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her ever-attached-to-the-hip iPad, and Carly, Jason, and Hayden are in the kitchen visiting with Geena.
    “Okay, everyone.” Geena finally emerges from the other room. “Dinner is served!”
    “Come on, Claire Bear,” Kiran says. “Time to eat!” When he reaches for the iPad to set it on an end table, Claire holds onto it with a death grip.
    “No! I don’t wanna eat,” she cries. Her eyes are fixated on the screen as her tiny hand pushes on Kiran’s chest, trying to keep him at bay.
    “You can show me more after dinner.”
    Snatching the iPad, she crawls away to the other side of the couch. Her breathing already grows rapid as she frantically shakes her head. “Nooooo!”
    Jason and Carly come out of the kitchen when they hear her howling. “Claire.” Walking toward her, Jason holds out his hand to take the iPad. “You can use it later. It’s time to eat now.”
    She has yet to look at any of us, unable to tear her attention away from the tablet. Jason takes hold of the device and a meltdown quickly ensues. However, this is no run-of-the-mill toddler tantrum. She’s not kicking or screaming, but her chest begins to heave so heavily, I worry she may pass out. She then lets loose a wailing that is increasingly panicked and mournful with each passing second, the way a wild animal might cry out at the loss of her young. Something about her reaction is unsettling, even for a two-year-old—something I can’t put my finger on.
    Carly keeps a distance as Jason tries to calm her, then she turns to me, her eyes watery; this is what she had been trying to tell me. The whole scene is heartbreaking as we witness Claire drowning in her own terror.
    Jason is now crouched in front of her, his hands still on the iPad as he attempts to pry it from her little fingers without yanking on it. “Claire!” he says firmly. “Stop it right now.”
    “No, Daddy. Pleeeease!” Tears stream down her face. It’s the first time she looks at him, and the pain expressed in her blue eyes is almost more than I can bear. The rest of us are paralyzed as we watch the drama unfold. Kiran scoots closer to her and tentatively places a soothing hand on her back, which she is oblivious to.
    Jason turns to address the rest of us. “Everyone, go on without us. We’ll be there in a minute.” In the meantime, Claire is showing no signs of winding down. She finally releases the tablet and draws her knees to her chest, burying her face. “Please! Please!”
    Geena’s shoulders droop and she touches her chest. “Would it be okay to let her bring it to the table? Just this once?”
    “Come, everyone.” Ahsan ushers us all toward the dining room. “I’m sure she just needs a couple of minutes without an audience.”
    As we sit down to eat, I glance at Luke from across the table. He meets my eyes with a forced smile and pained gaze. I’ve not had the conversation with him, but his manner says he also believes there may be something more going on with Claire than the “terrible twos.”
    There’s an awkward lull among us, followed by mutters of how delicious everything looks. Hayden, ever intolerant of uncomfortable silence, is the first to turn the mood around. “Personally, can’t say I blame Claire Bear,” he says before bringing a bottle of beer to his lips. “I’d get pretty cranky, too, if I couldn’t listen to my jams.”
    The comment releases some of the tension as we begin to pass the food around. “Well, this all looks beautiful,” I say. “Thank you, Geena.”
    “Oh, you’re quite welcome, sweetheart!”
    Carly and Jason return to take their seats without Claire. “We’re going to give her some cool-down time,” Carly says with a downward gaze. “Sorry about that.”
    “There’s absolutely nothing to apologize for,” Geena says. “I think we all know how difficult two-year-olds can be.”
    “Except for me. Right, Mom?” Hayden says.
    “Yes, sweetie. If you say so.”
    He then touches his cold bottle to