Eventually, she breaks the silence. “Okay.”
I kiss her forehead, and before she can take another sip, I’m out the door.
23Sophie
Sophie pausesSurvivorand stands up.
“I’m going to bed.” Her dad stirs in his recliner, like he’s going to stand.
“Don’t get up,” she says, handing him the remote. Yawning, she dips into the kitchen for some water. On the counter, she sees a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies that look delicious and out of place. Otto has never been a baker. He must be so lonely here on his own that he’s picking up new hobbies to pass the time. She places one on a napkin and brings it out to him.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he says with a greedy smile when he sees the cookie.
“Love you, Dad.” She kisses him on the head. His hair is thin and soft.
“Love you too, kiddo.”
In her room, she sits at the foot of her childhood bed, knees tucked up to her chest. She can hear faint sounds of the TV from the other room. She calls Talia. With every ring, Sophie thinks of Leah’s hot little hands and feels the worry deep inside her.
Just as she thinks she’s going to be sent to voicemail, she hears a groggy voice on the other end. “Hey.”
“How is she?” Sophie can’t keep the anxiety from her words, though she tries. She’s imagining Leah curled up in Talia’s lap, sweating and struggling to breathe.
“Sleeping.” Her tone is warm, comforting, but there’s a hint of something else too.
“What’s wrong?” Sophie asks.
There’s a slight hesitation until Talia says, “Don’t freak out. Her fever went up slightly after her last dose of Tylenol wore off, but the doctor said only to worry if it’s above one hundred and two.”
“Is it above one hundred and two?”
Another pause, this time, it’s laced with annoyance. “No, of course not. I have an alarm set for every two hours so I can keep tabs on her temp all night.”
Tears are starting to build up in Sophie’s eyes. “I’m sorry I’m not there. How did she seem at bedtime?”
“Snuggly, a little whiny,” says Talia, and Sophie can hear her softening. “She will not let go of Bear. And she asked for you a few times.”
Sophie closes her eyes. “What did you say?”
“I said ‘Mama is coming home soon,’ and that seemed to work.”
“How are you doing?” Sophie asks after a pause.
“Oh, let’s see,” says Talia with a sigh. “I miss you.”
“Me too,” whispers Sophie.
Talia’s response comes quickly. “But listen to me. It’s still a low fever. We are going to be fine. I want you to stay there. I want you to enjoy this time with your dad. I promise I will call you if her fever goes up.”
A clatter outside her window makes Sophie’s breath catch. She’s about to whisper,“What was that?”before she realizes that Talia’s not actually in the room with her. She stands slowly and walks to thewindow, then peels open the blinds so she can see out. She sees nothing but the dark street.
“Soph?” she hears through the phone. The sound makes her jump.
“I’m here,” Sophie says eventually, turning from the window and racing to the bed to tuck herself under the blankets. “What about work tomorrow?”
“I already called off.” Talia hesitates. Then she says, “I can do this, Soph.”
Sophie’s therapist is in her head.“Do you trust Talia to take care of Leah?”Sophie’s answer to that would be“Of course I do, but…”But what? Is Sophie really so controlling, so overbearing, that she can’t let her wife handle their daughter for a few days?
