Simon could still remember vividly a lovely and happy couple who had everything they wanted in life except for a child to love and call their own.
Finally, two of his closest friends were about to receive the greatest gift they had longed for their entire married life.
"You have to push hard, Rae," Simon ordered as she checked on her dilation. "Your baby is ready to come out, but you have to help your baby." He kept telling his patient.
"I'm trying," Rae muttered under her heavy breath as sweat covered her face and entire body, looking exhausted from her tough delivery.
She did not mind the discomfort and the pain as long as her baby was safe. She would endure the hardship to glimpse her baby's face as it came out of this world alive.
"Come on, honey. A few more big pushes for Gabriel." Laurence encouraged her, giving her all the support she needed as he held on to her body.
"I'm doing my best for our baby." Rae looked at her husband, full of love for the wonderful man who had never left her side throughout her ordeal.
Although Laurence always expressed how much he wished for a son, she knew he would still love their baby, even if their baby turned out to be a girl.
She had loved her from the moment she conceived her in her womb. She loved her while she grew inside of her. She would continue to love her even after she had passed this world.
"Come on, now. I can already see the head." Simon brought their attention back to the matter at hand. "You had to concentrate all your energy and powers on one more big push." He encouraged his friend.
"You heard the doctor, Rae. One more big push, then we will see our son." Laurence spoke softly to his wife as he whispered their son's name to her. "Gabriel is ready to see the world."
"Ok," Rae uttered in her weakened state. She had been in labor for hours. And it had already consumed most of her strength.
But she was not ready to give up, not yet. She would have this baby safely out of her and into the world. She would hear her cry and hold her in her arms for a few more minutes. She just needed a few more big pushes.
"One big push." The doctor again commanded, and she complied, holding on to her husband's hands. She gave another push, hoping that it would be her last.
"You're almost through." The doctor announced as he saw the baby's head come out. "Now, another one." He would not take it easy on her anymore. He needed her to push harder than she ever did before. "Push." He spoke louder this time.
"Ahhhh." Rae took an enormous deep breath, holding it in as she forced her baby out of her.
In one of the hardest things she had done in her entire life, she sensed her baby come out of her, finally feeling deliriously exhilarated and satisfied. It was a sacrifice worthy of all the pain.
She felt the pain was worth it, seeing the doctor carry her baby to another table to be checked and cleaned.
"How is she?" She asked when she had not heard her cry yet, while worried lines creased her face.
"The doctors are already checking on our baby." Laurence was surprised by her declaration about the gender of their baby.
But he wanted to focus on making her more comfortable and less anxious about their baby's condition.
Although he always wished for a boy, he would never mind if their baby was a girl. He would love her just the same.
Then, they both heard her as she cried her heart out, declaring to the world that she had arrived. Pride and joy were what Laurence and Rae felt with the way their child made her presence known.
"I am sorry, but I forgot to tell you that your baby is a girl." Simon finally moved towards them, with the baby wrapped in a clean white cloth. "And she is doing great."
Rae automatically held out her arms, excited to feel her baby in her arms. She could not wait to touch her tender skin, smell her heavenly scent, and kiss her soft pinkish cheeks.
Once in her arms, she felt all the love in her strengthened, much more intense than ever before. A bond that only a mother would have with her child.
"Now, what do we call her?" The doctor asked, seeing the baby anxiously looking at her parents, anticipating to hear her name.
Rae looked at Laurence, who seemed as enchanted with her as she was. He shrugged his broad shoulders as if he had no clue what to call her.
All he knew was that his daughter was so beautiful. She deserved a name worthy of her. "I will leave it to you, Rae. I know you would know better." He told his lovely wife.
At that moment, she looked at her daughter and then at her husband's eyes. She felt an understanding between the father and the daughter. She believed a bond also formed between them as they gazed into each other's eyes.
She already knew right then and there. Only one name would suit her daughter's personality. She could already see the spark in her eyes, the same intensity she had seen in her loving husband.
Her daughter seemed to have inherited the strength and courage of her husband and the temperament to match.
A decision in her mind finally formed, "Then, I would call her Gavrielle." It did not matter if she was a girl with a boy's name. Her daughter would be as strong as her father and live a life of greatness.
"Then, Gavrielle will be her name." Laurence felt her heart grow with fondness at the thoughtfulness of his wife. He was expecting she would give their daughter another name, but he was happy she still considered what he wanted.
"That is a beautiful name," Simon said as she stood beside the bed to check on them. "So far, everything seemed to be normal. Physically, we can't see any problems. But she has a birthmark on her back just behind her right shoulder."
"But we still had to do some standard tests before we can declare you and your daughter with a clean bill of health." Their friendly doctor informed them. Afterward, they could all go home.
But Laurence and Rae had stopped listening to the doctor upon hearing the word birthmark. They could only hope it was not what they thought it was.
Laurence prayed it was just some random skin blemish that had nothing to do with the prophecy. The curse that his family had feared over the centuries.
But over time, they began to believe that the dark omen was just a myth. For centuries, there had been no sign that it could be real.
But now, he could only hope it was nothing more but a mere coincidence. And his daughter had nothing to do with the mark of a curse.