Page 31 of The Doctor's Surprise Family

“Sure. Eat your food.”

Oli picked at his dinner, but he kept drifting off. I watched how Claire handled him, how she got him to eat. How she backed off when he started to grouse, then pushed one more bite onhim when he laughed at the monkeys. I could see he was riding the edge of a tantrum, tired past the limits of self-control, but Claire had a million tricks to fend off the storm. When Alan, unthinking, snagged the last slice of garlic bread, Oli’s lip wobbled.

“But, I wanted?—”

“Dessert?” Claire sprang up. “You want dessert, right? We have ice cream, your favorite! Rocky road!”

Oli’s face crumpled, but then itun-crumpled. He smiled, tired and shaky.

“Yeah. Rocky road.”

After the ice cream, his monkey show ended. A bear show came on and Oli perked up.

“Can I stay up and watch?”

Claire tensed, and I saw Sharon did too. Oli’s eyes were too shiny. Brittle, like glass.

“Please,Mom. I love bears. And I’m not tired.”

“But I am.” Claire did a theatrical stretch. “I don’t think I can stay up, but how about this? I’ll DVR the bears, and tomorrow I’ll make pancakes, and we’ll eat and we’ll watch them, then we’ll go to the park.”

“But I’m not tiredtonight. And the bears are onnow. Dad wants to watch them. Can’t I watch? Dad?”

I’d been put on the spot before, but never like this. Never by an overtired three-year-old kid. I felt like in bomb training, too big. Too clumsy. One tiny fumble andboom, crying child. Lovely day ruined, all thanks to me.

“Um,” I said. “Uh… you know what? I’m actually scared of bears, but could I read you a story?”

Oli’s tired eyes went round. “You’rescared?Ofbears?”

Claire stifled a snicker. Sharon’s shoulders relaxed. Oli gaped at me.

“They have big teeth,” I said, and bared mine, ratlike.

Oli giggled at that, and I sensed we were good. My cowardice had saved us. Oli cocked his head.

“What story can you read me? NotThe Three Bears.”

Everyone laughed, and I laughed along with them. Claire scooped up Oli, and we headed upstairs. We picked out a book to read and Oli seemed stoked, but two pages in, he’d fallen asleep. Claire tucked him in carefully and kissed his forehead, and switched on a nightlight shaped like a dog. Oli shifted and sighed when she killed the main light, but he didn’t wake up, and we backed out of the room. Claire sagged in the doorframe.

“Whew. That was close.”

“Yeah. That’s on me.”

She shook her head. “No, this was great. It wasn’t what I’d have planned, but Oli loved it. Just, maybe next time, we’ll plan in advance?”

My heart leaped with the knowledge there’d be a next time. I couldn’t wait to see Oli again. I couldn’t wait, either, to catch up with Claire, and all that I’d missed in the years I’d been gone. She’d changed, I could tell, and grown so much, and I wanted more than anything to find out who she’d become.

“I was thinking, maybe?—”

“I have an early— oh, sorry.” Claire cleared her throat. “Sorry, you were saying?”

I’d been about to suggest we go grab some coffee, and she’d catch me up on all I’d missed — Oli’s baby photos. Her graduation. What our old friends were up to, if they’d stayed in touch. But the bags under Claire’s eyes told me, not tonight.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just, yeah, for sure. Next time’ll be a cooperative effort. You need help cleaning up, or…”

“No, we’re okay.”

I didn’t know if I should hug her or just say goodnight, but Claire held her arms out, and I drew her close. I didn’t let myself think about how much I’d missed her, or how her arms around me felt like home. I squeezed her, but gently, and then let her go.

---