I stopped at the threshold.
“But sometimes,” she continued quietly, “the thing you’re hunting already found you first.”
I turned slowly to look back at her. “You always gotta talk in riddles?”
A toothless smile flashed across her face, brightening her features. “Only when the truth is too heavy to swallow whole.”
I stared at her for a moment longer, absorbing the layers of wisdom in her words, before finally shaking my head in disbelief. Then, I stepped out into the thick New Orleans night,the folded paper burning in my pocket like a warning I wasn’t ready to understand yet.
Chapter nineteen
Haelyn
The second Iskippedinto Dr. Loomis’s office, his entire demeanor changed with subtlety... nothing overt, yet enough for me to catch.
“Well,” he said slowly while adjusting his glasses, “you’re unusuallychippertoday. Care to share the good news?”
I smiled brightly while taking my usual seat. “Actually,” I said excitedly, “I havetwowonderful pieces of news to share with you today.”
His eyes widened slightly, piquing his interest. “Well, do tell.”
I nodded proudly. “First… I have a job.”
His brows lifted with genuine surprise. “You do?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What kind of work?” he asked, leaning in slightly.
I crossed my legs, a confident gesture, and prepared to deliver my carefully curated response. “It’s more of a…sit-in job.”
Now technically, I wasn’t lying. I mean, I had‘stolen’ Talia’s identity for a surrogate position.
“A sit-in job?” he echoed carefully, reaching for his little notepad with a sense of urgency. “Do explain.”
I suppressed an eye roll at how quickly he was prepared to jot down every detail.
“I sit with an elderly woman during the day for twelve hours, Monday through Thursday,” I explained with a smooth and practiced delivery. “I help feed her, assist with bathing her when needed, and makes sure she takes her medication. Once all that is taken care of, we mostly just sit around watching TV together. It’s surprisingly pleasant.”
He nodded slowly, writing furiously. “And the pay?” he probed, his pen hovering expectantly.
“Could definitely be better. But anything is better than sitting around doing nothing.”
“Mm-hmm.” He jotted down another note. “Haelyn, as I’ve mentioned before, structure and responsibility are vital, especially following long-term institutionalization. Establishing a routine helps people reconnect with normal life.”
If only he knew how connected to “normal life” I really was now.
“So,” he continued after a brief pause, “what’s thissecondsurprise?”
I practically radiated joy as I grinned at him. “I’m pregnant! Can you believe it?!”
His pen stopped moving entirely.
The smile that had momentarily graced Dr. Loomis’s face disappeared so fast it was almost insulting. It was replaced by a look of incredulity that bordered on disapproval.
“Pregnant?” he echoed, confusion dancing in his eyes.
“I am!” I shrilled in excitement, as I quickly handed over the ultrasound.
