na's

le gi

parted

out a hard smile. The sound came out brittle

s I

solved into something I couldn't name. "I guess I am an ad

ed across her face that felt like

ght of cou

waiting for me to fill t

ack. Where the hell did she

to my finger? Or Mr Brent had i

nother difficult smile that didn't reac

Each step felt like an escape. I could feel her e

ok back. I had no b

and warned her that she should take

nows if it would lead to verbal e

want to know that I was pregnant. Brent

was the only one with Eli. Joan ha

up when

t, neither

fore he fell asleep,"

led my brow togeth

and difficult to push out of his lips. "He said he wa

d up. I blinked

than we think..."

om where he sat on the bed. "He to

tretched thin

end myself. "Kids at his age imagine things a lot. I can't bring

o

at to say and I didn't want the

ated alone at the end of the

lap, pretending to watch the c

e room without coming across that oncologist who knows more than she shoul

e, his voice

len

etly countered, and a

settled back

od

f the sound of Eli's slow breathing between us, and I thought this was t

creen lit up. I reached for

umber. No name, no greeting, just

rea

about th

My blood ran cold.

en, but I still forced it hard

it op

ospital when the doctor broke the news about my pr

rumbled, making some kind of sound I couldn't explain

it tight in between my finger

looke

en

been watching for a w

everythin

etly with a strange smile on my fac

my cloth. Every strand of fibre clung to my fingers, as t

Who would be watching me? Who

door crea

with two paper cups in her hand. Her

face. A kind of smile someone puts up when they have some

e firs

rust anyone

oncologist, and