Chapter 4 - The Question Nobody Wanted to Answer.
Vanessa's face lost color.
"You're exhausted."
Adrian gave a short laugh.
"That isn't an answer."
"We are not doing this here."
"Where would you prefer?"
"At home."
"We haven't been home together for three months."
Vanessa looked toward Claire as if her presence were the problem.
Claire took a step back.
"I can give you privacy."
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
Vanessa turned on him.
"She has nothing to do with this."
"She is the first person today who looked at Noah instead of looking at a chart."
The physician stiffened.
Adrian noticed.
"I didn't mean you."
The doctor gave him a look that suggested he had meant exactly that.
Claire remained near the aisle seat.
Noah was crying again, but Adrian continued the slow breathing pattern.
The crying never reached the same desperate intensity.
That mattered.
Adrian looked down at his son.
Then he looked at Claire.
"Would you feed him if I asked?"
Vanessa closed her eyes.
Claire answered with the same seriousness she would use in a hospital room.
"If your physician sees no medical reason not to, if you understand the choice, and if Noah continues refusing other appropriate options, I would consider helping."
The doctor stepped forward.
"We should try expressed milk in a bottle before direct nursing."
Claire nodded.
"Agreed."
Adrian looked at her.
"You have milk with you?"
"In a travel cooler."
Vanessa stared.
"You carry that around?"
Claire met her gaze.
"I have a baby at home."
That shut down the judgment more effectively than anger would have.
The physician asked a few practical questions.
Claire answered them.
Nothing about the conversation felt sensational anymore.
It was simply caregiving under pressure.
Adrian seemed almost disappointed by how ordinary the solution sounded.
Claire understood.
Grief had turned every decision into a test.
Ordinary things had become impossible.
She retrieved a small insulated pouch from her bag.
The physician checked the storage indicator and nodded.
Claire poured a small amount into a clean bottle.
Adrian took it.
His hands were steadier now.
"Same position?"
Claire shook her head.
"Keep him close, but angle him slightly."
Adrian tried.
Noah turned away.
Again.
Adrian's face tightened.
Claire touched the armrest, not him.
"Don't chase his mouth with the bottle."
Adrian stopped.
Noah fussed.
Claire waited.
Then she said, "Let him settle first."
Adrian held the baby against his chest.
Noah relaxed slightly.
Adrian offered the bottle again.
This time Noah took a few small swallows.
Adrian stared.
Vanessa sat down abruptly.
The physician leaned closer.
Noah drank for less than a minute before pulling away.
But he did not scream.
Adrian looked at Claire.
"Why did that work?"
Claire shrugged gently.
"Maybe because he wasn't fighting the experience anymore."
"Or because it's different milk," Vanessa said.
Claire ignored the implication.
The doctor did not.
"That is possible, but we cannot conclude it from one attempt."
Vanessa gave him a thin smile.
"Thank you."
Adrian's shoulders lowered.
Noah's eyelids fluttered.
Claire felt the entire cabin relax.
Then Vanessa reached for her phone.
Adrian noticed.
"Who are you calling?"
"No one."
"You've been texting since we took off."
"Work."
Adrian extended one hand.
"Show me."
Vanessa stared at him.
"You cannot be serious."
"Show me."
"This is ridiculous."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"Vanessa."
Noah stirred.
Adrian immediately softened his body and rocked once.
The baby settled.
Claire saw the significance.
Adrian saw it too.
He was learning in real time.
Vanessa, however, was focused on the phone.
"You're acting irrationally."
Adrian's eyes hardened.
"That word again."
Claire looked at him.
"What word?"
Adrian did not take his eyes off Vanessa.
"Irrational."
Vanessa stood.
"Don't."
He gave a humorless smile.
"You said it to the pediatrician."
Vanessa's expression changed.
Claire felt a new current of tension.
Adrian continued.
"You said it to my father."
Vanessa shook her head.
"Not now."
"You said it to Lena's mother."
Claire looked down at Noah.
This family had been documenting Adrian's grief as if it were evidence.
Adrian understood that suddenly.
His voice became very quiet.
"Who are you texting?"
Vanessa tightened her grip on the phone.
A message preview lit the screen before she could turn it over.
Adrian saw the name.
So did Claire.
MARTIN COLE.
Adrian's father.
The preview showed only eight words.
HE STILL CAN'T HANDLE THE BABY ON HIS OWN.
Adrian did not move.
Noah slept against his chest.
The silence inside the jet became unbearable.
May you like
Then Adrian looked at his sister.
"How long have you been reporting on me?"
