PART 3
I typed slowly.
“I’m at the hospital with Sophie.”
“She’s still on the ventilator.”
“I can’t come tomorrow.”
I expected anger.
Maybe disappointment.
I did not expect her response to arrive so quickly.
“Priorities.”
“Show up or stay out of our lives.”
I stared.
Then another message appeared.
Dad.
“Your sister’s day matters more than your drama.”
“Don’t ruin it.”
My throat tightened.
Then Vanessa texted.
“Always making everything about yourself.”
I looked toward Sophie.
Her chest moved beneath the wires.
A machine breathed for her.
And somehow I was the one making everything about myself.
I did not answer.
I blocked all three numbers.
PART 4
My six-year-old daughter, Mia, was curled in the chair beside me.
She had been coloring a picture of a unicorn.
Then she looked up.
“Mom?”
I wiped my face quickly.
“Yes, baby?”
“Is Grandma coming to see Sophie?”
I could not tell her the truth.
Not then.
“She’s busy helping Aunt Vanessa.”
Mia frowned.
“More important than Sophie?”
My heart cracked.
I said.
“No.”
Then corrected myself.
“She just has things she thinks she needs to do.”
Mia nodded.
Children accept explanations adults know are inadequate.
That somehow made it worse.
