Elena's Point of View My mom came down the porch steps almost running. She had her arms out before I even got Amelia out of the car seat, and she was crying already. She always cried. "Oh, my girls," she kept saying. "My girls are home." I laughed and let her hug us both. Amelia squeezed in between us, holding her rabbit up like she wanted my mom to say hello to it too. "Hello, Mr. Rabbit," my mom said, wiping her eyes. "Aren't you handsome." Then she took Amelia out of my arms, and Amelia let her. She never did that with strangers. But she looked at my mom's face for about two seconds, and then she patted her cheek like they had known each other forever. I grabbed the bags, and Henry helped me carry them up the steps. My stomach was tight. All the way here I had been getting ready for the worst. I thought about what I'd say to my dad. I thought about how thin he might look, how tired, how many machines I'd see in his room. I had practiced a calm face in the airplane bathroom.
Last Updated : 2026-10-14 Read more