“Did you see the baby’s face?”
“She had the pink hat.”
My skin prickled.
“The plain pink hat?”
“Yes. My sister had the flower hat.”
I had never mentioned the two caps to him.
Elio began to cry.
“Dad saw me looking. He told me I was confused and that if I upset you, you might have to go back to the hospital.”
I pulled him against me.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“Is my real sister still there?”
I could not answer.
After Elio fell asleep, I went downstairs.
Keaton stood at the kitchen counter warming a bottle.
“What happened when you took Elio to get juice?” I asked.
He did not turn around immediately.
“What do you mean?”
“At the hospital.”
“We got juice.”
“Elio says you took him down another hallway.”
Keaton finally faced me.
“He’s five, Maris.”
“He says there was a woman carrying a baby.”
