It was a pleasant sunny day in the small park in which 3 ½ year-old Darry Curtis and his father plus very pregnant mother lived. First, Mamma Curtis pushed Darry on the swings. Then, she sat on an old blanket and rested while Daddy Curtis chased the very active laughing Darry all around the green space.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from Mamma Curtis, and Daddy and Darry found her doubled over and writhing. "Soda, you were coming fast," Darry would recount decades later. Darry next remembered his own screams of terror over what was happening to Mamma as Daddy hastened her into their waiting car and then grabbing Darry and rapidly putting him in his car seat. Then, he sped off to the nearest hospital. He frantically spoke with staff at the emergency entrance who ran to bring out a stretcher while simultaneously trying to calm a bawling Darry who could not understand what was happening to his mother or why she had to be wheeled away to somewhere he could not see her. Finally, though his father picked him up and carried him inside to a room with lego toys, foam balls and picture books. To the great gratitude of them both, a friendly hospital volunteer provided toddler Darry with a stuffed light blue rabbit and a staff member brought out chamomile tea from an adjacent room. Daddy rocked the quieting Darry and read him a story about a preschool age boy whose family was about to acquire a new baby. Slowly, Darry began to cuddle his rabbit. After a while, he got down on the floor to kick about a Nerf football and Daddy joined him.

All at once, a loud, long, high-pitched screech that was not Darry's filled the waiting room and surrounding area. A nurse was carrying out a tiny red open mouthed arm flailing being wrapped in a light blue blanket and handing him to Daddy who cuddled and soothed him, then helped Darry hold him. Darry looked in wonder at the strange looking thing that was his baby brother. The teeny being's mouth flexed open and closed, his eyes and fists clenched shut. He stared and stroked the creamy fuzz that would later become hair. Feeling great pride, fear and joy all at once he gave the soft funny looking and helpless thing a hug. His next memory him, Soda and his dad being reunited with his by then smiling mother, who exuded much radiancy both of them-and at the tiny little being now cradled next to her.