“Stay on the line.”

“Affirmative,” I said, putting the phone on speaker beside the stainless steel faucet.

I took a small yellow measuring cup from the drying rack and filled it with two ounces of cool tap water.

Holding Lily upright against my chest, I touched the rim to her lower lip.

She took one hesitant sip, coughed against the collar of my service shirt, and swallowed.

After five seconds she took a second swallow, her throat working slowly against my shoulder.