Chapter 4 - The Blue Blanket
They named him Owen.
Leah had chosen the name months earlier.
Nathan had agreed immediately because Owen had been Leah’s father’s middle name.
When Mae placed the baby against Leah’s chest in recovery, Leah forgot the hospital.
She forgot Doreen.
She forgot the forged signature.
Owen opened his eyes for less than a second.
His tiny fingers curled against her skin.
Leah kissed the top of his head.
“Hi.”
Nathan stood beside the bed.
“He has your nose.”
Leah looked at him.
Nathan was smiling.
It hurt to see.
He looked like the husband she remembered.
The man who had painted the nursery walls twice because Leah disliked the first shade of blue.
The man who had driven across Columbus at midnight because she wanted pancakes.
The man who had once promised there would never be a moment when she and their child came second.
Leah wanted to ask him why he had betrayed her.
Instead, she said nothing.
Doreen entered recovery twenty minutes later.
Mae immediately stepped between her and the bassinet.
“Only one visitor.”
“I’m his grandmother.”
“One visitor.”
Nathan looked at Leah.
Leah stared at the baby.
“I want Nathan to stay.”
Doreen’s mouth tightened.
“Of course.”
She leaned slightly around Mae.
Her eyes landed on Owen.
Something changed in her face.
Not warmth.
Possession.
“There he is.”
Leah instinctively pulled the blanket closer around her son.
Doreen noticed.
“So protective.”
“He’s my baby.”
“No one said otherwise.”
Mae looked sharply at Doreen.
Doreen smiled.
“Rest, Leah.”
She walked out.
An hour later, Nathan said he needed coffee.
Mae waited until he was gone.
Then she approached Leah’s bed.
“They requested a psychiatric evaluation.”
Leah closed her eyes.
“I heard.”
“It gets worse.”
Mae glanced at Owen.
“The request says you became irrational after surgery and accused family members of planning to steal your infant.”
Leah’s eyes opened.
“I never said that.”
“I know.”
“Who wrote it?”
Mae hesitated.
“Dr. Rusk signed it.”
Leah’s stomach twisted.
“Why is she doing this?”
“I don’t know.”
Mae pulled a chair close.
“But your chart contains notes from appointments where I wasn’t present.”
“What kind of notes?”
“Statements saying you believe your husband may intentionally harm the baby.”
Leah’s nightmare.
Nathan had turned the dream into a delusion.
Leah’s hands began trembling.
“I told him about one nightmare.”
Mae nodded.
“I believe you.”
The door opened.
Nathan returned.
Mae immediately stood.
Nathan looked between them.
“What are you discussing?”
“Breastfeeding schedules,” Mae said.
Nathan stared at her.
Mae stared back.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Nathan put the coffee down.
That afternoon, Leah pretended to sleep.
Nathan sat near the window answering messages.
Owen slept in his clear bassinet beneath a soft blue blanket.
At three thirty, Nathan’s phone rang.
He stepped into the hallway.
Leah opened her eyes.
His voice carried faintly through the door.
“No, Mom.”
A pause.
“I know what we agreed.”
Leah stopped breathing.
Another pause.
Then Nathan spoke again.
“We just have to make sure Leah doesn’t leave before the evaluation.”
Leah turned her head toward her sleeping son.
May you like
And for the first time, she stopped asking whether Nathan was involved.
The only question left was how far he was willing to go.
