She brushed it off at first. He’d been through a lot, too. The delivery had been long and frightening; she’d fainted near the end. Maybe he just needed time. A nurse came in to check vitals and jot notes on her clipboard. James stepped closer to her, speaking low enough that Emily couldn’t make out every word, only pieces, “normal?”… “not what I expected.”
Before she could ask what that meant, his phone rang. He muttered an apology and stepped into the hall, leaving the door half open behind him. The nurse lingered, tidying the blankets, adjusting the monitor. Then she looked at Emily with a faint smile, the kind people use when they’re trying to comfort someone who doesn’t yet know they needed comforting.