Chương 12
“My pride is medically stable,” he said.
Lena left with a grin.
Catherine sat beside the exam table, one hand on Sophie’s stomach. “I’m sorry he complained.”
“You didn’t complain.”
“He did it because of me.”
“He did it because of himself.”
Daniel examined the baby’s hips and reflexes. Sophie kicked one leg free of the paper gown.
“You seem less tired,” he said.
“That is insulting. I used concealer.”
“It’s working.”
Catherine laughed.
Daniel looked surprised by the sound. So was she.
After the exam, he asked how the custody arrangement was progressing.
“Supervised visits continue. Michael wants unsupervised time.”
“And you?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel washed his hands. “That is allowed.”
“Everyone keeps asking what I want as if wanting is the same as deciding.”
“It rarely is.”
She watched him dry his hands. “Why were you there that night?”
“I was your physician.”
“You had gone home.”
“The nurse called.”
“You came back.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel crumpled the paper towel. “Your fetal monitoring had been concerning.”
“That is the medical answer.”
“It is also the answer.”
Catherine waited.
He sighed. “My younger sister died after childbirth twelve years ago. She developed complications after discharge and thought she was overreacting. Her husband told her to sleep. She didn’t call the hospital until it was too late.”
“I’m sorry.”
Daniel nodded once.
“Is that why you became an obstetrician?”
“No. I was already in residency.”
She almost smiled. “That would have been too neat.”
“Life is inconsiderate that way.”
He opened the door. “You and Sophie will transition to routine follow-up now. Another physician can handle ongoing care.”
The words disappointed her more than she expected.
“Because of Michael’s complaint?”
“Because Sophie is healthy and you are recovering appropriately.”
“You’re dismissing me.”
“I’m discharging you.”
“That sounds more professional.”
“It is.”
They stood in the doorway for a moment.
Catherine wanted to thank him for returning to the hospital, for locking the wheelchair, for being the one person who had moved toward her without first calculating the cost. Instead she said, “Your line in the corridor was inappropriate.”
“Yes.”
“It was also accurate.”
Daniel’s expression softened. “Take care of yourself, Catherine.”
She lifted Sophie’s carrier. “I’m trying.”
Michael’s first unsupervised visit lasted ninety minutes.
Catherine agreed after Helen submitted a report noting consistent improvement, appropriate handling, and no concerning behavior. Priya advised that refusing without a clear reason could damage Catherine’s credibility.
Michael arrived with a diaper bag and a printed schedule.
“You made a schedule?” Catherine asked.
“You like schedules.”
“This visit is for you.”
“I like not being told I forgot something.”
She checked the bag. Bottles, wipes, diapers, extra clothes, burp cloths. Two pacifiers.
“You packed the wrong bottle nipples.”
Michael looked alarmed. “Helen said size one.”
“She moved to size two yesterday.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“The shared log was updated.”
“I didn’t see it.”
“You need to check.”
He exhaled, then stopped himself from arguing. “Do you have two I can take?”
Catherine handed them over.
At the door, Michael placed Sophie’s carrier beside his shoes and crouched to adjust the straps. His hands shook slightly.
“You can cancel,” Catherine said.
He looked up. “Do you want me to?”
Part of her did.
“No.”
He lifted the carrier. “We’re going to my mother’s.”
“Only your mother’s.”
“Yes.”
“No Amber.”
His face tightened. “I have not spoken to Amber since the board investigation.”
“That was not the question.”
“No Amber.”
Catherine followed them to the elevator.
Michael pressed the call button. Sophie slept beneath a pale blanket, unaware that both parents were struggling not to reveal terror.
When the doors opened, Michael stepped inside.
“Send a picture when you arrive,” Catherine said.
“I will.”
“And after she eats.”
“I know.”
“Support the bottle angle. She swallows air.”
“Catherine.”
“What?”
“I know.”
The elevator doors began to close. Catherine reached forward, stopping them.
Michael waited.
She adjusted the blanket beneath Sophie’s chin though it did not need adjusting.
Then she stepped back.
For ninety minutes, Catherine walked through the penthouse touching objects without purpose. She folded three towels. She opened the refrigerator twice. She checked her phone every few minutes until Michael sent a photograph of Evelyn holding Sophie near a sunlit window.
The baby was safe.
Relief came with grief attached.
Catherine sat on the kitchen floor and let both exist.
The divorce mediation began three months after Sophie’s birth.
By then, the company investigation had concluded. Michael reimbursed the disputed expenses. The board found violations of policy and fiduciary responsibility but no evidence of embezzlement. He retained his shares and board seat under restrictions concerning confidential information and conflicts.
Amber resigned. Her employment complaint alleged that Michael had exploited a direct reporting relationship and made career promises tied to the affair. The company settled without admitting liability. Catherine objected to the settlement amount, then voted for it after reading the messages.
Amber had made harmful choices. Michael had also possessed authority over her income, promotion, travel, and housing. Both facts could be true.
The mediation took place in a quiet suite of offices where the carpet absorbed footsteps. Michael sat with his attorney on one side. Catherine sat with Priya on the other.
They negotiated property first.
Michael wanted to sell the penthouse. Catherine wanted to keep it until Sophie was older. Michael wanted liquidity from his shares. Catherine refused a forced company sale. They argued over the lake house, art, retirement accounts, and a wine collection neither had touched in years.
The practical details felt insulting and necessary.
After lunch, they discussed parenting.
Michael requested equal parenting time beginning when Sophie turned one. Catherine proposed a gradual schedule based on age, feeding, and stability. Their attorneys exchanged language until the words parent, child, overnight, and reasonable became detached from meaning.
Then Michael’s attorney raised Catherine’s work hours and emotional volatility.
Priya’s posture changed.
May you like
Michael stared at the table.
His attorney referenced late-night emails, staff complaints, and the hospital confrontation. “Mr. Harrison is concerned that Ms. Harrison’s need for control may interfere with cooperative parenting.”
