The next morning, 10 a.m.
Cassidy stepped out of the hotel into the cool breeze of Manhattan, the city alive around her—but she barely noticed. Her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
With Claire's hand in hers and a small backpack slung over her shoulder, she called for a cab. The address Georgia had sent her the night before flashed on her phone screen: a prestigious private hospital tucked in the Upper East Side.
The drive felt both too fast and painfully slow. Claire sat quietly beside her, clutching her stuffed bunny, sensing her mother's tension without understanding it.
When they arrived, Georgia was already waiting in front of the hospital entrance, her figure tall and poised, though her eyes looked tired.
Claire's face lit up.
"Auntie Georgia!"
She ran forward, flinging her arms around Georgia's waist. Georgia knelt to hug her tightly.
"My little Claire Bear! Oh, I missed you so much!"
"Where's Sister Freya and Jonah?" Claire asked eagerly.
