Chapter 11
"The family app sent me a reminder," she replied.
She sounded so natural, like it was just routine.
I took out my phone and, with her watching, opened the family sharing settings. "When did you get added in here?"
Elaine's expression stiffened for a moment.
"David was the one who added me. He said you weren't doing well after the birth, and he was afraid there'd be nobody around if the nanny called in sick or something," she answered.
"Have you ever checked the nursery camera?" I asked.
Elaine shook her head quickly. "No, I almost never look at it."
"Almost never, or not at all?" I pressed.
She went quiet.
The waiting room echoed with crying kids, and the intercom called the next number. Elaine clutched the stuffed animal, and after a long pause, she finally murmured, "I only peek in once in a while to see if Max is asleep."
I felt sick to my stomach.
"Were you watching me while I nursed him?" I asked.
Her face went pale.
"The camera faces the crib. I wasn't trying to spy on you," she said.
"But that's where I feed him every single day," I said.
"Sophia, I'm sorry. I won't check it anymore," Elaine said.
"Leave the family group right now," I told her.
Elaine took out her phone, her fingers moving across the screen, but she still didn't exit the group.
"The primary account is under David's number. I can only turn off the notifications. I can't remove myself," she replied.
It was David again.
I'm listed last as an emergency contact. There's nothing I can do to remove her. Even if she wants out, she still needs his permission.
The intercom called Max's name.
I stood up, holding Max in my arms.
Elaine followed me. "Let me help you with your things."
"No need," I said.
"He'll cry when he gets his shot. You won't be able to handle him alone," Elaine said.
"I went into the delivery room by myself when I had him," I replied.
Elaine froze mid-step.
In the vaccination room, the nurse confirmed Max's details and told me to hold him steady. As soon as the needle went in, Max burst into loud cries, his little face turning bright red.
I held him close against my chest, gently patting his back.
Elaine stood by the door, her eyes quickly filling with tears. She reached out as if to touch Max, but pulled her hand back when I glanced over.
The nurse noticed and smiled, trying to comfort her. "It's always hard the first time you see your baby get a shot. Don't cry, Mom, or the little one will get even more anxious."
Elaine didn't correct her.
Sophia spoke up, "She's not his mom."
The nurse paused, looking confused.
Elaine lowered her head. "I'm just his godmother."
"No, you're not," Sophia said firmly.
Holding Max, Sophia looked at her. "I never gave my consent."
The vaccination room went quiet.
The nurse, seeing the tension, busied herself with the cotton swabs. Elaine stood frozen for a moment, then turned and walked out.
I held Max close, waiting out the half-hour observation period.
Right before the observation was over, David showed up.
His suit jacket was draped over his arm, sweat glistening on his forehead. As soon as he walked in, he headed straight for Elaine. She was sitting at the end of the hallway, her eyes red and puffy, clutching a stuffed animal she'd squeezed so hard it was misshapen.
David bent down and asked, "What's wrong?"
Elaine shook her head, her eyes still red.
"It's nothing I shouldn't have come," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
He turned to look at me, his expression turning cold.
With Max in my arms, I walked over.
"Since you're here, take her out of Max's health records and the family app," I said.
David straightened up.
"Why?" he asked.
"I'm his mother, but I'm only the third emergency contact. She has access to the nursery camera and gets every health update about Max," I said.
"The system decides the order automatically," David said.
"But you're the main account holder," I shot back.
"I'll fix it when I get home," he said.
"Do it now," I insisted.
Elaine shot to her feet. "David, just take me out. If Sophia doesn't want me in the group, I won't look at it anymore."
"Don't say anything," I snapped.
David, clearly holding back his anger, pulled out his phone.
Right in front of me, he opened the health records system, moved me to the top of the emergency contacts list, and deleted Elaine. Then he went into the family sharing settings and paused at the remove member screen.
A message popped up on the screen.