Chapter 12 - CLARA GIVES BIRTH
Clara went into labor twelve days later.
At the hospital.
No Evelyn.
No drama.
Andrew was there.
Rebecca watched Toby.
Clara delivered a healthy baby girl.
They named her Sophie.
Evelyn learned through Andrew the next morning.
She asked:
“Can I come?”
Andrew said:
“No.”
Silence.
Then:
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
Evelyn cried.
Andrew did not change the answer.
That was new.
Clara held Sophie against her chest.
She looked exhausted.
Happy.
Terrified in the ordinary way new parents can be terrified.
A nurse asked whether she wanted help with feeding.
Clara said yes.
Then changed her mind ten minutes later.
The nurse said:
“Okay.”
No punishment.
No note.
No incident log.
That tiny interaction made Clara cry.
Andrew asked:
“What?”
She laughed through tears.
“She listened when I changed my mind.”
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He understood.
Consent had become emotional because it had been missing at home.
