“Perfectly, thanks for asking.” I smiled. “I simply couldn’t miss this.”
Sylvia stared at me like she wanted to drag me outside.
Nobody asked me to leave.
So I decided to see how long Ethan’s version of our happy family could survive an ordinary conversation.
“I simply couldn’t miss this.”
Dinner was painfully polite.
Until Rebecca asked, “And where’s the baby tonight?”
“She’s with my brother and sister-in-law,” I said. “She’s recovering well.”
Rebecca’s smile faded.
“Recovering?”
“She was in the emergency room the night before last. Her fever went over 104.”
Martin stopped with his fork halfway to his plate.
“She’s recovering well.”
“104?”
“Yes. She’s only four months old, so our pediatrician sent us straight in.”
Rebecca looked horrified. “That must have been terrifying.”
“It was.” I frowned. “Didn’t Ethan mention it?”
Martin looked at Ethan.
Ethan’s perfect dinner had lasted less than ten minutes.
“Didn’t Ethan mention it?”
Ethan shifted in his chair.
“Were the doctors able
to find out the cause of her fever?” Rebecca asked him.
“Oh, they were, but Ethan wouldn’t know since he hasn’t asked how she’s doing.”
The table went quiet.
Rebecca frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Were the doctors able to find out the cause of her fever?”
I let the silence sit for half a second.
“Ethan left the emergency room before she was seen.”
Ethan’s face tightened.
“What?” Martin asked. “You left?”
Before Ethan could answer, Sylvia jumped in.
“Ethan left the emergency room before she was seen.”
“He had to be well-rested for the presentation in the morning,” she said with a smile, like that explained everything.
Rebecca stared at Sylvia. “So he went home?”
“To my house,” Sylvia said. “I picked him up so he could get some sleep.”
Martin looked from Sylvia to Ethan.
I folded my hands in my lap.
For once, I was happy
to let Sylvia keep talking.
“So he went home?”
Rebecca looked at Ethan.
“None of this matters,” Ethan said. “Nora is fine.”
“How would you know?” Martin asked quietly.
