{"id":13484,"date":"2026-09-18T20:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T20:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13484"},"modified":"2026-09-18T20:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T20:18:09","slug":"part-20-as-emmas-due-date-approached-greg-prepared-to-become-a-grandfather-without-reclaiming-fatherhood-until-one-call-changed-the-rules-overnight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13484","title":{"rendered":"PART 20 \u2013 As Emma\u2019s Due Date Approached, Greg Prepared to Become a Grandfather Without Reclaiming Fatherhood\u2014Until One Call Changed the Rules Overnight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Winter arrived quietly.<\/p>\n<p>The rescue became part of our weekly life.<\/p>\n<p>Not our secret life.<\/p>\n<p>Our life.<\/p>\n<p>Greg spent Tuesdays and Saturdays there.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes more.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes less.<\/p>\n<p>He learned to say no when Denise asked for extra shifts.<\/p>\n<p>This development seemed medically significant.<\/p>\n<p>The first time it happened, he came home looking suspiciously pleased.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said no?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Denise?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas there weather?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPower outage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHead injury?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had plans with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat plans?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDinner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe eat dinner most nights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are becoming dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He kissed my forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI contain multitudes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Volunteer coordinating suited him.<\/p>\n<p>He trained nervous teenagers.<\/p>\n<p>Retired accountants.<\/p>\n<p>College students who believed enthusiasm was a substitute for reading instructions.<\/p>\n<p>He taught them how to approach frightened animals.<\/p>\n<p>How to clean properly.<\/p>\n<p>How to transport without unnecessary stress.<\/p>\n<p>And, perhaps most importantly, how not to mistake temporary care for ownership.<\/p>\n<p>I overheard him explaining it once during a phone call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not promising forever,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re promising today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped in the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>Greg saw me.<\/p>\n<p>His expression turned embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>I smiled and kept walking.<\/p>\n<p>Thanksgiving arrived with Michael and Claire.<\/p>\n<p>Claire was warm, funny, and entirely unimpressed by Greg\u2019s attempt not to interview her.<\/p>\n<p>He lasted fourteen minutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo what do you do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael groaned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is a normal question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI work in logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg brightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael pointed at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not discuss warehouse optimization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He absolutely was.<\/p>\n<p>Claire liked him anyway.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered more than Greg admitted.<\/p>\n<p>At dinner, Michael reached for the potatoes and said, \u201cDad, Walter\u2019s owner sent me a picture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know Harold?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou showed me his daughter\u2019s post on the rescue page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael pulled out his phone.<\/p>\n<p>Walter was wearing a ridiculous red sweater.<\/p>\n<p>Harold sat beside him.<\/p>\n<p>Greg laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hates clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWalter or Harold?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth, probably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We passed the phone around.<\/p>\n<p>Then dinner continued.<\/p>\n<p>That was another change.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph no longer stopped the world.<\/p>\n<p>It entered the world we already had.<\/p>\n<p>Emma joined by video after dessert.<\/p>\n<p>Her pregnancy had progressed well after the scare.<\/p>\n<p>She was visibly pregnant now.<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked at her with awe every time she appeared on screen.<\/p>\n<p>He tried not to.<\/p>\n<p>He failed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop staring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re carrying a person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m aware.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt remains extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By January, the rocking chair was finally ready to leave.<\/p>\n<p>Emma had delayed taking it until after the holidays.<\/p>\n<p>Greg sanded one arm where the finish had worn thin.<\/p>\n<p>Then stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood in the garage doorway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t look new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe scratches are part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I should leave them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at the chair.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty years of marks.<\/p>\n<p>Michael\u2019s teething scar along one arm.<\/p>\n<p>A nick from the move to our second house.<\/p>\n<p>A dark spot where Emma had spilled juice.<\/p>\n<p>Greg had once viewed every mark as damage.<\/p>\n<p>Now he ran his hand across them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll tighten the joints.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat seems reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExcellent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He shipped the chair to Emma.<\/p>\n<p>Not with seventeen pages of instructions.<\/p>\n<p>Only the hardware bag taped beneath the seat.<\/p>\n<p>I considered this a historic act of restraint.<\/p>\n<p>February became March.<\/p>\n<p>Greg booked his trip for the week Emma was due.<\/p>\n<p>Then canceled it.<\/p>\n<p>I found out accidentally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she didn\u2019t ask me to come that week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe assumed you were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you spoken to her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have crossed from respecting boundaries into interpreting them like ancient scripture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying not to impose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked suspicious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat simple?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI dislike when your solutions are obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He called Emma.<\/p>\n<p>She answered from her sofa.<\/p>\n<p>When Greg asked whether she wanted him there around the due date, she looked baffled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t want to assume.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd don\u2019t arrive two weeks early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked away.<\/p>\n<p>He had considered it.<\/p>\n<p>Emma saw.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe considered it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTraitor,\u201d Greg muttered.<\/p>\n<p>Emma laughed.<\/p>\n<p>April approached.<\/p>\n<p>The house filled with anticipation even though the baby would be born nine hundred miles away.<\/p>\n<p>Greg did not buy a crib for our house.<\/p>\n<p>I mention this because it required extraordinary restraint.<\/p>\n<p>He did buy a portable changing mat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUseful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have no infant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will occasionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPerhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also bought three children\u2019s books.<\/p>\n<p>Then two more.<\/p>\n<p>Then hid the receipts.<\/p>\n<p>I found them.<\/p>\n<p>We agreed on a shelf limit.<\/p>\n<p>He immediately filled it.<\/p>\n<p>At the rescue, Denise teased him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandfather panic?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am calm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou bought a car seat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked offended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n<p>He sighed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI researched car seats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDifferent crime,\u201d Denise said.<\/p>\n<p>By the second week of April, our suitcases were packed.<\/p>\n<p>Emma\u2019s due date was still eleven days away.<\/p>\n<p>We planned to fly out in five.<\/p>\n<p>Then, at 1:17 in the morning, my phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>I woke instantly.<\/p>\n<p>Greg did too.<\/p>\n<p>Emma.<\/p>\n<p>Every old fear returned in a single heartbeat.<\/p>\n<p>I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All I heard was breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Then Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg was already sitting up.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s voice was strained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer water broke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the clock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s only\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg reached for the phone.<\/p>\n<p>I put it on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Not useful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does the doctor say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContractions are close.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg got out of bed.<\/p>\n<p>He opened the closet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad,\u201d Emma said faintly in the background.<\/p>\n<p>Greg froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t do anything crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I nearly laughed despite the fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat counts as crazy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDriving nine hundred miles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at the suitcase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma breathed through another contraction.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cCome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question was gone.<\/p>\n<p>The invitation was clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another contraction.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel spoke again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll call from the hospital,\u201d Emma said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t worry about us,\u201d Greg replied.<\/p>\n<p>The words surprised all of us.<\/p>\n<p>He meant them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma gave a breathless laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The call ended.<\/p>\n<p>Greg stood in the middle of the bedroom.<\/p>\n<p>For one second, he looked completely lost.<\/p>\n<p>Then every old instinct activated.<\/p>\n<p>Flights.<\/p>\n<p>Bags.<\/p>\n<p>Transportation.<\/p>\n<p>Information.<\/p>\n<p>But this time, he looked at me first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do we do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not what he had decided.<\/p>\n<p>What do we do?<\/p>\n<p>I grabbed my phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe find the first flight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was one at six twenty.<\/p>\n<p>Connection through Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>Arrival shortly after noon.<\/p>\n<p>If everything ran on time.<\/p>\n<p>Greg booked it.<\/p>\n<p>Then he sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to call her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is going to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can text.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>He typed:<\/p>\n<p>We love you. No need to answer. We\u2019re on the morning flight.<\/p>\n<p>Then sent it.<\/p>\n<p>No instructions.<\/p>\n<p>No questions.<\/p>\n<p>No checklist.<\/p>\n<p>At four thirty, Michael called.<\/p>\n<p>Emma had messaged him too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m booking a flight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg said, \u201cYou don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill working on that one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the airport, Greg was almost unnaturally calm.<\/p>\n<p>Security.<\/p>\n<p>Gate.<\/p>\n<p>Coffee.<\/p>\n<p>He checked his phone but did not call.<\/p>\n<p>At six twelve, Daniel texted.<\/p>\n<p>Admitted. Baby looks good. Emma exhausted but okay.<\/p>\n<p>Greg read it.<\/p>\n<p>His hands trembled.<\/p>\n<p>I took them.<\/p>\n<p>At seven forty, somewhere over the Midwest, another message arrived through airplane Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<p>Labor progressing slowly.<\/p>\n<p>Greg stared at the words.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSlow is good?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have forgotten everything about childbirth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were present twice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo were you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was occupied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Then became quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish I were there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut she has Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked out the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat may be the nicest thing you\u2019ve ever said about him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe carries heavy appliances correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHigh praise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the Chicago connection, our next flight was delayed.<\/p>\n<p>Forty minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Then seventy.<\/p>\n<p>Greg stared at the board.<\/p>\n<p>I watched the old panic build.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe could rent a car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are four hundred miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn labor traffic?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not a type of traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would become one with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled despite himself.<\/p>\n<p>Then our phones buzzed simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p>Michael.<\/p>\n<p>Call me.<\/p>\n<p>Greg called.<\/p>\n<p>Our son answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m at their hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou beat us?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDirect flight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>Michael continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe asked me to tell you not to panic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not panicking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>He ignored me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wants you to know they\u2019re talking about a C-section.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBaby\u2019s heart rate dipped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice remained calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey got it back up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg sat down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she safe?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m outside the room. Daniel just came out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Emma want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wants you here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>The worst possible sentence and the best.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knows the flight is delayed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said Dad will get here when he gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg lowered his head.<\/p>\n<p>He was silent for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cTell her I love her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd tell Daniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Michael asked.<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell Daniel I trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt tears rise.<\/p>\n<p>Michael went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cI\u2019ll tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The flight boarded eighty minutes late.<\/p>\n<p>Greg sat beside the window.<\/p>\n<p>He did not pace because there was nowhere to pace.<\/p>\n<p>He did not bargain with the flight attendants.<\/p>\n<p>He did not tell himself he could control distance.<\/p>\n<p>He sat.<\/p>\n<p>He waited.<\/p>\n<p>He held my hand.<\/p>\n<p>Forty minutes before landing, a message arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Michael.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s going into surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s face went white.<\/p>\n<p>Then another message.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s scared. Baby needs to come now.<\/p>\n<p>Greg read both.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m supposed to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re her father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat does not mean you can bend geography.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked down.<\/p>\n<p>I squeezed his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knows you\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of the flight, he said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>When the wheels hit the runway, every phone in the cabin came alive.<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s connected first.<\/p>\n<p>Three messages appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Michael.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Emma.<\/p>\n<p>Greg opened Daniel\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>His hand began shaking.<\/p>\n<p>I leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph filled the screen.<\/p>\n<p>A newborn face.<\/p>\n<p>Red.<\/p>\n<p>Furious.<\/p>\n<p>Alive.<\/p>\n<p>Beneath it:<\/p>\n<p>Anna Susan. 5 lbs 11 oz. Both girls are safe.<\/p>\n<p>Greg made a sound I had never heard from him.<\/p>\n<p>Half laugh.<\/p>\n<p>Half sob.<\/p>\n<p>He covered his face.<\/p>\n<p>People nearby turned.<\/p>\n<p>He did not care.<\/p>\n<p>I pressed my forehead against his shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Our granddaughter had arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Early.<\/p>\n<p>Small.<\/p>\n<p>Safe.<\/p>\n<p>And for the first time in Greg\u2019s life, someone new had entered the family without needing him to save them.<\/p>\n<p>He simply got to love her.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13485\">Click here to continue reading: PART 21: Meeting Anna Should Have Been the Simplest Joy of Greg\u2019s Life, Until Emma Handed Him the Baby and Asked Him Not to Fix Anything<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter arrived quietly. The rescue became part of our weekly life. Not our secret life. Our life. Greg spent Tuesdays and Saturdays there. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. He learned to &hellip; <\/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-13484","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\/13484","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=13484"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13508,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13484\/revisions\/13508"}],"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=13484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}