My hand moved to the slight swell of my stomach, and for the first time since realizing the mess I was in, I felt a surge of something peculiar rise up inside of me. Something that felt an awful lot like protectiveness for the baby growing inside of me. Something that felt an awful lot like love. Something that grew hotter and fiercer with every breath I took. The protective feeling was so strong, so dominant and potent, that it felt almost carnal in nature, as it eclipsed the fear that had kept me burying my head in the sand these past few weeks.
