“I’m here,” she told them quietly. “I’m here. I will always be here.”
Across the room, their father stood still.
At first, he had looked stunned in a good way. Shocked, yes, but smiling. He had laughed once, almost nervously, when the third baby was born. But as the reality settled in, his smile faded.
He stepped closer to the bed.
He looked down at the five newborns, and something changed in his expression. It was small. Almost invisible. But she saw it.