Chapter 10
"The gold charm is already crafted. How could he not wear it?" Mrs. Harper protested.
"Whoever agreed to her being the godmother can wear it themselves," I shot back.
Mrs. Harper's face fell. "Sophia, haven't you stirred up enough trouble today? Elaine did this out of kindness. Are you really going to refuse Max's blessing?"
"Mom, I'm hanging up now," David said, quickly ending the video call.
He hung up in a hurry.
The living room fell silent again.
He pressed his fingers to his forehead, taking a long moment before finally saying, "I was the one who agreed to her being the godmother."
I nodded.
"Is there anything else you decided without telling me?" I asked.
"No," he replied.
"Are you sure?" I pressed.
"You're only asking because you don't trust me," David said.
I carried Max into the nursery and closed the door behind me.
Right before I closed the door, I heard David call out from the hallway, "Take it easy. Elaine's coming by tomorrow to grab her stuff. Don't say anything rude to her face."
So she's coming by tomorrow, too.
I looked down at Max.
He'd stopped crying, his tiny hands clutching my collar as his breathing slowly steadied.
I pulled out my phone and opened the family sharing app.
David had set it up before I gave birth, so we could check the nursery camera and get alerts from the nanny and the pediatrician.
Originally, it was just the two of us in the family group.
Now, there was someone else.
Elaine.
She'd been added on the seventh day after Max was born.
Her access included the nursery camera, health alerts, and Max's photo album.
I stared at those lines, a chill creeping over my fingers.
On the seventh day after Max was born, I was still in the hospital.
That day, David told me he had something urgent at work and couldn't come to keep me company that afternoon.
Turns out, the time he carved out wasn't for me. It was to bring Elaine into our child's world.
The next morning, Max had to get his DPT shot at the community hospital.
David said he had a meeting and couldn't come with me. I didn't argue, just grabbed Max's vaccine certificant, a copy of his birth certificate, and some extra clothes, then called a cab to the hospital.
The line at the registration window was long.
I stood there holding Max for over twenty minutes. When it was finally my turn, the nurse typed in Max's info and looked up. "Is the other family member not here?"
"His dad's at work," I replied.
"I meant Ms. Summers," the nurse clarified.
I thought I must've misheard.
The nurse turned the screen toward me. "There are three emergency contacts in the system. Elaine Summers is listed second. She even called yesterday to ask what time the shot was today and said she'd come by."
I stared at the screen.
First contact: David Harper.
Second contact: Elaine Summers.
Third contact: Sophia.
"Who put her name in?" I asked.
"It was entered by the family when they set up the online profile," the nurse replied.
After Max was born, David took care of all the paperwork for his health records. My wound was infected, and I could barely get out of bed, so he told me to leave everything to him and just focus on getting better.
I handed the nurse my ID. "I'm Max's mom. Can you change the order of the contacts?"
The nurse looked a bit awkward. "That requires authorization from the main account holder. The main account is linked to the father's phone number."
"What about removing Elaine Summers?" I asked.
"That also needs the main account holder's approval," the nurse replied.
Standing there with Max in my arms, it hit me for the first time, I, his mother, didn't even have the right to change his emergency contacts.
Someone behind me was getting impatient, so I had no choice but to head to the waiting area.
Not long after I sat down, Elaine walked in.
She was wearing a mask, holding an insulated bag and a stuffed animal. When she spotted me, her steps faltered.
"Sophia," Elaine said.
I didn't respond.
She came over and took the empty seat beside me, setting the insulated bag down between us.
"David said you were taking Max for his shot all by yourself and might be overwhelmed, so he asked me to come help," Elaine said.
"He told you to come?" I asked.
"Yeah, he said he had a meeting this morning." She paused, then added quietly, "Don't get me wrong. I'm just here to lend a hand."
I looked at her. "Did he also tell you what time the vaccine appointment was?"