You were playing a video game on Dad’s phone in the corner of the exam room,” I remembered.

“I was listening to the doctor, Mom,” Austin said, his eyes filling with tears again.

“You asked him when your stomach would stop burning every time you stood up, and he said big C-section surgeries take at least six to eight weeks to heal right.”

My breath caught as I stared at my precious, watchful boy, my heart shattering into a million sharp pieces.

“I figured if I paid you to let me stay one more month, that would give your body enough time to stop hurting from the surgery,” he whispered.