Did not even settle on name until Daniel became sick.
Then one night, lying in bed, he said:
“Emma.”
I turned.
“What?”
“If she’s a girl.”
“We know she’s a girl.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you say if?”
“Because I’m dramatic.”
I laughed.
He smiled.
“Emma Bennett.”
I repeated it.
“Emma.”
He nodded.
“Feels like someone who will argue with us.”
“With you.”
“With both.”
That was how our daughter got name.
Now I sat at kitchen table with envelope in front of me.
I could not open it.
For twenty minutes, I stared.
Then Emma moved.
I put hand over stomach.
“Fine.”
I wiped face.
“Your father clearly expects us to do homework.”
I opened envelope.
Inside was letter.
A small brass key.
And business card.
REYNOLDS & PARKER ESTATE AND FAMILY COUNSEL MAYA REYNOLDS, ATTORNEY
There was also a folded sheet with address.
A bank safe-deposit facility downtown.
My heart started pounding.
I unfolded Daniel’s letter.
Claire,
Before you decide I kept something from you because I didn’t trust you,
please understand that I did this because I knew you would try to save
me at the expense of yourself and our daughter.
I stopped.
Read line again.
Then continued.
You have spent months pretending you are not tired.
You think I don’t see you checking medical bills after midnight.
You think I don’t know you canceled maternity photos because you said
they were too expensive.
You think I didn’t notice you moving money from your savings into our
checking account.
I noticed.
I also know you.
If I had told you what I was doing, you would have said we should use
everything on one more specialist, one more trip, one more treatment,
one more possibility.
Maybe you would have been right.
Maybe not.
But there came a point when my doctors told me the truth.
Some treatments might have changed time by very little while making that
time much harder.
I made decisions with my medical team.
I did not tell you every financial step I took afterward.
For that, I am sorry.
But I am not sorry for protecting Emma’s beginning.
Call Maya Reynolds.
Take the key.
Do not make any major decision until she explains everything.
And please do not turn my death into a debt you spend rest of your life
trying to repay.
You already loved me enough.
Daniel.
I covered mouth.
Then anger arrived.
Hot.
Immediate.
“What did you do?”
I said it to empty kitchen.
“What did you do, Daniel?”
I called number.
