\u201cClaire, please sit down. I don\u2019t know how to tell you this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My sister, Nora, stood in my doorway with a crumpled envelope pressed against her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her eyes were swollen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat happened? Where\u2019s Ellie?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s home with Tom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs she hurt?\u201d I pressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo. She\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora came inside but wouldn\u2019t sit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She kept smoothing the envelope with her thumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNora, you\u2019re frightening me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d She pushed the envelope toward me. \u201cYou won\u2019t believe what I found out about this child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She finally sat at my kitchen table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou remember what the adoption agency told us about Ellie?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat she was found as a baby,\u201d I replied. \u201cThey couldn\u2019t identify her parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pulled out a chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been reviewing some of her early records. There were things missing from her medical history, so Tom and I asked them to check.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey found something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pushed the envelope toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t open it immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two weeks earlier, I\u2019d helped Nora arrange pink curtains in Ellie\u2019s new bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now my sister looked as though someone had threatened to take that entire room away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eight years of trying to have a baby had nearly broken Nora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There had been fertility appointments, disappointing test results, and birthdays when she couldn\u2019t bear to attend children\u2019s parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I suggested adoption, she was hesitant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat if I can\u2019t love a child who isn\u2019t mine?\u201d she\u2019d asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I told her love wasn\u2019t something a blood test could measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, she and Tom began the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two weeks before Nora appeared at my door, Ellie\u2019s adoption had been finalized and she came home with Nora and Tom. Nora called me six times that first day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wanted to know whether five-year-olds should still nap, how to get paint out of clothes, and whether it was normal for Ellie to ask the same question repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d wanted that happiness for her more than anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Especially after losing my own daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five years earlier, I\u2019d given birth to a little girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was premature and needed immediate medical attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw her for only a moment before the nurses took her to intensive care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember a tiny hand moving beside her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember asking whether I could hold her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They told me they needed to stabilize her first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following morning, a doctor came into my room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said my baby hadn\u2019t survived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her name was Lucy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d chosen it months before she was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went home without her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years afterward, I kept her hospital bracelet in a small box beside my bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I never found the courage to try for another child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when Nora first brought Ellie to meet me, I wasn\u2019t prepared for how much it would hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie had dark curls, enormous brown eyes, and a tiny dimple in her left cheek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d had that same dimple as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook at her!\u201d Nora laughed. \u201cShe could be one of us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But later, alone in my car, I cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d imagined Lucy growing up with curls like mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d imagined helping her get dressed for school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie looked so much like the little girl in those dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Ellie decided she liked me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She called me Auntie Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whenever I visited, she brought me two hair ribbons and asked for pigtails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot one braid,\u201d she\u2019d instruct. \u201cTwo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd don\u2019t pull.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\u2019d sit on a kitchen chair, swinging her feet while I worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once, she asked whether I had any children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I told her I\u2019d had a little girl who died when she was a baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie thought about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s sad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she handed me a pink ribbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis one\u2019s for the left side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children have a way of bringing you back to whatever needs doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now Nora was sitting across from me, looking at the envelope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat did they find?\u201d I asked again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several papers slid onto the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first was a formal notice from the adoption agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It said Ellie\u2019s early placement summary contained material inaccuracies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read the sentence twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat inaccuracies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora pointed to the next page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a summary of a records review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A hospital name appeared halfway down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the hospital where I\u2019d delivered Lucy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked at Nora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy is this here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep reading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The document described an unidentified newborn girl who had entered emergency protective care five years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were discrepancies between the hospital\u2019s records and the paperwork used when the child entered the care system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The date listed was the same week Lucy was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pushed the paper away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora reached for my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo. That doesn\u2019t mean anything. Babies are born there every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLots of children could\u2019ve come from that hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire\u2026\u201d Her voice broke. \u201cThat\u2019s what I told myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pulled out the final pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I saw the hospital and the dates, I asked whether they could check for a family connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat did you check, Nora?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTom and I worked with the caseworker. After you agreed to provide that cheek swab last week, they arranged a preliminary family-relationship test. They told us it might help clarify Ellie\u2019s medical history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remembered signing the consent form and giving the cheek swab. Nora had explained that the records review suggested a possible family connection, though nobody could tell us how close it might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d agreed because Ellie deserved an accurate medical history. I\u2019d never imagined what the result might say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora slid the report toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read the names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The preliminary genetic comparison indicated a parent-child biological relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora began crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire, I think Ellie is Lucy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stood so quickly my chair scraped the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t believe it either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy daughter died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know what they told you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have her death certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora covered her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I walked to the sink and gripped its edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside, a delivery truck stopped at the neighbor\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone laughed on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could hear every ordinary sound while the words on that report refused to make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, I turned around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes Ellie know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes Tom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes. He\u2019s the one who insisted we shouldn\u2019t tell her anything until it\u2019s checked properly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I returned to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs this result certain?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s preliminary. They want an independent test and a full review of the records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked at the hospital name again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho told the agency she was unidentified?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of the things they\u2019re investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow could they tell me my baby died if she didn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have that answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wanted to believe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was terrified of believing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five years was a long time to mourn a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was also a long time for someone else to raise her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you hate me?\u201d Nora whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf she\u2019s Lucy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNora, you didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I brought her home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou brought home a little girl who needed parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tears ran down her cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t ready to comfort her by promising nothing would change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something already had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLeave the papers with me,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before she left, she turned at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire, whatever happens, I love her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afterward, I took Lucy\u2019s bracelet from my bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plastic had yellowed slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her name was still printed across the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I placed it beside the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two pieces of paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two completely different accounts of the same child\u2019s beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the first time in five years, I couldn\u2019t tell which one to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the following days, Nora, Tom, and I spoke with the adoption professionals handling the records review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An attorney explained that even if the genetic connection was confirmed, it wouldn\u2019t automatically settle the legal questions surrounding Ellie\u2019s adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie would remain in her familiar home while the adults sought answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whatever the records eventually proved, none of us wanted her to feel that loving one of us meant losing another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t bear the thought of frightening her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also requested the hospital records surrounding Lucy\u2019s reported death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An independent genetic test was arranged with proper consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waiting for the results was miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still went to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I bought groceries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I answered messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But every time my phone rang, I stopped whatever I was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One afternoon, Nora sent me a photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie was sitting on the living room rug, building a tower from colorful blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her hair was in two crooked pigtails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ELLIE DID THESE HERSELF , Nora wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I enlarged the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie was smiling proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wanted to drive straight to Nora\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, I called her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow is she?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood. She\u2019s asking when you\u2019re coming over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTell her soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A week later, the independent result arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time, the report was clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The genetic findings confirmed that Ellie was my biological daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I called Nora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She answered immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I heard her inhale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither of us spoke for several seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Nora said, \u201cCome over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I arrived, Tom opened the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s drawing in the kitchen,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes she know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo. We\u2019re waiting for guidance on how to explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Ellie appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAuntie Claire!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She ran toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I bent down, and she threw her arms around my neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a moment, I held the daughter I\u2019d been told was dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie pulled away and inspected my hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan you do mine like yours?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She fetched her ribbons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sat behind her at the kitchen table and divided her curls into two sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My fingers weren\u2019t steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOuch!\u201d she complained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry, darling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re pulling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I loosened my grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBetter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora stood beside the counter, watching us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I finished the first pigtail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie jumped down to inspect herself in the hallway mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerfect!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She ran off to show Tom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora sat opposite me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither of us reached for the papers on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was something much harder we needed to discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora folded her hands on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you going to take her away?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked toward the hallway where Ellie was showing Tom her pigtails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what happens legally, Nora. But I\u2019m not going to frighten her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora began crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid you\u2019ll think I stole her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI finally have a daughter, Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd she\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at the hairbrush between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll look at her and see everything I missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora wiped her cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou did miss it. And I can\u2019t give it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because she was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t recover Ellie\u2019s first words or the birthdays I\u2019d spent visiting a grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two days later, our attorney called with an update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The records review had identified two newborns whose hospital identification numbers appeared to have been transposed during a neonatal transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One infant was recorded as deceased. Another had entered emergency protective care under incomplete identifying information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie\u2019s earliest child-welfare record carried the number originally assigned to Lucy. But the identification-number discrepancy did not explain who had declared Lucy dead, how that death had been verified, or why the conflicting records had gone unchallenged. Investigators were examining each of those failures separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes that explain everything?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d the attorney said. \u201cBut it gives investigators a specific records trail to examine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hospital had opened a formal investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I requested every record concerning Lucy\u2019s reported death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also asked who had verified her identity before issuing the certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nobody could answer that yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For once, I refused to accept a vague explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tom helped us arrange a meeting with a counselor experienced in adoption and complicated family histories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We agreed Ellie would remain at home with Nora and Tom while the legal review continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We would tell her the truth carefully, with professional guidance, rather than let her overhear frightened adults discussing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That evening, Nora called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you angry with me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes I\u2019m angry at everyone,\u201d I admitted. \u201cBut not because you love her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWill you still come over?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several weeks later, we were getting ready for a family outing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie appeared in the kitchen carrying two pink ribbons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAuntie Claire! Two pigtails, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pulled out a chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome here, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She climbed up and handed me the ribbons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora brought the hairbrush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe washed her hair this morning,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie groaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMommy, it\u2019s not that tangled!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was when I brushed it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because you brushed it wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tom called from the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre we leaving today or next Tuesday?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTuesday!\u201d Ellie shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I laughed and began separating her curls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first ribbon went in easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second kept slipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToo tight,\u201d Ellie complained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I loosened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She touched both pigtails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne\u2019s higher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora leaned closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTraitor,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora smiled and adjusted the ribbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellie hopped off the chair and ran toward Tom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReady!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He opened the front door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She hurried outside, asking whether there would be ice cream afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nora picked up Ellie\u2019s sweater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire? Coming?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I put the brush down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She waited while I collected my purse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then we went out together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cClaire, please sit down. I don\u2019t know how to tell you this.\u201d My sister, Nora, stood in my doorway with a crumpled envelope pressed against her chest. Her eyes were swollen. \u201cWhat happened? Where\u2019s Ellie?\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s home with Tom.\u201d \u201cIs she hurt?\u201d I pressed. \u201cNo. She\u2019s fine.\u201d Nora came inside but wouldn\u2019t sit. She kept …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23592,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23590\/revisions\/23592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}