My Husband Came Home to an Empty Nursery

like pennies. I had a catheter. Nobody tells you how much of nearly dying is tubes and tape and strangers seeing your underwear.

I woke up on Saturday morning.

I thought it was still Friday.

My first word was not Derek.

It was “baby.”

My voice came out like a drawer scraping.

Marlene stood up from the chair beside my bed.

“He’s here,” she said.

She lifted continue reading …