thinking he’ll stop breathing if nobody watches.”
“Welcome to parenthood.”
He gave me a tired smile.
For one brief moment, we were ourselves again.
Then the hospital returned to my mind.
The phone call.
His empty chair beside me.
The smile vanished.
Dad had booked a hotel nearby instead of staying with us, but he came every morning with groceries and every evening with dinner.
He never criticized Rowan.
That somehow made Rowan even more uncomfortable.
One Thursday afternoon, I found them alone in the kitchen.
Dad was slicing pears.
