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My eyes moved toward Marion.
James continued.
“She’s my biological mother.”
I stared at him.
“She’s been trying to find me for almost thirty years.”
His voice broke.
“And she’s dying.”
Everything inside me seemed to stop.
“Hospice?”
James nodded.
“The lawyer confirmed the DNA match right before your water broke.”
I immediately thought about the laptop.
“The late nights?”
“I was researching everything. I needed to know it was real.”
“The envelope from the law firm?”
“They were helping confirm her identity.”
“And the phone calls?”
“I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for certain.”
His eyes filled again.
“Then hospice called before the delivery. They told me that if I wanted to meet her, it had to happen now.”
I looked at Marion.
She seemed incredibly small in the wheelchair.
James continued.
“She was two hours away.”
“Why did you leave without telling me?”
“I didn’t know how.”
He wiped his face.
“You had just given birth. Owen was on your chest. I couldn’t stand there and tell you that I had found my biological mother and might lose her before the day was over.”
I swallowed.
“And the birth certificate?”
James glanced at Marion.
“That’s why I asked you to wait.”
Marion slowly reached into the bag on her lap.
She pulled out a folded piece of paper.
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