Read Point Hope for Free Online Page B

lbs, 2 oz; 21 inches
    Trey got the urge to put his arm around Rosette. It seemed like the natural thing to do, even with all their troubles. The nurses coming and going might even think it strange if he didn’t. But he just couldn’t. What would she think if he did? Rosette was holding on to Summer anyway. The three of them just stood there stiffly, looking at the baby.
    The other babies in the room were preemies or had problems. The healthy babies usually stayed in the room with their mom, Trey remembered from their two times here.
    It seemed that he should feel something for this tiny baby. He should feel something in general, shouldn’t he? It didn’t seem possible that this numbness was related to his PTSD, but that possibility scared him more any anything. That he’d just be numb or scared for the rest of his life. That’s all he ever felt anymore. 
    Rosette leaned over, gently touching the sleeping baby’s cheek.
    The doctor walked in quietly behind them. “You can hold her,” Dr. Rosenberg said.
    Rosette straightened, her face panicked. “No—I can’t yet. I’m too shaky.”
    The doctor tried for a reassuring smile. “She’s doing great. That’s a very healthy birth weight, and she made it through the wreck without any trauma that we have detected. A pregnancy is considered full term at this stage, so she won’t have any health issues over the early delivery.”
    Delivery seemed such an odd word for this case.
    “We typically keep all newborns overnight, as you know, but in this case, it might be two or three days.” She said some other things that drifted over both of them. Apparently aware that they were still dealing with their shock, she gave Rosette’s arm a squeeze on her way out.
    Trey looked up at the clock. It was almost six in the morning and, he thought, getting light outside. Alex was waiting for news, and Trey still hadn’t asked Rosette what she’d told him earlier. Trey looked at Rosette and could tell she was thinking the same thing. Glancing down at the baby, she said, “Let’s talk in the hallway.”
    Summer barely looked up as they left. They stepped into the hall and walked far enough away that Summer wouldn’t hear.
    Trey knew this baby was their legal responsibility. Six months ago, Ricky had told him he was adding a guardian clause to his will—he was obviously taking his upcoming fatherhood seriously—and he’d asked Trey to be the guardian in case the unthinkable ever happened. Even without the legal paperwork, there wasn’t anyone else. Amanda’s mother lived in an assisted living facility in Nebraska. As far as he knew, she wasn’t even coherent all the time. Amanda’s father had abruptly taken off when she was ten, with no sign of him since. 
    “We just could tell them,” Rosette said, “That we can’t do this, can’t take the baby in.”
    Trey couldn’t tell if she was saying that because she didn’t think they should, or because she wanted to play the devil’s advocate, thus pushing him to argue in favor of keeping the baby. Who else was there? Summer was a messed-up teenager. Well, okay, she was twenty or twenty-one, but she acted like a fifteen year old. And she had a record.
    “I’m not sure how we can do that,” he said, with the strange feeling she was abandoning ship.
    “But can we—” she broke off and lowered her voice, “take a baby home and then, then what?”
    He sighed and rolled his head back and around and finally just gave up and stared up at the ceiling. No heavenly answers floated down.
    “Trey.” Rosette waited until he looked at her. “How’s this going to end up? Are you planning to leave me with Candice and Jake, and take Alex and this baby? Or are you thinking I’ll take care of the baby? I don’t think Summer can handle it.”
    He stepped back. Rosette must feel like I’m putting this decision on her . Isn’t that what he did? Ran off, and left her with the tough choices? He wasn’t always like this. He