He picked it up but did not open it.
“The same folder?”
“Yes.”
He lowered it.
“What did she want you to sign?”
He looked toward the hallway again.
“I need to talk to her.”
“No.”
“Elena, she took our son.”
“I know.”
“I cannot just sit here.”
“You can sit here while the hospital deals with her.”
He stood beside the bed, holding the folder against his chest.
“She is my mother.”
“And Leo is your son.”
He looked down at him.
Then he set the folder on the counter.
A nurse came in with a fresh blanket and asked Daniel to keep the hallway clear.
He moved the car seats closer to the wall.
“I’ll stay.”
At 3:20, the room was quieter, but the door remained open only a few inches. Staff passed outside without stopping, and Daniel kept looking at that narrow opening.
I told him what Vivian had placed on the tray table, how she had held the folder when I reached for it, and how she had
