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“Why didn’t you do it?” Maddie asked quietly, grazing her nails lightly through Saff’s hair in the way she knew usually soothed her.
Silence fell between them again, and Maddie waited patiently for her to speak. She realized then that she could probably wait forever if it meant hearing her voice.
“I don’t know,” Saff whispered in a way that made it hard for Maddie to stop herself from sliding her arms fully around her.
Then she felt her shift, her body tensing as it straightened.
“It didn’t make sense,” Saff continued, her voice altering back to its usual stone-like state. “Settlements and safe-zones don’t last here. They become targets. To survive, you have to stay away from people.”
Chapter twenty-three
“And you felt the baby kicking again today?” Saff asked as she pressed the stethoscope gently into Sarah’s stomach.
Sarah nodded with a smile. “Constantly. It feels like they’re playing soccer in there,” she said with a light laugh.
Maddie chuckled from where she stood beside her.
She’d wanted to come with her that morning when she’d left to check on Sarah, and now Saff was glad she did.
From the moment she’d met Maddie, she could see it in her that she was a people person. She easily possessed every quality Saff had never seemed to be able to master. The way Maddie so effortlessly showed so much empathy and kindness, as if it were completely natural.
Everyone seemed more at ease with Maddie around, including Sarah.
“You took the medication this morning?” Saff asked, looping the stethoscope back around her neck.
“Yep,” Sarah answered, rubbing a hand over her stomach. “Two pills, just like you told me.”
Saff clicked the flashlight on and shined it into one of Sarah’s eyes. After only a second, she tore her eyes away, head recoiling.
“Are your eyes still sensitive?” Saff asked, lowering the light.
Sarah frowned, her chin dropping. “Yeah. Sorry.” She glanced to the side, picking at a loose thread on the blanket covering her legs. “I—I feel like things are a little blurry today.”
Saff observed her carefully. “You mean your vision?”
Sarah nodded reluctantly. “Maybe just a little less sharp than it normally is.” She shook her head slightly, looking back up at Saff. “But that’s normal, right? Isn’t that just from the pregnancy and everything?”
Saff pursed her lips, avoiding her gaze. She’d always hated the hopeful looks patients gave her when they were trying to convince themselves that everything was fine.
“Sarah,” Maddie cut in with a tender smile, “do you have any names picked out yet?”
Sarah turned to her, and Saff watched the anxiety in her face melt away.
“Yeah,” she breathed. “But I still need to narrow it down.”
Saff listened silently as the two women spoke, grateful for the minute it gave her to formulate a proper response. And, as if Maddie knew, she rested a hand on Saff’s shoulder when the conversation eventually came to a lull.
Saff cleared her throat. “The vision changes could come from different things, so it’s not something you should worry about. But it’s definitely something that we need to monitor. Let me know if it gets any worse, okay?”
Sarah nodded, the light in her eyes fading. “Yeah, I will.”
“I’ll be back later in the day to check in. But if you need anything before then, just let someone know to come find me.”
Sarah smiled warmly at her, rubbing her hands over her stomach. “Thanks.”
Saff placed the stethoscope and flashlight on the table beside the bed, then made her way to the front door, pausing for Maddie to take her arm as they walked outside.
They made it a few feet across the driveway before Maddie spoke. “Are you worried? About the vision thing, I mean.”