By noon, none of us had slept more than an hour.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s husband, Mark, called twice.<\/p>\n
The second time, she told him enough that he stopped asking when she would come home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming over,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked toward Anna.<\/p>\n
Then toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you with your dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the woman?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark had always been better at hearing what Rebecca did not say than most people.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall me when you want me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was marriage at its best.<\/p>\n
Presence without invasion.<\/p>\n
After the call, Rebecca contacted the diocesan archive.<\/p>\n
At first, the woman who answered said adoption records required formal requests.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca explained the names.<\/p>\n
Ruth Miller.<\/p>\n
Father James Harlan.<\/p>\n
St. Agnes Family Services.<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
The archivist asked us to wait.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, a man came on the line.<\/p>\n
Dr. Peter Walsh.<\/p>\n
Director of records.<\/p>\n
His voice was cautious.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're asking about records from 1975 and 1985?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I ask why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was one of the children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca told him the altered birth date.<\/p>\n
The forged withdrawal.<\/p>\n
The original file Carol had preserved.<\/p>\n
She did not dramatize.<\/p>\n
Did not accuse the church.<\/p>\n
She simply gave facts.<\/p>\n
Facts were enough.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh asked us to send copies.<\/p>\n
Rebecca photographed the relevant pages.<\/p>\n
Within twenty minutes, he called back.<\/p>\n
His tone had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you should come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove to the diocesan archive that afternoon.<\/p>\n
It occupied part of an old administrative building two counties away.<\/p>\n
Brick walls.<\/p>\n
Narrow windows.<\/p>\n
A statue of Mary near the entrance.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at it before we went inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna touched her arm lightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can leave anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked surprised by the contact.<\/p>\n
Anna immediately withdrew her hand.<\/p>\n
Rebecca said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, after a moment, \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh met us in a reading room.<\/p>\n
Mid-sixties.<\/p>\n
Gray beard.<\/p>\n
Wire-rimmed glasses.<\/p>\n
He carried two archival boxes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is unusual,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rebecca sat across from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat word has been used a lot lately.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained that St. Agnes Family Services had not operated as a formal adoption agency in the modern sense.<\/p>\n
It was a network.<\/p>\n
Church volunteers.<\/p>\n
Social workers.<\/p>\n
Attorneys.<\/p>\n
Maternity housing.<\/p>\n
Private placements.<\/p>\n
Recordkeeping varied.<\/p>\n
That meant some files were incomplete.<\/p>\n
Some had been transferred.<\/p>\n
Some disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh did not object.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened the first box.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n
A thin folder.<\/p>\n
Carol\u2019s name on the tab.<\/p>\n
Carol Henderson.<\/p>\n
Birth mother.<\/p>\n
Rebecca touched the label.<\/p>\n
Seeing her mother described that way affected her visibly.<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
Carol had always been Adoptive Mother in Rebecca\u2019s paperwork.<\/p>\n
Now another file called her Birth Mother to someone else.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh opened it.<\/p>\n
Emily Catherine Henderson.<\/p>\n
Born January 8, 1975.<\/p>\n
Mother: Carol Anne Henderson.<\/p>\n
Father: not listed.<\/p>\n
Placement finalized six months later.<\/p>\n
Adoptive parents: Richard and Susan Dalton.<\/p>\n
Address in Indiana.<\/p>\n
Then a later forwarding address.<\/p>\n
Colorado.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s pulse seemed visible in her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cColorado.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Daltons relocated in 1982.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat matches Marjorie\u2019s journal.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have journals?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned another page.<\/p>\n
There were photographs.<\/p>\n
Emily as a baby.<\/p>\n
Carol holding her.<\/p>\n
Ruth standing nearby.<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
Rebecca touched the image.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna sat silently.<\/p>\n
The file showed that Carol initially consented to adoption.<\/p>\n
But conditions appeared in handwritten notes.<\/p>\n
Open communication.<\/p>\n
Photographs.<\/p>\n
Annual updates.<\/p>\n
Possible visitation.<\/p>\n
None legally enforceable at the time.<\/p>\n
Still, promises had been made.<\/p>\n
Within two years, communication stopped.<\/p>\n
The reason field said:<\/p>\n
At adoptive parents\u2019 request.<\/p>\n
Then another internal memo contradicted it.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Miller recommends full termination of contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Miller,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy was Grandma making recommendations?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next memo offered a clue.<\/p>\n
Ruth was listed as Volunteer Family Liaison.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked with St. Agnes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had never known.<\/p>\n
My mother volunteered at church constantly.<\/p>\n
Food drives.<\/p>\n
Youth programs.<\/p>\n
Hospital visits.<\/p>\n
I never knew family placement was among them.<\/p>\n
Anna leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she had access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo young pregnant women?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
Ruth had not stumbled into Carol\u2019s crisis.<\/p>\n
She was positioned to control it.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh opened Rebecca\u2019s archival file.<\/p>\n
Much thinner.<\/p>\n
Most official documents matched the altered version we already knew.<\/p>\n
February 17 birth date.<\/p>\n
Closed adoption.<\/p>\n
Anonymous birth mother.<\/p>\n
But behind those papers, someone had inserted an internal memorandum.<\/p>\n
Not copied into the legal file.<\/p>\n
Father Harlan\u2019s handwriting appeared at the bottom.<\/p>\n
Ruth says same principle as C.H. matter.<\/p>\n
Keep child with paternal line where possible.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame principle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna whispered, \u201cCarol.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat principle?\u201d<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother believed children should remain with their father's family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even when the mother wanted them.<\/p>\n
Even when the father did not know.<\/p>\n
Rebecca read the line again.<\/p>\n
Keep child with paternal line where possible.<\/p>\n
One private rule.<\/p>\n
That explained Emily too, perhaps.<\/p>\n
If Michael Mercer was her father, why place her with strangers rather than Mercers?<\/p>\n
Unless Michael was considered unsuitable.<\/p>\n
Or unless Ruth had another definition of paternal line.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh turned the page.<\/p>\n
Another note.<\/p>\n
M.M. refuses responsibility. R.M. says disclosure would destroy T.M. household.<\/p>\n
I went cold.<\/p>\n
M.M.<\/p>\n
Michael Mercer.<\/p>\n
R.M.<\/p>\n
Ruth Miller.<\/p>\n
T.M.<\/p>\n
Thomas Miller.<\/p>\n
Why would Michael\u2019s paternity destroy my father's household?<\/p>\n
Anna saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Michael have to do with Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh continued.<\/p>\n
Final placement chosen outside county to avoid overlap among Henderson, Mercer, and Miller families.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Three families deliberately separated.<\/p>\n
Carol.<\/p>\n
Mercer.<\/p>\n
Miller.<\/p>\n
Rebecca leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma was cleaning up scandals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at the papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was protecting Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at the pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel was Thomas\u2019s child with Louise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Carol had Emily with Michael, Louise\u2019s brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Walter fell in love with me, Louise\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca finished the thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd had me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery generation tied the Mercers and Millers together.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother had not simply hated Anna personally.<\/p>\n
Anna represented recurrence.<\/p>\n
Proof that the family lines Ruth spent decades separating kept crossing anyway.<\/p>\n
I suddenly understood her obsession with paternal lineage.<\/p>\n
Daniel was my father\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
Ruth could not control that.<\/p>\n
Emily was Michael Mercer\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n
She could move the child away.<\/p>\n
Rebecca was my daughter.<\/p>\n
She could keep Rebecca within the Miller household while removing Anna.<\/p>\n
It was not morality.<\/p>\n
It was architecture.<\/p>\n
Ruth was arranging families like rooms in a house.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Father Harlan agree with her?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe notes suggest he facilitated placements.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t interpret motives from files.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair.<\/p>\n
But another document helped.<\/p>\n
A letter from Father Harlan to Ruth.<\/p>\n
Ruth,<\/p>\n
Your desire to prevent another family fracture is understandable, but you are too personally involved.<\/p>\n
You cannot continue making placement recommendations in cases connected to the Mercers.<\/p>\n
Stop.<\/p>\n
I looked at the date.<\/p>\n
1976.<\/p>\n
A year after Emily\u2019s adoption.<\/p>\n
He told her to stop.<\/p>\n
She did not.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s file existed nine years later.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know she was involved in my adoption?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh searched.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he allowed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another note.<\/p>\n
Father Harlan wrote:<\/p>\n
Ruth insists immediate action necessary. Carol confirms Walter must not be informed until placement secure.<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
Carol had actively kept me out.<\/p>\n
No ambiguity.<\/p>\n
Rebecca saw my expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you're not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not push.<\/p>\n
We continued.<\/p>\n
Near the back was an envelope labeled correspondence \u2014 1992.<\/p>\n
Rebecca was seven.<\/p>\n
The same year Anna wrote her first letter.<\/p>\n
Inside was a photocopy.<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
Stamped RECEIVED.<\/p>\n
So St. Agnes had received it too.<\/p>\n
Not only Carol.<\/p>\n
A handwritten note from Ruth:<\/p>\n
Do not forward. Matter settled.<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was still controlling it seven years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna whispered, \u201cI sent copies because I thought Carol might throw hers away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma blocked the agency too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next letter was from Carol.<\/p>\n
To Father Harlan.<\/p>\n
1994.<\/p>\n
Carol wrote that Ruth\u2019s interference had gone too far.<\/p>\n
She wanted all future correspondence from Anna forwarded directly to her.<\/p>\n
Father Harlan agreed.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Mom fought Grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then kept the letters herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again the same pattern.<\/p>\n
Resistance followed by fear.<\/p>\n
A person could understand how Carol became trapped without pretending she had no door.<\/p>\n
Rebecca turned the page.<\/p>\n
A later memo from 2003.<\/p>\n
Father Harlan had retired.<\/p>\n
Another administrator noted that a woman named Carol Miller requested information about Emily Dalton.<\/p>\n
Rebecca froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was searching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled a second slip.<\/p>\n
Dalton family moved from Colorado to Oregon in 1989. Adult adoptee contact request pending. No response received.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdult adoptee?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh examined the note.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears Emily herself requested access to her original records.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c2002.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was looking for Mom too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another letter answered.<\/p>\n
St. Agnes had contacted Carol.<\/p>\n
They asked whether she consented to release identifying information to Emily.<\/p>\n
Carol signed yes.<\/p>\n
My daughter covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they connect?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh looked through the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he found a returned envelope.<\/p>\n
Address invalid.<\/p>\n
Carol had moved.<\/p>\n
The agency never updated its files.<\/p>\n
One missed address change.<\/p>\n
After decades of manipulation, chance itself had intervened.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at the returned envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Emily searched.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they still didn't find each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
I saw her own history reflected there.<\/p>\n
Letters arriving but not reaching.<\/p>\n
People almost connecting.<\/p>\n
Information sitting in rooms while lives continued elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can't release her current address if we have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a later note.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled a document from the back.<\/p>\n
2014.<\/p>\n
Emily Catherine Dalton had requested her file again.<\/p>\n
This time she left contact information.<\/p>\n
A town in Oregon.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at the address.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you give it to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI legally cannot hand you personal contact data based solely on this relationship claim.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have Carol\u2019s death certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t change privacy rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can send a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow fast?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked frustrated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want another letter getting lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can also attempt the phone number if it's still valid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh looked at the three of us.<\/p>\n
Then picked up the phone.<\/p>\n
The number rang.<\/p>\n
Once.<\/p>\n
Twice.<\/p>\n
Three times.<\/p>\n
Voicemail.<\/p>\n
A woman\u2019s recorded voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, you\u2019ve reached Emily Dalton\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
At least when the voicemail was recorded.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh left a careful message.<\/p>\n
No details.<\/p>\n
Only that he was calling from St. Agnes regarding an old records inquiry.<\/p>\n
He gave his number.<\/p>\n
Then hung up.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked dissatisfied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you don't like that word.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh returned the documents to their folders.<\/p>\n
Then he paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one more item.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in either adoption file.\u201d<\/p>\n
He brought out a third folder.<\/p>\n
Ruth Miller \u2014 Volunteer Correspondence.<\/p>\n
My mother had her own institutional file.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened it.<\/p>\n
Pages of routine church work.<\/p>\n
Family assistance.<\/p>\n
Fundraising.<\/p>\n
Then a disciplinary note from 1986.<\/p>\n
Ruth had been formally prohibited from participating in future adoption or maternity placements.<\/p>\n
Reason:<\/p>\n
Unauthorized interference in Mercer placement matter.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201c1986.\u201d<\/p>\n
One year after she was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe church knew she interfered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
I remembered my mother volunteering just as much afterward.<\/p>\n
Different programs.<\/p>\n
Same respect.<\/p>\n
She had not been exposed publicly.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh found a final confidential memo.<\/p>\n
It named Father Harlan.<\/p>\n
He had recommended keeping the matter internal to avoid legal consequences for the families and institution.<\/p>\n
Rebecca laughed without humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtect the institution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtect the family,\u201d I added.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtect everybody except the person who was harmed,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n
No one disagreed.<\/p>\n
Then Dr. Walsh\u2019s desk phone rang.<\/p>\n
We all froze.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter Walsh.\u201d<\/p>\n
He listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved toward Rebecca.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, she\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stood.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh covered the receiver.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n
My daughter\u2019s face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
He listened again.<\/p>\n
Then said, \u201cEmily, there is someone here asking about Carol Henderson.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Even from several feet away, I heard the woman on the other end inhale sharply.<\/p>\n
Dr. Walsh asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like to speak with her daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
Then Dr. Walsh held out the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
By noon, none of us had slept more than an hour. Rebecca\u2019s husband, Mark, called twice. The second time, she told him enough that he stopped asking when she would … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24230","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\/24230","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=24230"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24265,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24230\/revisions\/24265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}