Chapter 2 - How Far It WentAnother contraction tightened across my stomach, but now a second fear was growing right alongside it. Something had been arranged behind my back, and I had no idea how far it went.

I looked at the nurse. "Can you pull up my records?"

She hesitated.

"All of them," I said. "Every note. Every call. Every contact anyone has made about me."

She glanced briefly at my mother-in-law, then confirmed my information and started scrolling. Her expression slowly changed. "This wasn't just one conversation."

My fingers tightened around the bedrail. "What does that mean?"

"There are several notes here. Questions about postpartum support. Newborn visiting procedures. Discharge planning." She stopped. "And notes saying the baby's grandmother would be heavily involved after delivery."

I looked straight at my mother-in-law. "You've been calling this hospital for months?"

She didn't deny it. "I wanted everything ready."

"For what?"

"Because I knew this day could happen." Her voice stayed calm. "You're thirty-four weeks pregnant. Isaac works hours away. Look at where we are right now. Was I wrong to prepare?"

The nurse shifted awkwardly.

"You knew I might need help," I said. "That doesn't explain why you were making decisions without telling me."

Her face hardened. "Isaac works long hours, and you have never understood how difficult having a baby is going to be."

There it was. Not support. Judgment. Becoming a grandmother hadn't changed how she saw me — she'd only changed her approach to me.

"What exactly did you arrange?" I asked.

For the first time all morning, she hesitated. That scared me more than anything else had. Finally, she set her purse on the chair.

"I prepared my house."

My stomach tightened. "What does that mean?"

"A crib. A changing table. A monitor. Clothes. Everything the baby might need."

"You built a nursery?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"For when the baby stays with me."

The words landed harder than the badge had. "Stays with you?"

"While you recover. While Isaac's working. Whenever it's necessary."

"Who decided that?"

She looked straight at me. "Isaac knew."

Those two words changed everything. Until that second, I thought I knew exactly who had gone behind my back. Now I was suddenly questioning my husband too.

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"Isaac knew?"

"He did." There was something almost triumphant in how she said it. "Ask him yourself."