Karyn was gossiping with a neighbor when the baby started to scream. Dropping the phone, she rushed to the nursery.
“Oh my God!” Karyn grabbed Sophia and a towel to stanch the blood welling from a cut in the baby’s thigh. Seeing no other injuries, Karyn ran her hand around the crib. Expecting splintered wood, she felt nothing. She changed the baby, turning to the obvious.
“Jonah, come here please.”
The boy stood in front of her, silent.
“Jonah, do you know how Sophia got hurt?”
He didn’t reply.
“Jonah, if you know what happened to your sister you need to tell me,” Karyn tried to stay calm. “Were you in here just now?”
“I guess,” Jonah said without emotion.
“Jonah, what happened?”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her, not the long kinda hurt.” Jonah looked up, eyes wide..
“Remember our talk about how careful you have to be with babies?”
Jonah stared at her, eyes big and blue and . . . blank
Karyn knew she’d protect him. All children did things that were wrong before they knew better. She’d watch him more carefully.
She didn’t tell her husband, knowing he wouldn’t accept that Jonah was just a little boy. He’d…
