She looked at Daniel and Megan, tears filling her eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I stepped into the kitchen for just a minute… I thought she was watching cartoons.”
Daniel’s face was pale.
“You left your daughter alone with our newborn?”
Laura nodded helplessly.
“I thought he was sleeping in the bassinet. I didn’t know she went near him.”
The weight of what had happened filled the room.
Dr. Patel spoke again.
“Babies are extremely fragile,” he said gently. “Even a small amount of pressure can cause serious injury.”
Emma looked up, terrified.
“Is the baby going to die?”
Megan wiped tears from her eyes and shook her head.
“No, sweetheart,” she said softly. “He’s going to be okay.”
Emma cried even harder.
“I’m sorry.”
That night felt longer than the stormiest winter.
Daniel and Megan stayed beside Noah’s hospital bed, watching the tiny monitor tracking his breathing.
Every beep made their hearts jump.
I sat quietly in the corner chair, holding Megan’s hand.
Hours passed.
Finally, Dr. Patel returned with an update.
“The bleeding has stopped,” he said.
Relief flooded the room instantly.
“He’s going to recover,” the doctor continued. “We caught it early.”
Megan broke down crying, pressing her face into Daniel’s shoulder.
Daniel closed his eyes and whispered,
“Thank God.”
The next morning, Laura came back to the hospital.
But this time, Emma waited outside with a nurse.
Laura looked exhausted, her face pale and swollen from crying.
She stood in the doorway, unable to step further.
“I understand if you never want to see me again,” she said quietly.
Daniel looked at Megan.
