Day One Home: Paternity Test

Synopsis

"Go get a paternity test done." I'd just gotten the baby down when my husband shoved a form at me. First day out of the hospital. Forty-two days. I'd made it through 3 a.m. feedings, through the pain of engorgement, through nights with zero help. I thought he was here to take me back to our bedroom. "A test?" I kept my voice low, afraid of waking the baby. "Mom says she doesn't look like me." He wouldn't meet my eyes, just stared at the crib. "Just get it done. Save us the trouble later." I held the form. The edge bit into my palm. Forty-two days ago, I was alone in the delivery room, sweating through contractions while he took business calls outside. Now he stood here, asking me to prove our kid was his. "Okay," I said. He paused. Probably didn't expect me to agree so fast. "I'll take you tomorrow." He turned to leave, then glanced back. "The family would've fallen apart without me. You know that." The door clicked shut. I looked down at the form, staring at it for a long time.