Chapter 14 - Taking the Crib With Us
I woke to the sound of wheels on wood. Not the big wheels, just the small ones under the clear bassinet. Daniel was pushing it slow across the rug with one hand and holding the folded white swaddle over his arm with the other.
My name is Clara. I was three days out from giving birth and still wearing the light gray gown with the hospital wristband cutting faintly into my skin.
The dining room still smelled like dinner gone cold. The plates were still set under the crystal chandelier. The dark wood crib stood where it always had, beside the clear bassinet. Someone had restocked the rolling cart with diapers and towels, and the built-in shelves behind it were lined neat again with rolled towels and diaper boxes and the teddy bears staring out like nothing had happened.
Daniel looked tired in his black shirt and black pants. His hair was still slicked back. He stopped when he saw my eyes open.
"Hey," he said quietly. "You with me?"
I nodded. Noah was in the bassinet, asleep this time, his mouth working a little. The quiet felt strange after so much crying.
Marissa was by the doorway in her black housekeeper dress with the white collar and apron. Her brown hair was pulled back, and she had a duffel bag at her feet. She gave me a small look that was supposed to be reassuring.
Then I heard heels. Evelyn came in from the hall in her burgundy blouse and pearls, her white hair in a tight bun. Victor followed her in his black suit.
"What is this?" Evelyn said. She looked at the bassinet, at the bag. "What are you doing?"
Daniel kept his hand on the bassinet rail. "I'm moving Clara and Noah," he said. "To the back rooms by the kitchen for now. Then to the apartment over the garage until we figure out long term. No one goes in without my say."
Evelyn laughed once, short. "Don't be ridiculous. This is my house. That baby stays where I can watch him."
"This isn't a discussion, Mom."
"You can't take my grandson from me in my own dining room," she said. Her voice was still calm, but her hands were shaking a little. "Give him to me."
She stepped fast toward the bassinet. I tried to sit up and my head swam. Marissa moved before I could.
"Don't," Marissa said, and put herself between Evelyn and me.
Evelyn reached around her for Noah. "He's mine to hold. I'm his grandmother. I have a right."
Daniel shifted his body and blocked her without raising his hands. He just turned sideways, wide, so she hit his shoulder instead of the bassinet. The clear plastic rattled.
"Don't grab him," he said. "You're not taking him."
Evelyn's face changed. The calm dropped out of it. "Move," she said. "You don't tell me no in my house."
Behind her, boots sounded in the hall. Two deputies stepped into the doorway of the nursery area. They didn't draw anything. They just stood there where everyone could see them.
"Sir," one of them said to Victor, who had started forward. "Stay where you are."
Victor stopped with his hands half up. "This is family business," he said. "He's overreacting. Nobody needs to get involved."
The deputy shook his head. "You've already been warned about contact. Let them finish."
Evelyn stared at the uniforms like they were an insult. "You called the sheriff on your own mother? For moving a bassinet?"
Daniel didn't look away from her. "I called because Marissa told me what you did. I heard it. I'm not leaving them here for it to happen again."
My chest felt tight. I could hear my own breathing too loud. I put my hand on the bassinet edge to steady myself. Marissa knelt next to me and put her hand over mine.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm right here. Nobody's losing their job over telling the truth anymore."
Victor tried again, quieter, aimed at Daniel. "Think about the name. Think about what this looks like with deputies in the house. We can handle this private."
"No," Daniel said. "We tried private."
He lifted Noah carefully out of the bassinet, wrapped him snug in the white swaddle, and handed him to me. Noah was warm and light and made a soft sound against my collarbone. Daniel kept one arm around both of us while Marissa lifted the duffel and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder.
We moved slow toward the estate doorway at the end of the suite. The wheels of the bassinet clicked over the threshold. The chandelier light fell behind us.
Evelyn followed to the doorway. "Clara," she said. "Tell him this is wrong. Tell him you're tired and not thinking."
I looked up. My voice came out hoarse. "I'm thinking," I said. "I'm leaving with my son."
Evelyn lunged once more, both hands out for Noah. Daniel turned his back to her, shielding us with his body. She grabbed at his sleeve and missed, stumbling against the doorframe near the shelves.
"Ma'am," the deputy said sharply. "Back up."
Victor caught Evelyn's arm and pulled her back. She was breathing hard now, her pearls crooked.
May you like
Daniel didn't strike her. He just held us and kept walking until we were past the doorway, Marissa close beside us, the deputies between us and them.
Outside the suite, the hall was cooler. I could hear Noah breathing against my gown. Daniel pushed the empty bassinet with his free hand and said, low, only to me, "We got him. We're out."
