Give me a problem, and I wanted the whole thing laid out in front of me so I could do something about it.
But Claire had drawn a line around that part of her life, and eventually I stopped pushing.
Our family was complete.
***
Then, two years after we swore we were done, Claire came out of the bathroom holding a plastic stick and looking like she had seen a ghost.
Weeks later, at the ultrasound, Claire squeezed my hand as the technician studied the screen.
« It’s a girl. »
Claire made a sound I had never heard from her before, half-laugh, half-sob.
« A girl, » she whispered. « A girl, a girl, a girl. »
« Let me come with you. »
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