Greg read the message three times.<\/p>\n
Then he set the phone down.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can\u2019t separate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were found together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean they have to be adopted together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey sleep together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re kittens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey cry when they\u2019re apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they are very young.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re seriously considering this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood the question beneath the question.<\/p>\n
Was I willing to let Susan leave?<\/p>\n
I looked toward the guest room.<\/p>\n
She was sprawled half on top of Steve, one tiny paw across his neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Greg exhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
Then I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean we get to decide by instinct.\u201d<\/p>\n
His relief vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else is there to decide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask Denise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg picked up his phone immediately.<\/p>\n
I stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it is almost midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll be awake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not permission to call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
I saw the realization arrive.<\/p>\n
He had almost turned our urgency into someone else\u2019s obligation.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
He put the phone down.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He checked Steve\u2019s medication schedule.<\/p>\n
Then Susan\u2019s weight.<\/p>\n
Then Steve\u2019s weight.<\/p>\n
Then he checked both again because apparently scales could become dishonest within thirty seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said that twenty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure Steve settles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could wake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is generally how sleep works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg looked at me.<\/p>\n
I held out my hand.<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then he took it.<\/p>\n
Upstairs, the bed felt unfamiliar with both of us in it.<\/p>\n
That realization saddened me.<\/p>\n
Greg lay on his back staring at the ceiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re thinking too loudly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she\u2019ll leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew he meant Susan.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Steve?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might need surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho adopts a sick kitten?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople adopt sick animals all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg rolled toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Susan goes first, he\u2019ll be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may not care as much as you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve seen them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re bonded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre they bonded, or are we?\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg looked away.<\/p>\n
That question hurt both of us.<\/p>\n
In the morning, Denise arrived before Greg could call.<\/p>\n
She carried a bag of supplies and the expression of someone already prepared for resistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI assume you saw the inquiry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg folded his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you panic\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToo late,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Denise smiled.<\/p>\n
Greg did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Susan going to be adopted?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why send us the message?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause fosters need to know when applications come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy only her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Denise shrugged gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe applicant saw her photo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Steve?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis medical hold means he can\u2019t be listed yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSteve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denise looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know he has an online profile.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not the point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the point?\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg opened his mouth.<\/p>\n
Nothing came out.<\/p>\n
Denise set the supplies down.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreg, kittens are not children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression hardened.<\/p>\n
I almost intervened.<\/p>\n
Then I stopped myself.<\/p>\n
This was exactly the conversation he needed to have without me translating it.<\/p>\n
Denise sat in the rocking chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cSiblings can be adopted separately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey depend on each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this age, they depend primarily on caregivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey sleep together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also sleep in food dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat proves nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt proves they are kittens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg crossed his arms tighter.<\/p>\n
Denise\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould they benefit from staying together? Possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that is not the same as saying separation harms them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg looked toward the box.<\/p>\n
Susan was attacking the edge of the blanket.<\/p>\n
Steve watched with little enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause rescue work contains a lot of maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg hated that answer.<\/p>\n
Denise continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want certainty because certainty lets you know exactly what your job is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg looked at her sharply.<\/p>\n
She had known him six months.<\/p>\n
Long enough, apparently.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut sometimes the job is simply to care well without controlling the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
I looked at Greg.<\/p>\n
He stared at Steve.<\/p>\n
Finally he said, \u201cThat sounds like something Laura would say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like her already,\u201d Denise said.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
Greg ignored both of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens with the adopter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the application is approved, we schedule a meeting when Susan is medically ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if we think they should stay together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll consider your observations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConsider.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we don\u2019t decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Denise waited.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cThat is the agreement you signed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the dresser.<\/p>\n
The foster paperwork sat in a folder there.<\/p>\n
He had signed the line promising to return the animals for adoption.<\/p>\n
Six to eight weeks.<\/p>\n
If they thrived.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Denise left, Greg took Steve for his follow-up weigh-in at the rescue clinic.<\/p>\n
I stayed home with Susan.<\/p>\n
For the first time, I spent several hours alone with one kitten.<\/p>\n
It changed something.<\/p>\n
She followed movement now.<\/p>\n
Her eyes were clearer.<\/p>\n
She had begun standing with slightly more confidence.<\/p>\n
When I placed my hand in the box, she climbed onto my wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are trouble,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n
Susan bit my sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about the potential adopter.<\/p>\n
A stranger.<\/p>\n
Some person who might take this ridiculous tiny creature and turn her into part of another household\u2019s ordinary life.<\/p>\n
The idea hurt.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
Quietly.<\/p>\n
That was worse.<\/p>\n
When Greg returned, he was carrying Steve and wearing an expression I could not read.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gained twelve grams.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why do you look like somebody fired you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg set the carrier down.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael called.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our son rarely called during work hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
My first reaction was joy.<\/p>\n
Then suspicion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNext week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat soon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has meetings in Chicago and said he can extend the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg began unpacking Steve\u2019s medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re upset?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me if I needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you mean it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why does it bother you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg put the medication down.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I used to call him and ask if he needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he thinks I\u2019m the one who needs checking on.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Then I saw his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hate the reversal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it makes me feel old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are fifty-six.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sounded like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat must have been terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Dad, I can move some things around.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is absolutely you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has never moved things around for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he wants to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
The word he hated.<\/p>\n
Maybe the children no longer needed him the same way.<\/p>\n
Maybe they wanted him anyway.<\/p>\n
The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
That evening, Michael called both of us.<\/p>\n
He confirmed his arrival for Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Then Emma joined the call.<\/p>\n
Within minutes, our children were discussing crib brands.<\/p>\n
Greg sat silently.<\/p>\n
I watched him fight the urge to interrupt.<\/p>\n
Finally Michael said, \u201cDad, you\u2019re being weirdly quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told not to project-manage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout cribs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not buy one with a drop side.\u201d<\/p>\n
I started laughing.<\/p>\n
Emma groaned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat advice is approximately twenty years out of date.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect advice does not expire.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversation became easy.<\/p>\n
For an hour, our children let him be useful in small ways.<\/p>\n
Not because they could not function without him.<\/p>\n
Because they knew it mattered to him.<\/p>\n
When the call ended, Greg looked lighter.<\/p>\n
Then the rescue messaged again.<\/p>\n
The applicant for Susan had been approved.<\/p>\n
A meeting could be scheduled in two weeks.<\/p>\n
Greg stared at the message.<\/p>\n
I waited for the refusal.<\/p>\n
Instead he took a long breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Susan.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll be bigger by then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Steve?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg nodded.<\/p>\n
Then, for the first time, he said the words without bitterness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, however, Steve refused his first feeding.<\/p>\n
Then the second.<\/p>\n
By noon, his breathing had changed.<\/p>\n
And suddenly two weeks felt impossibly far away.<\/p>\n
Greg read the message three times. Then he set the phone down. \u201cNo.\u201d I looked at him. \u201cNo what?\u201d \u201cThey can\u2019t separate them.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d \u201cThey were found … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13498,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13474\/revisions\/13498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}