His attorney had explained it.
Michael had been texting Sabrina at the time.
I did not hide anything.
I simply stopped protecting him from the consequences of not paying
attention.
At 10:34, I reached the parking garage.
Rachel was waiting beside my car.
She had flown down the previous evening.
She looked at my face.
“Done?”
“Done.”
She opened her arms.
I hugged her.
For the first time that morning, my eyes filled with tears.
Rachel did not ask whether I was all right.
She knew better.
She simply held me.
Then she said, “The girls are ready.”
I nodded.
“Let’s go home.”
Home.
The word sounded different now.
At 10:51, Michael walked into the prenatal clinic across town.
He was not alone.
Richard and Helen were already there.
Monica was there too.
Sabrina sat in the waiting room wearing a pale blue dress.
Michael kissed her forehead.
Helen smiled at the sight.
“There’s my grandson.”
Sabrina laughed.
Michael sat beside her.
He rested a hand on her stomach.
For months, that baby had become the center of his imagination.
He had already chosen a name.
Andrew Michael Carrington.
Richard had ordered a tiny construction helmet with the Carrington
company logo.
Helen had started decorating a nursery in her own house.
Monica had purchased an expensive stroller.
Nobody had asked whether Sabrina wanted any of those things.
But Sabrina seemed happy to accept them.
At 11:07, a nurse called her name.
The family followed.
The examination room was not designed for five adults.
Still, they squeezed inside.
The ultrasound began.
Everyone watched the monitor.
A small heartbeat filled the room.
Helen covered her mouth.
Richard smiled.
Michael squeezed Sabrina’s hand.
“There he is.”
The technician smiled politely.
She took measurements.
Then she became quiet.
She measured again.
Michael noticed.
“Everything okay?”
The technician nodded.
“I’m just confirming the gestational measurements.”
She entered several numbers.
Then she stepped out.
A few minutes later, Dr. Warren entered.
He greeted Sabrina.
He reviewed the chart.
Then he looked at the screen.
He checked the measurements.
Once.
Twice.
He looked at Sabrina’s earlier records.
Then he frowned.
Michael’s smile faded slightly.
“What is it?”
Dr. Warren did not answer immediately.
He turned toward Sabrina.
“Ms. Hale, I need to clarify something.”
Sabrina swallowed.
“All right.”
“According to the dates you gave us, you believed conception occurred in
late February.”
“Yes.”
The doctor looked back at the chart.
