{"id":13485,"date":"2026-09-18T20:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T20:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13485"},"modified":"2026-09-18T20:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T20:18:12","slug":"part-21-meeting-anna-should-have-been-the-simplest-joy-of-gregs-life-until-emma-handed-him-the-baby-and-asked-him-not-to-fix-anything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13485","title":{"rendered":"PART 21 \u2013 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"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By the time the airplane door opened, Greg had looked at Anna\u2019s photograph at least thirty times.<\/p>\n<p>He enlarged her face.<\/p>\n<p>Closed it.<\/p>\n<p>Opened it again.<\/p>\n<p>Read Daniel\u2019s message.<\/p>\n<p>Checked Emma\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Then returned to the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has Emma\u2019s nose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is approximately forty minutes old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has her nose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd maybe Daniel\u2019s chin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet off the airplane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked up.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone ahead of us had already moved into the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We collected our bags and moved through the terminal at a speed just below running.<\/p>\n<p>Greg had apparently decided that technically obeying airport rules still permitted him to walk like a man pursuing a departing train.<\/p>\n<p>At baggage claim, I caught his sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSlow down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m walking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are overtaking people on the moving walkway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re standing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped.<\/p>\n<p>For a second, impatience flashed across his face.<\/p>\n<p>Then he exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I touched his arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019ll still be there in twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at the photograph again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael was waiting outside the hospital when our taxi arrived.<\/p>\n<p>He looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>Greg barely let him finish the hug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow is Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPain?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComplications?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBaby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNICU?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFeeding?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael raised one hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re both good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sentence seemed to reach him in a way the messages had not.<\/p>\n<p>Both good.<\/p>\n<p>He closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We followed Michael upstairs.<\/p>\n<p>The maternity floor smelled like disinfectant, coffee, and something faintly sweet I could not identify.<\/p>\n<p>At the nurses\u2019 station, Greg became suddenly quiet.<\/p>\n<p>The room number was only twenty yards away.<\/p>\n<p>He had crossed states to get here.<\/p>\n<p>Now he hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>Michael noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou coming?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Greg stayed still.<\/p>\n<p>I understood before he spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if she\u2019s sleeping?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if she doesn\u2019t want visitors?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe asked us to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was before surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we knock.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Such a small thing.<\/p>\n<p>Knock.<\/p>\n<p>Wait.<\/p>\n<p>Be invited.<\/p>\n<p>He walked to the door.<\/p>\n<p>Then knocked.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel opened it.<\/p>\n<p>His hair was a mess.<\/p>\n<p>His shirt had a stain near one shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>He looked like a man who had aged ten years and become happier at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>Greg stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou made it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stepped forward and hugged him.<\/p>\n<p>Not the polite embrace they usually exchanged.<\/p>\n<p>A real one.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel seemed surprised.<\/p>\n<p>Then hugged him back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe okay?\u201d Greg whispered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed into his shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg pulled away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then he looked past him.<\/p>\n<p>Emma lay propped against pillows.<\/p>\n<p>She was pale.<\/p>\n<p>Her hair was tied badly behind her head.<\/p>\n<p>She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>She also looked happier than I had ever seen her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg stopped.<\/p>\n<p>His face folded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He crossed the room.<\/p>\n<p>Then stopped again beside the bed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma held out her hand.<\/p>\n<p>Greg took it.<\/p>\n<p>He bent and kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n<p>No questions.<\/p>\n<p>No inspection.<\/p>\n<p>No demand for details.<\/p>\n<p>Just a kiss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou scared me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI scared myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>I hugged her next.<\/p>\n<p>There are moments when being someone\u2019s mother collapses time.<\/p>\n<p>I could see the woman in the hospital bed.<\/p>\n<p>I could also see the newborn I had once held.<\/p>\n<p>The toddler with cereal in her hair.<\/p>\n<p>The teenager slamming a bedroom door.<\/p>\n<p>The young woman carrying boxes into her first apartment.<\/p>\n<p>All of them existed for one impossible second.<\/p>\n<p>Then a small sound came from the bassinet.<\/p>\n<p>Greg turned.<\/p>\n<p>Everything else disappeared from his face.<\/p>\n<p>Anna Susan slept beneath a striped hospital blanket.<\/p>\n<p>Only the top of her head and one cheek were visible.<\/p>\n<p>Greg approached as though the bassinet contained something wild.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s tiny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive pounds eleven ounces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>Anna moved one hand.<\/p>\n<p>Greg inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at her fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen them,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll ten?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Greg.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s holding back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeroically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg ignored us.<\/p>\n<p>Anna made another small sound.<\/p>\n<p>Then opened her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Greg froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice changed completely.<\/p>\n<p>Soft.<\/p>\n<p>Almost uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello, Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma watched him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWant to hold her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked alarmed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, at her college graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He glanced at Emma\u2019s incision area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, if you want\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want you to hold your granddaughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel lifted Anna.<\/p>\n<p>Greg automatically put out his arms.<\/p>\n<p>Then stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSupport her neck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anna was placed into his arms.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment, Greg did not move.<\/p>\n<p>I had seen him hold both our children.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered how confident he had seemed.<\/p>\n<p>One arm beneath the body.<\/p>\n<p>Hand behind the head.<\/p>\n<p>Natural.<\/p>\n<p>Certain.<\/p>\n<p>Now he looked terrified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe weighs nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe weighs five pounds eleven ounces,\u201d Emma said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is practically nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anna shifted.<\/p>\n<p>Greg adjusted instinctively.<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty years vanished.<\/p>\n<p>His body remembered.<\/p>\n<p>He looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anna\u2019s eyes closed.<\/p>\n<p>Greg smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Then cried.<\/p>\n<p>Not loudly.<\/p>\n<p>Tears simply moved down his face.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody teased him.<\/p>\n<p>He touched one finger to her hand.<\/p>\n<p>Anna\u2019s fingers closed around it.<\/p>\n<p>That finished him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe grabbed me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a reflex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked offended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet me have this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For ten minutes, Greg held Anna.<\/p>\n<p>He did not ask what she needed.<\/p>\n<p>He did not check a chart.<\/p>\n<p>He did not try to become indispensable.<\/p>\n<p>He simply sat with her.<\/p>\n<p>Then a nurse entered.<\/p>\n<p>She needed to check Emma and the baby.<\/p>\n<p>Greg immediately stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma looked surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can get coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>The nurse smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m fine with grandparents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg sat again.<\/p>\n<p>The nurse checked Emma\u2019s blood pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about pain.<\/p>\n<p>Examined Anna.<\/p>\n<p>Greg listened.<\/p>\n<p>I watched the questions gathering behind his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Finally the nurse mentioned that Anna had lost a small amount of weight since birth.<\/p>\n<p>Greg leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma pointed at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled sheepishly.<\/p>\n<p>The nurse answered.<\/p>\n<p>The amount was normal.<\/p>\n<p>Greg nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Then visibly swallowed the next six questions.<\/p>\n<p>Emma laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sweating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI appreciate the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the nurse left, Daniel went downstairs with Michael to get food.<\/p>\n<p>That left the four of us.<\/p>\n<p>Emma.<\/p>\n<p>Anna.<\/p>\n<p>Greg.<\/p>\n<p>Me.<\/p>\n<p>For several minutes, nobody spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Then Emma said, \u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His entire posture changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was the old Greg.<\/p>\n<p>Ready.<\/p>\n<p>Emma saw it too.<\/p>\n<p>She smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am sitting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Greg frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma looked down at Anna.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s expression softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI keep checking whether she\u2019s breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did it too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConstantly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was busy pretending I knew what I was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou once drove to a twenty-four-hour pharmacy because Michael sneezed three times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an unusual sneeze.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Then winced from her incision.<\/p>\n<p>Greg\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped himself from standing.<\/p>\n<p>Emma noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how to do this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParenting?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer came quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Emma studied him.<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked at Anna.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe learned you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou arrived knowing nothing about us. We knew nothing about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe figured out each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if I mess something up?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stared.<\/p>\n<p>I covered a laugh.<\/p>\n<p>Greg continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo will Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComforting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Greg leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe important things aren\u2019t ruined by one mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something in his voice told me he was speaking beyond parenting.<\/p>\n<p>Emma seemed to hear it too.<\/p>\n<p>She reached for his hand.<\/p>\n<p>Then she said, \u201cThat\u2019s what I need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I call you scared\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t fix it immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg blinked.<\/p>\n<p>Emma continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes tell me I\u2019m doing okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if I actually need help, I\u2019ll ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to fail at this occasionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably often.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma squeezed his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anna began crying.<\/p>\n<p>Greg instinctively stood.<\/p>\n<p>Then stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Emma held out her arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sat.<\/p>\n<p>Those three words might once have sounded like rejection.<\/p>\n<p>Now Greg watched his daughter lift her own daughter.<\/p>\n<p>Emma adjusted Anna against her chest.<\/p>\n<p>The crying softened.<\/p>\n<p>Greg smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knows you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink so?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was no hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knows you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That evening, we checked into a hotel six blocks away.<\/p>\n<p>Greg objected.<\/p>\n<p>Emma had a spare room.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had said we could stay.<\/p>\n<p>But I insisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey need their house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said we could\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey need their house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg considered that.<\/p>\n<p>Then nodded.<\/p>\n<p>At nine, he received a picture from Emma.<\/p>\n<p>Anna asleep.<\/p>\n<p>Caption:<\/p>\n<p>We survived our first hour without you.<\/p>\n<p>Greg laughed.<\/p>\n<p>He replied:<\/p>\n<p>I never doubted it.<\/p>\n<p>He showed me before sending.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat true?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>He sent it anyway.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, Emma was discharged.<\/p>\n<p>We helped them home.<\/p>\n<p>Greg carried bags.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel carried Anna.<\/p>\n<p>I watched Greg notice that arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>He did not challenge it.<\/p>\n<p>At the apartment, the rocking chair stood near the window.<\/p>\n<p>Michael\u2019s old chair.<\/p>\n<p>Emma\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n<p>Now Anna\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The scratches remained.<\/p>\n<p>Greg ran one finger along the wooden arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooks good here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought you\u2019d refinish it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI almost did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGlad you didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, while Emma slept, Daniel sat with Anna in the rocking chair.<\/p>\n<p>Greg and I washed dishes.<\/p>\n<p>He looked through the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel rocked slowly.<\/p>\n<p>Anna slept against his chest.<\/p>\n<p>Greg watched for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to worry he wasn\u2019t ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou worried nobody was ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel adjusted the blanket.<\/p>\n<p>Greg turned back to the sink.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t need me to teach him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg washed another plate.<\/p>\n<p>Then smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That night, as we walked back to the hotel, his phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Denise.<\/p>\n<p>Greg answered.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed almost immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He listened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew that tone.<\/p>\n<p>Rescue emergency.<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cI\u2019m out of state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He listened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall Marcus. He trained on neonatal intake last month.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. He can handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour abandoned kittens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed at the symmetry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo they have someone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greg looked toward Emma\u2019s apartment building behind us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I\u2019m staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No guilt.<\/p>\n<p>No frantic search for flights.<\/p>\n<p>No belief that he alone could solve the problem.<\/p>\n<p>I took his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay with that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He considered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then his phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>A message from Marcus.<\/p>\n<p>Got them. All four stable.<\/p>\n<p>Greg read it.<\/p>\n<p>Smiled.<\/p>\n<p>And put his phone away.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13486\">Click here to continue reading: PART 22: Greg Returned Home as a Grandfather, but a Quiet Crisis at the Rescue Showed Him the Difference Between Being Important and Being Irreplaceable<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By the time the airplane door opened, Greg had looked at Anna\u2019s photograph at least thirty times. He enlarged her face. Closed it. Opened it again. Read Daniel\u2019s message. Checked &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-13485","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\/13485","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=13485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13509,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13485\/revisions\/13509"}],"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=13485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}