Chapter 6

At noon the next day, I'd just lain down when Daniel came in to tell me Sophie would be visiting that afternoon.

"She's been wanting to meet her little sister. She won't stay long."

I nodded. Sophie had asked how I was recovering a few days earlier, and I'd promised she could come over and hold the baby once I felt up to it.

"Let me know when she gets here."

"Get some sleep."

Soon, I heard the vacuum running downstairs.

Kate asked Daniel to clear the coffee table, then asked what he was making for dinner.

I hadn't gotten to sleep until eleven the night before, and I'd woken several times in the early hours.

This time, I fell asleep before I could make out his answer.

When I woke, Sophie was sitting beside the bed, holding a bag of my favorite oatmeal cookies.

"Dad said you haven't had much of an appetite. I remembered you used to take these to work."

I pushed myself upright, and she quickly tucked a pillow behind my back.

"When did you get here?"

"Half an hour ago. Mom told me not to wake you."

Kate's laughter drifted up from downstairs.

Sophie said she'd already held her little sister, that the baby was even smaller than she looked in the photos, and that her dad was making dinner.

She sounded so happy that I smiled too.

"Is the baby awake?"

"Not yet. Mom's holding her."

Sophie opened the bag of cookies for me, then paused before speaking again.

"Emma, would you rather my mom wasn't staying here?"

My hand stopped as I reached for a cookie.

"What did she tell you?"

"She wasn't complaining. She just said you're used to doing things differently, and she's always worried she'll get something wrong."

Sophie glanced toward the door.

"Dad said you haven't been sleeping well, either, and you've been more sensitive about things."

I put the cookie back in the bag.

She quickly added that she knew how hard things were for me, but her mom was doing her best too.

When she'd arrived, Kate had been tidying the living room and holding the baby, and had still remembered to ask if she'd eaten on the way.

"Maybe you could give her a little time."

Sophie hadn't seen the hour or more I'd spent waiting for Daniel to take over last night.

She hadn't seen the early-morning feeds or the wet pajamas in the laundry basket, either.

What she'd seen was her father cooking, her mother caring for the baby, and me sleeping all afternoon.

"It's not that I don't want help."

"I know." She gave a small nod. "But with Mom here, you don't have to do everything yourself."

I looked at her. Whenever she'd had a problem before, she'd always start by telling me the whole story.

Today, she hadn't even asked what had happened before offering what she thought was a good solution.

I wanted to tell her why the care service had been canceled and how the schedule we'd agreed on had fallen apart.

But she was only here to see her little sister.

"Your dad and I will handle it," I said. "You don't need to explain things for anyone."

She folded the top of the cookie bag closed, looking a little uneasy.

Downstairs, Daniel called us to dinner.

Sophie went down first. I slowly put on my slippers, and by the time I reached the dining room, Kate was holding my daughter and asking Sophie to sit beside her.

Daniel pulled out my chair.

"The soup's still hot. Go ahead and eat."

There was roast chicken and salad on the table, and the water glasses were already set out.

I sat down, picked up my bowl, and started eating.

Sophie looked from her father to me, as though she finally felt a little reassured.

After dinner, she said she'd come again, but it was Kate she asked about which day would work.

Once her mother answered, she settled on a date.

I put my phone back on the table and said nothing more.