I hold her gaze for another beat, then let my hand fall away, slipping out into the hallway, letting the door softly click shut behind me.
The hallway is like a whole new world—bright, sterile. Quiet talking on phones, staff working throughout the space.
I pull my phone out and Mom answers on the second ring, like she’s been waiting on my call. “Hey, everything still okay?”
“Yeah.”
“How is she?”
“Good, tired. A lactation consultant came in, so—”
“So you got out of there.” She laughs.
I laugh once. “I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.”
“No, I get that. It’s probably best. Give her space to figure it out.”
I don’t say anything—I don’t know what else there is to say—but Mom fixes that. “Areyoualright?” she asks.
I swallow. “Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“I’m fine,” I say, sharper than I mean.
“Okay, well…good.” I can feel it behind her words…she doesn’t believe it. But she knows not to push.
We wrap up the conversation and hang up. I slide the phone back in my pocket and lean against the wall beside Karissa’s door. Waiting. Giving her space like I said I would.
A few minutes pass before the door opens again. The lactation consultant, Maggie, steps out. I push off the wall and straighten up. She pumps sanitizer from the dispenser, her tablet tucked under one arm, then turns and notices me as she rubs the sanitizer into her hands.
She smiles. “She did great.”
I nod. “Good.”
“She’s got a strong latch. Might be a little sore at first; that’s totally normal. Keep up the skin-to-skin, lots of fluids, and make sure she’s offering both sides evenly at each feeding.”
I blink once. “Alright…”
She keeps going. “When her milk comes in fully, probably sometime tomorrow, she might feel engorged. That’s normal too. Just make sure she keeps feeding or pumping through it. And let her sleep when she can. Recovery’s a lot on the body.”
I stare at her. Why is she telling me all this?
Oh. Right. They think I’m the dad.
I nod again, slowly. “Okay, yeah. Got it.”
She smiles like I just passed a test. “You’re doing great, Dad.” She pats my bicep.
I don’t bother correcting her. I just offer a tight smile. “Thanks.”
She walks off down the hall and I wait until she’s out of sight before heading back into the room.
Chapter 15
Karissa
Emma’s curled against my chest now—soft, warm and so tiny. I don’t want to put her down.
