My mother-in-law screamed about her reputation and her standing and her innocence.

My husband stammered a string of half-sentences that did not add up to a single whole excuse.

It did not matter.

Both of them were placed in handcuffs and walked out of that clinic, charged with endangering a child, and with conspiring together to do it.

Chapter 14 — The Third Morning

Toby was admitted straight to the pediatric intensive care unit.

I will not walk you through those hours, because there are no words I want to keep for them.