No one would promise the twins could come to me.
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Sarah flinched so slightly I might have missed it. Then the social worker asked me to step outside so she could begin the paperwork.
I spent that night at my kitchen table making calls. Everyone spoke carefully. No one would promise the twins could come to me. They said the hospital could not decide custody, but once Sarah reported a credible abduction risk, staff could delay discharge while child protection and the court reviewed it.
A little after six, my doorbell rang.