Chloe continued to improve, defying all expectations. "She has youth on her side," the physician told us. "That's a tremendous advantage."

The weekend before Easter, Aleksandr came home very excited. "She said her first words since the accident!" he exclaimed.

"Wow, that's great!" I replied. "What was it?"

"She said 'I'm thirsty'."

"So is she able to eat and drink now?"

"She can drink water through a straw. They're talking about starting her on solid food soon." He came to me and put his arms around me. "It's just like starting all over again with a little baby, Carrie. First liquids, then solid foods..." Suddenly he sounded as if he were about to cry.

How ironic that he should mention babies, I told myself. I suddenly wondered whether Aleksandr and I were doing the right thing at the right time. After all, Aleksandr didn't need two babies to take care of...

I was almost relieved when my period came again that month, and the next.

Summer arrived, and with it, the long days and mild heat that were also typical of New York. I still kept in touch with my friends there regularly. Miranda and Charlotte posted so many pictures of their children on Facebook that I was constantly reminded of how badly I really did want to have Aleksandr's baby.

By now Chloe was awake and speaking for long periods of time, and even had some use of her arms. They'd started her on physical therapy for an hour every evening.

"She wants to see you," Aleksandr told me one evening. The next day, I accompanied him to the hospital.

Chloe was sitting propped up by pillows in bed, looking remarkably healthier than she had the last time I'd seen her.

"Hi, Chloe!" I went to her and hugged her gingerly. "It's good to see you doing so well!"

"Hi, Carrie," she said. "It's good to see you again. My Dad talks about you all the time, so I told him to bring you along next time he came to see me."

"Does he really?"

"Really what?"

"Talk about me."

"Oh, yes! All the time. He says you make him feel young again. I haven't seen him this happy since...since before he and Mom got divorced."

"How old were you when that happened?"

"Twelve." She suddenly looked very sad.

"That must have been so hard for you."

"Oh, it was! Both of them tried to be especially nice to me afterwards to make up for it, but I was still devastated that they didn't love each other anymore."

"And you don't resent me or feel like I'm trying to take your mother's place?"

"Oh, no. I'm used to things being the way they are now between my parents. After all, that was half a lifetime ago for me."

"I'm glad." I smiled at her. "I really hope that you and I can be friends."

She smiled back. "I hope so, too."


My period didn't come when I expected it to in July. Not wanting to get my hopes up prematurely, I waited to see if I developed any further symptoms. In early August, my breasts became very swollen, and I started feeling queasy when I smelled, or even thought of, meat. I decided to wait until I knew for sure to tell Aleksandr, but he guessed it before then when he heard me throwing up in the bathroom one morning.

"Are you all right?" he asked me anxiously when I came out.

"I think so," I told him. "It's just..."

As he caught my eye, he gave me a knowing smile. I smiled back. We just stood there, gazing into one another's eyes and smiling, for a long time.