not call his mother. He did not call the relatives who had watched.
He put his phone face down.
“I’m not calling anyone yet,” he said. “Tell me what you need.”
Emma’s answer was quiet.
“Change the locks. Save every picture. And don’t let your mother know where they’re discharging me.”
For the first time, he stopped looking for an explanation from the people who caused the damage.
He started listening to the person who had been trying to survive it.
Then he asked about the older injury.
Six weeks earlier, while he was working late, his mother had entered their home and criticized Emma for how she was preparing the nursery. The argument moved into the hallway.
His mother shoved Emma against the corner of a dresser.
Then she told Emma the pain was proof she was too emotional to become a good mother.
Emma had almost called him.
