The nurse wrapped the baby carefully and handed her to him.
For months, I had imagined that moment.
I imagined Ryan crying.
I imagined Melissa wrapping her arms around both of them.
I imagined my brother looking at his daughter the way I had looked at Gabriel the first time I held him.
Instead, Ryan became completely still.
He stared down at the baby.
Then his expression slowly changed.
The warmth disappeared from his face.
His shoulders sagged.
His lips parted, but no words came out.
“Ryan?”
He didn’t answer.
Melissa was still wiping tears from her cheeks.
“Let me hold her,” she said softly.
Ryan shifted the baby.
Then he turned her slightly and looked at her lower back.
That was when I saw real fear on his face.
“Ryan,” I said again. “What’s wrong?”
He swallowed.
For several seconds, he stared at the floor.
Then he looked at me.
