I stood.
Adjusted June against my chest.
Then looked directly at my husband.
“Ethan.”
“Rachel.”
“I need you to listen carefully.”
“I know. I’m sorry about Mom.”
“I’m not talking about your mother.”
He stopped.
“June has a temperature of 104 degrees.”
“I know.”
“She is four months old.”
“I know.”
“Do you understand why we are here?”
“We’re waiting for the doctor.”
“No.”
I kept my voice calm.
“We are here because our infant daughter has a dangerously high fever. We need to determine whether she has an infection and make sure she is not at risk of complications.”
He looked at me.
“This is a medical situation that requires both of her parents.”
“Rachel—”
“Not because I can’t handle it alone.”
He said nothing.
“I can.”
I looked down at June.
“But she deserves both parents.”
Then I looked back at him.
“And you stood in the delivery room holding her and promised you would be here.”
“I am here.”
