The improvement came gradually. Lula’s nighttime choking eased first. Then she stopped arching after most bottles. Sarah and Daniel followed the specialist’s feeding instructions and recorded every episode. By week’s end, Daniel looked at the nearly empty page in their notebook. “Three days without one,” he said. Sarah smiled. “I almost don’t trust it yet.”
Rebecca returned Monday morning. She stopped just inside the kitchen. “Maybe I should let her come to me,” she said. Sarah nodded. Lula stared at Rebecca for several seconds. Then her face opened into a grin. She kicked both legs and reached forward. Rebecca laughed. “Well, hello to you too.” Sarah covered her mouth. Daniel whispered, “I think that answers the last question.”
Later, Sarah found Rebecca making coffee. “I owe you an apology,” she said. Rebecca shook her head. “You were protecting your daughter.” “I still accused you.” Rebecca looked toward the nursery. “And I should have explained better how frightening those episodes looked.” Sarah kept the camera installed for several weeks. One afternoon, her phone buzzed. She hesitated before opening the feed. Lula was crawling across the rug while Rebecca rolled a ball toward her. “Again!” Rebecca laughed. This time, Sarah smiled too.