Chapter 6
It was a cool, quiet evening. The odd car passed by in front of the house, but out back on the deck, they barely noticed. The leaves of the ancient oak in the yard rustled in the breeze, the first few already turning yellow around the edges.
They sat together, his arm over her shoulders, and just let the world exist around them for a long time. Finally, she said, “I’m sorry about disappearing like that. I probably worried you.”
“A little,” he said.
She went on in a rush. “It’s just the injury, you know? It’s physically exhausting, and people expect me to be able to keep up and sometimes I can’t. It’s discouraging. I don’t know what I’ll be able to do and what I won’t. When will I be able to babysit? I can’t carry a baby and use a crutch.”
“Hey, it’s been a couple months. Thi
