The Envelope She Couldn’t Hide

Time stretched.

Minutes felt like hours.

I sat. I stood. I paced.

And then my phone buzzed again.

Not my mother this time.

Dr. Melissa Crane.

I answered immediately.

“This is Michael Carter.”

“Michael,” a calm but urgent voice said. “I’ve been trying to reach Sarah. Is she with you?”

“She’s in surgery,” I said. “Emergency C-section.”

A sharp inhale on the other end.

“I was afraid of that.”

“What’s going on?” I demanded. “She had test results. My mother took them.”

Another pause.