Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher since I was a kid. School was my happy place, my constant no matter what was going on at home. My teachers supported me with kind words and patience and made me feel needed. I couldn’t wait to grow up and be just like them.
I head back inside to straighten up my classroom before I head to the hospital. Sophie and Luke’s daughter was born yesterday afternoon—Christine Caitlin Miller, weighing in at seven pounds, four ounces. Luke sent us a group text shortly after, a picture of a bundled Christine held by a beaming Sophie.
I sit at my desk and jot down notes from the day, reminders to myself on the kids who are struggling with one topic or another. I take notes where the children are excelling as well. Parent-teacher conferences will be here before I know it, and I want to have good feedback for each parent. But more than that, I want to ensure every child in my classroom is getting what they need from me.
An hour later I’m walking into Baldwin Memorial Hospital, headed for the maternity floor. I know you’re not supposed to like hospitals, but I always have. I think it’s the activity. There are so many people in a hospital, like a small city filled with people working together to heal people. Some people might think sadness lingers in hospitals, but I’ve always thought the promise of hope is what lingers. People get fixed in hospitals. Bones set, wounds stitched. And brand-new human beings come into the world here, every single day.
I still can’t believe Sophie’s a mom. It doesn’t feel like that long ago when we were all in college. I guess technically it wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like Everly and Sophie are light years ahead of me. Not that it’s a competition. It’s not that. It’s just the thought of putting myself out there again makes me kinda ill after yesterday’s date.
I find Sophie in her room, glowing. Her light brown hair is pulled back in a low ponytail as she waves me into the room with a huge smile on her face. Baby Christine is perfect. I hold her, breathing in her perfect baby scent while she blinks at me and scrunches her face, then yawns. Everly arrives right behind me with her little guy Jake. He’s wearing navy track pants, a white long-sleeved t-shirt and a navy tie. Everly is two-fisting paper cups from Grind Me, the coffee shop chain she worked at with Sophie during college.
“Still with the ties?” I whisper to Everly as she sets the cups down.
“It’s a workday,” she tells me and I try not to laugh. Jake turned five over the summer and started kindergarten this fall. He’s a good kid, if a little serious.
“One decaf pumpkin spice latte,” Everly announces, handing a cup to Sophie. “And a pumpkin muffin.” She pulls a paper bag from her purse and sets it on the rolling tray over Sophie’s bed.
“Ahh, this is heaven.” Sophie moans in happiness as she pops a chunk of muffin into her mouth. “You would not believe how bad the food is here. I sent Luke home to take a shower and bring me something decent to eat.”
“Well, I figured you could use a little pick-me-up from Grind Me. Just think, if it wasn’t for their coffee you might never have met Luke and Christine might have never been conceived.”
“What’s conceived?” Jake asks from the couch. He’s slumped back, feet dangling from the edge, listening to every word.
“It’s how babies are made,” Everly responds without missing a beat.
Jake slaps his palms over his eyes. “Okay. Stop.” He asks if he can have Everly’s phone and she slips it from her pocket and hands it to him as she snatches Christine from me. I scoot over next to Jake.
“Whatcha playing?” I ask him as he taps the screen.
“I’m catching Pokemon,” he tells me, looking up.
“Me too!” I tell him, pulling out my phone and opening the app. “I’m not very good at it though. I don’t have very many yet, but I got this cute purple mouse.” I hold up my phone to show him.
“Auntie Chloe.” He shakes his head at me. “That’s a rat. You can catch them anywhere.” This kid. He calls us all Auntie even though none of us are technically his aunts. It’s pretty cute though, and I’m ecstatic to be an honorary aunt.
“Humph, maybe we should go for a walk and see if we can catch something better? I think there’s a Pokestop in the lobby.”
“Yeah!” His face lights up. “Mom! Auntie Chloe and I are gonna go catch Pokemon,” he announces. Everly tells us to have fun and off we go.
You have to walk to make this game work, so we investigate the hospital, walking to the cafeteria, the lobby, the chapel, the gift shop and the coffee shop. Jake tells me all about kindergarten, his teacher and his new friends at school and his cat. He catches a ton of Pokemon before we head back upstairs. An elevator opens just as I’m trying to nab another Pokemon. We step on while I fling virtual balls at a pigeon. I hold the phone in front of me, tilting the screen and my body like it’s going to help me nab the thing.