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I held the little heart on my chest, fingers curled around its bright brown frame.

“It’ll bend. I’m going to get you something better,” he repeated.

“Don’t you dare. It’s from you.”

A voice jolts me back to the overstuffed, warm, cozy present.

“Victoria? What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know how to play those things, either. I mean, I’ve played board games and cards. My mom and I used to mainly play with Barbies and Play-Doh,” I shrug.

Missing my mother is one snag. I wonder if she’s worried. I hope not. I hope she doesn’t even think about me today, or if she does, she writes it off as me being a brat who doesn't prioritize calling her on Christmas.

I have a new phone now, but I can’t risk calling her. Not while Pazcuso thinks I’m dead and he’s still at least a little interested in Lazarus.

I’m kidding myself. He’s super interested in Lazarus.

So am I, in a very different way. Right now, I cuddle up to his side and watch Manny and Rhea exchange looks.

“We could play Go Fish? That’s easy,” Manny mutters thoughtfully.

“We have Monopoly somewhere,” Rhea heaves herself up.

Lazarus and I both spring up, protesting, hands out, voices bubbling over one another.

“No, Mom, sit!” he says.

“I’m happy just talking,” I protest.

In all the noise—Rhea’s phone chirps in the kitchen, and the conversation moves with her, four happy, playfully arguing voices.

Until she sees the phone. “It’s Hannah! We already wished her a Merry Christmas this morning.” Rhea’s face drops. “I hope nothing...”

We fall silent as one. There’s no need to say the ending out loud. We all know what it is.

“Hi, Hannah! Merry Christmas again.” Rhea forces cheer and smiles into her voice, even as she holds her stomach, then moves her hand up to her chest as if to keep her heart in place.

“Um. Hi. So, today isn’t going okay.” Hannah’s voice is soft and stricken.

Manny rushes forward to catch Rhea as her legs give out.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Rhea can barely get the words out. Her hand clutches her middle as if she’s holding the baby herself.

“Um. My parents and my brother were here, and there was a fight... They left, and I’m not supposed to move around a lot. Um. I’m... I’m just afraid that things aren’t going to go well for her, and I don’t want to—” Hannah breaks off into a sob.

Manny takes the phone. “Can we come to you, hon? We’ll take care of you for a few days, or a few weeks, whatever you need.”

“But the baby... Mr. Finklestein, you have to understand. The baby could have lots of health problems, or not even make it, and you’d have helped me out for nothing. I can’t pay for a private nurse, or—”

“Oh, my goodness. Stop that. We want you to be okay, too, Hannah. You and the baby are both loved and important to us.”

“There was spotting. The cerclage isn’t going to hold.”

“Then we’ll take you to the hospital, honey.”

“But I’m still fighting with student health plan because I took the semester off starting December 17th, and I didn’t enroll in any classes for next semester yet—”

“We’ll pay whatever it is you need us to pay,” Rhea soothes.