Mallory was sitting beside their sister. She said, “Easy. Jimmy’s got a life.”
“Seems everyone does, but me.”
Jimmy eased into the room, stood over the bed and kissed her forehead. “I’ve got cases. So does Mal. You have the best. Or you will. A child.”
“A child that doesn’t want to see the world.”
“He or she will have plenty of time for that. Let it enjoy its last days in its cocoon.”
“Doctors said it could still be another two weeks. Me, stuck in bed, doing nothing.”
“Isn’t that what you like to do, anyway?” Jimmy said with a smirk.
“You’re not helping,” Mallory said. “Let her rest. I’ll stay with her.”
“I gotta talk to Ma. But I’m never far, if you need me.”
Jimmy exited the bedroom and returned to the kitchen, where he found his mother sitting in her chair, quietly sipping at h
