In a few months' time, Sydney barrister Julie Taylor and her husband are expecting the birth of their "precious" baby.
It's a day Ms Taylor thought may never come when, earlier this week, she found herself locked in the Lindt cafe in Martin Place with a gunman and 17 other hostages.
Ms Taylor, who is 19 weeks pregnant, was in the cafe with her fellow barrister and "closest friend" Katrina Dawson on Monday when Man Haron Monis disabled the cafe's doors and ordered the hostages at gunpoint to stand with their hands in the air.
The 35-year-old, from Randwick, but who was raised in Perth and studied law at University of Western Australia, was one of the first hostages forced by Monis to appear in a YouTube video in which she outlined his demands.
She was also one of the lucky escapees. Footage shows her fleeing the cafe with her arms raised just after 2am on Tuesday, shortly before police stormed into the building in a volley of gunfire.
Tragically, Mrs Dawson was shot during the 16-hour siege and died from her injuries.
Amid the shock and sadness of the tragedy, Ms Taylor has been told by doctors that her unborn child is healthy and was not harmed in the crisis.
It is one piece of positive news that has sustained her in the devastating days since the siege.
"If all goes well, and there is no reason to think that it won't, we will give birth to a precious baby in a few months," Ms Taylor said in a statement released on Friday, the first time she has spoken since the siege.
"Although it is an emotional time, we are trying to focus on keeping ourselves healthy so that can occur."
Ms Taylor worked with Mrs Dawson in commercial law at the prestigious Eight Selborne Chambers, next to the Supreme Court and around the corner from the Lindt cafe.
But the pair were more than just colleagues.
"Katrina Dawson was the most wonderful person I have ever met," Ms Taylor said.
"She was my closest friend, a role model and confidant. Her bravery and strength was, and continues to be, a comfort and inspiration for me. She invested every moment of her life in her friends and family, and will be greatly missed by everyone who has known her. My thoughts and sympathy are with her family, whom I have come to know and love."
Her acquaintance with Lindt cafe manager Tori Johnson, who was also killed in the siege, was "forged under the worst imaginable circumstances", Ms Taylor said.
But she would remember him as a kind, considerate, level-headed and courageous person.
"It was clear to me how much you loved your family, and how much compassion you had for everyone you met. I am grateful that you were with me throughout our ordeal," Ms Taylor said.
She also thanked emergency service workers, and the others who shared her terror inside the cafe.
"To the other hostages, thank you for the support and consideration that you gave to me throughout our time together. I will always be grateful to you," she said.
As the floral tribute to the victims of the siege continued to grow steadily in Martin Place this week, Ms Taylor was among the thousands of people who visited to pay their respects.
The experience had overwhelmed her, she said.
"It is difficult to be positive at a time like this, but there are two things which provide comfort to me," she said.
"The first is the overwhelming display of public support for everyone involved in this crisis, including me.
"My own visit to the memorial at Martin Place gave me a strength for the coming weeks which I though that I might not have, as have the messages and kindnesses that have been sent to me by everyone I know and many people I don't. It is good to know that none of us is alone."
The second thing providing her comfort is the knowledge that, soon, she will be cradling her newborn child.
