after the babies were born,” Karen said. “That was all.”
Daniel looked at me. “I’ll call her.”
I checked the time on my phone. “Not now.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“Because I want to hear what she says when she thinks she has time to prepare.”
Daniel slipped his phone back into his pocket, and Karen watched him do it. She looked younger than thirty six just then, standing beside a Buick with 190,000 miles on it, holding a parking receipt she had already folded into a neat square.
“I can stay,” Karen said. “If you want me to.”
“Go home if you want.”
She shook her head. “I think I should stay.”
The hospital doors opened again, and a nurse called for someone by the wrong first name. Karen smiled at the mistake, then looked back at us.
“Elena, if Mom asks me to do something strange, I’ll call
