound of a door opening pulled me out of my reverie. I got a glimpse of a small baby in the arms of a nurse before she took her away. My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. Soon, a doctor approached me and told me that my newborn daughter was healthy and safe. 

A couple hours later, I was finally allowed to see my baby girl. I made it to the room as fast as I could.

I heard her crying voice before I even laid eyes on her. There she was, her whole chest covered with numerous wires. A sense of pride filled my being. I felt complete, as though I finally found a missing piece of a puzzle. All the stress I had felt until then evaporated. Nothing else mattered anymore. 

It was at that moment that I realized what true happiness felt like.