“It’s you we’re worried about,” Erik said.
“Maybe we need to take her to the hospital, just to make sure her head is okay,” Jer suggested.
“The hospital?” Angeni said.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Erik said. “Sitka, can you be with Freya while I’m gone?”
Sasha nodded. “Of course.”
Sasha could feel Aurora’s eyes boring into her as she continued to bounce Freya in her arms, lulling the baby to a calm state. Sasha knew Aurora had been suspicious of her since seeing her with Erik. She didn’t trust Sasha. She had reason not to.
Erik helped Angeni to her feet. She was unsteady, teetering side to side.
“I’ll pull the car around,” Matt said, going out the front door ahead of them, keys jangling in his hand.
“Can you walk, babe?” Erik asked Angeni.
She took one shaky step, and that answered his question—she could not walk. He scooped her up into his arms, cradled her like a baby. She looked so small there, helpless.
After they left, Aurora announced her plan to do some food prep, on the assumption that Angeni would not be up to her usual tasks when she returned. Aurora loved Angeni. It reminded Sasha of Daphne—that loyalty of sisterhood. Sasha’s throat tightened at the thought of Daphne, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Sasha placed Freya in the bouncer and went to collect the mail from the table by the front door. She noticed a paper on the floor that must have fallen from the stack. As she picked it up, she saw that it contained just one line, typed across the middle.
You Should Be Charged With Murder.
She felt herself get woozy and understood that this was why Angeni had passed out.
Who had sent this?
It was something that Sasha had every right and reason to send, but it hadn’t been her.
She rifled through the mail until she found a red envelope that had been opened. There was no return address. The postmark was Seattle.
Her first thought was that someone else had had a similar experience to hers—losing a loved one due to a home birth propagandized by Angeni Luna. She had felt so alone in all this, and, perhaps, she wasn’t.
“What is that?” Aurora asked, glancing over from the kitchen.
“What?” Sasha asked.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Sasha stood there dumbly, the paper in her hand.
“What is it?” Aurora asked, more concerned. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and then made her way to Sasha.
“I just saw this letter,” Sasha said.
Aurora was already taking it from her hands. Sasha watched her face fall as she read.
“Who sent this?” Aurora asked.
Now she was the one who looked like she’d seen a ghost.
“I don’t know,” Sasha said, showing her the red envelope.
“This is why she passed out,” Aurora said.
“Has this happened before?” Sasha asked.
