criminal. And it wasn’t just the men who did it, because some of the women could bring a person to tears, too. This had all become commonplace ever since 9/11, though, so Charlotte understood the reason they had to be so strict about it.
“There he is!” Curtina yelled with sheer joy from the backseat. “There’s Matt!”
Curtis rolled to a complete stop and got out.
“I wanna get out, too,” Curtina said, already unbuckling her seat belt.
Charlotte turned all the way around. “No, sweetie. Your dad is only getting out so he can help Matt put his bags in the back. Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Okaaaayy,” she sang.
Charlotte watched Matthew hug his father for a bit longer than usual, and she knew he was glad to be back in Illinois. He was thrilled about heading to the hospital to see his son. It would take about an hour for them to drive back home, and she could tell from the excitement on his face that he couldn’t wait.
Matthew opened the door and got in, and Curtis walked around to the driver’s side.
“Hey, Matt,” Curtina said, smiling and reaching out to hug her brother.
“Hey, little girl.”
“Can I see my baby nephew? Mommy and Daddy won’t take me to see him.”
“That’s because you’re too young to go up to the baby floor. But you’ll get to see him when he comes home.”
Charlotte listened to her children and wondered when Matthew was going to speak to her. It was true that Curtina had started right in with her questions, but she had a feeling Matthew didn’t have much to say to her, anyway.
“Is the baby going to come live with us?” Curtina wanted to know.
“No, he’s going to live with Racquel and her parents.”
At this point, Charlotte wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Just hearing the idea of little MJ being around Vanessa every day made her cringe.
Curtis finally eased his way into traffic, then looked in his rearview mirror. “Son, I’m not sure if you spoke to Racquel when you landed, but this afternoon the doctor said little MJ is making so much progress, he might go home by the end of the week.”
“Yep, I called her while I was waiting for my luggage. She’ll be going home tomorrow herself.”
“That’s great,” Curtis said.
“It really is,” Charlotte added. “Actually, I’m surprised they haven’t released her before now since she didn’t have a C-section.”
“She didn’t wanna leave until she knew MJ was okay,” Matt said. “So her dad made arrangements for her to stay as long as she wanted.”
Charlotte had known all along that Neil’s position at the hospital carried a lot of weight, and it was for that reason that she was going to stay in close contact with him until the baby went home.
“I sure hope Vanessa won’t try to stop me from seeing little MJ when they discharge him,” Charlotte said out loud but hadn’t meant to. If she could take it back she would, because there was no telling how Matthew was going to react. As it was, she was still sort of shocked that he’d just answered her question about Racquel.
But it wasn’t Matthew who spoke up at all, it was Curtina.
“Mommy, why would Miss Vanessa do something like that?”
Charlotte hated having to answer her but responded quickly. “No reason, honey. Mommy was just saying that just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
Matthew playfully punched his sister in her shoulder, and Charlotte knew it was because he didn’t want to hear any more about Vanessa.
“Stop it, Matt,” Curtina said, cracking up and hitting him back.
Matthew punched her again. “So did you really miss me, little girl, or were you just faking?”
“I really, really missed you for real, Matt, and I wish you never had to go back to that Harvard place. I wish you could stay home.”
“I wish I could, too, especially now that little MJ is here.”
“It’ll be fine,” Charlotte couldn’t help saying. “The semester will be over before you know it.”
“Maybe, but I’m
“There he is!” Curtina yelled with sheer joy from the backseat. “There’s Matt!”
Curtis rolled to a complete stop and got out.
“I wanna get out, too,” Curtina said, already unbuckling her seat belt.
Charlotte turned all the way around. “No, sweetie. Your dad is only getting out so he can help Matt put his bags in the back. Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Okaaaayy,” she sang.
Charlotte watched Matthew hug his father for a bit longer than usual, and she knew he was glad to be back in Illinois. He was thrilled about heading to the hospital to see his son. It would take about an hour for them to drive back home, and she could tell from the excitement on his face that he couldn’t wait.
Matthew opened the door and got in, and Curtis walked around to the driver’s side.
“Hey, Matt,” Curtina said, smiling and reaching out to hug her brother.
“Hey, little girl.”
“Can I see my baby nephew? Mommy and Daddy won’t take me to see him.”
“That’s because you’re too young to go up to the baby floor. But you’ll get to see him when he comes home.”
Charlotte listened to her children and wondered when Matthew was going to speak to her. It was true that Curtina had started right in with her questions, but she had a feeling Matthew didn’t have much to say to her, anyway.
“Is the baby going to come live with us?” Curtina wanted to know.
“No, he’s going to live with Racquel and her parents.”
At this point, Charlotte wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Just hearing the idea of little MJ being around Vanessa every day made her cringe.
Curtis finally eased his way into traffic, then looked in his rearview mirror. “Son, I’m not sure if you spoke to Racquel when you landed, but this afternoon the doctor said little MJ is making so much progress, he might go home by the end of the week.”
“Yep, I called her while I was waiting for my luggage. She’ll be going home tomorrow herself.”
“That’s great,” Curtis said.
“It really is,” Charlotte added. “Actually, I’m surprised they haven’t released her before now since she didn’t have a C-section.”
“She didn’t wanna leave until she knew MJ was okay,” Matt said. “So her dad made arrangements for her to stay as long as she wanted.”
Charlotte had known all along that Neil’s position at the hospital carried a lot of weight, and it was for that reason that she was going to stay in close contact with him until the baby went home.
“I sure hope Vanessa won’t try to stop me from seeing little MJ when they discharge him,” Charlotte said out loud but hadn’t meant to. If she could take it back she would, because there was no telling how Matthew was going to react. As it was, she was still sort of shocked that he’d just answered her question about Racquel.
But it wasn’t Matthew who spoke up at all, it was Curtina.
“Mommy, why would Miss Vanessa do something like that?”
Charlotte hated having to answer her but responded quickly. “No reason, honey. Mommy was just saying that just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
Matthew playfully punched his sister in her shoulder, and Charlotte knew it was because he didn’t want to hear any more about Vanessa.
“Stop it, Matt,” Curtina said, cracking up and hitting him back.
Matthew punched her again. “So did you really miss me, little girl, or were you just faking?”
“I really, really missed you for real, Matt, and I wish you never had to go back to that Harvard place. I wish you could stay home.”
“I wish I could, too, especially now that little MJ is here.”
“It’ll be fine,” Charlotte couldn’t help saying. “The semester will be over before you know it.”
“Maybe, but I’m
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