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There’s a part of me that wants to ask her about the future, figure out if she’s feeling the same things I’m feeling, but I don’t. I enjoy the moment with her, my chest tight as I try not to wonder what will happen in a few weeks.
“Hey guys.”
I look up to see Olivia and Will walking toward us, Ansley in the stroller.
“Do you guys live in this park?” Maggie says with a laugh.
“Declan actually just texted to see if we were around.”
Maggie darts her eyes over to me and I shrug. “I thought it would be nice to interact with other humans while you’re outside for a change.”
She smiles. “It is. Thank you.”
“So what’s that baby doing?” Will asks.
“Nothing at the moment, which is good.”
“I bet you’re thrilled to be off bedrest,” Olivia says.
“You have no idea,” Maggie responds.
Ansley squirms and whines and Will gets her out of the stroller so she can walk around. She tots about.
“She’s on the go, isn’t she?” I say.
“She’s going to be running circles around us in about a month,” Olivia says with a laugh.
Maggie smiles watching her.
“Thank you for not telling anyone about the last time you saw us in the park. I really didn’t want everyone to know what was going on.”
They both nod and Olivia says, “Of course. We’re glad it worked out.”
“Me too.” Maggie sighs and then says, “Have you seen Elizabeth recently? I’m worried about her. I call her often, but she doesn’t seem like herself.”
They exchange a look and say, “She’s not doing great. We’ve been going over to dinner on Thursday evenings. She’s struggling.”
“Does she need to see someone?” Maggie asks, her eyes filled with worry.
“Yes. I think they are working on that.”
Maggie slumps down a little. “It’s so unlike her. Nothing normally phases her.”
Olivia nods in agreement and then says, “James is taking it seriously though. He’s got an eye on her. Celeste is checking in every day. She has a good support system.”
“I wish there was more I could do.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Will says.
Olivia looks at her watch. “We need to get going. You probably think we just hang out in the park all the time, but...” She laughs. “We set aside one afternoon a week to come home a little early and then have dinner together. The rest of the week is so packed. You just managed to catch us at the right time, but we need to run.”
“Thanks for coming by.”
We exchange hugs and Olivia puts Ansley back in the stroller. I wave at her, and she gives me a big smile and waves back.
After they leave, Maggie rests her head on my shoulder. “I’m scared.”
“For Elizabeth?”
