Her face moved through surprise, irritation, and something harder.
“You weren’t supposed to be home until tomorrow,” she said.
I lifted Ella carefully into my arms.
“I’m taking her to Wakefield Children’s.”
“For what?”
“Her back.”
Alarm crossed Caroline’s face.
Then it disappeared behind annoyance.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she said. “She bumped into a dresser. I gave her an ice pack.”
“She told me what happened.”
Caroline laughed, but nothing about it was amused.
“Of course she did. You come home from your important little trips, and suddenly she knows exactly how to make you feel guilty.”
Ella pressed her face into my shoulder.
“Do not speak about her that way,” I said.
“You have no idea what it’s like when you’re gone.”
