“Still strong.”
Dr. Patel came in a few minutes later and talked through everything: the swelling, vision changes, elevated blood pressure. She was gentle but honest.
“You did the right thing coming in,” she said. “There’s nothing immediately alarming, but we’re entering that watchful window. I’m going to have you come in daily now until your due date. We’ll keep a close eye on things.”
Madison nodded, biting her lip to keep it from trembling.
We drove home in silence, exhaustion thick between us. I made her tea and tucked her under a blanket on the couch. She looked so small beneath it all.
“I didn’t tell anyone about the high-risk part,” she said after a while. “It felt easier to just… be strong. Be fine.”
“You don’t always have to be strong.”
She looked at me then, really looked. “I’m glad you came back.”
“Me too.”
“I know you didn’t plan on staying long. But part of me hoped you would.”
My throat tightened. “I didn’t think I could come back. But being here with you, helping you, watching you carry this tiny person. It’s the first time I’ve felt like maybe I don’t need to run anymore.”
Madison smiled, eyes glassy. “If you stay, I promise to let you pick her middle name.”
I gasped. “That is power I donottake lightly.”
We both laughed, the tension melting just a little.
As the late-night breeze filtered through the cracked window and Madison drifted into a light sleep, I sat beside her with my notebook, a half-written scene blinking on the page. I hadn’t known what this chapter of my life would look like when I returned.
But sitting here, holding space for her, maybe this was it. Maybe this washome.
Chapter 18
Greyson
I hadn’t slept. Not really.
Holding Blair in my arms last night had felt like the most natural thing in the world, like every part of me had been waiting for that moment. But now that I’d seen the hurt behind her eyes, the weight she carried for years, I couldn’t stop thinking about how long she’d been walking alone with it.
I drove out to the lake early, the one she used to write by when we were kids. The water was still; and the reflection of the morning sky was so clear that it looked like glass. I remembered seeing her in high school, sitting on that dock. Journal in her lap, legs swinging off the edge. I didn’t know what to say to her then. I barely knew what to say to her now.
My phone buzzed.
Madison:
Baby’s okay, just more Braxton Hicks. False alarm, don’t panic. I have to go in daily until the baby is here.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. That girl was due soon, and she had enough on her plate without worrying about Blair and me.
When I drove back into town, I spotted Blair walking down Main Street with a folder clutched in her arms. She looked determined and focused.
I parked and called her name. She turned, startled, thensmiled softly when she saw me.
“Hey, honey bee,” I said, walking up to her.
Her cheeks flushed pink. “Hey.”
“What’s that?” I nodded to the folder.
