Theodore improved quickly enough that Dean had begun to distrust every physician who walked into the room without carrying bad news.
It was irrational, and he knew it.
Unfortunately, several days of watching his premature son through layers of transparent plastic, monitoring cables, and numbers Dean had learned far more than he had ever wanted and had done something unpleasant to his ability to accept uncomplicated good news.
Theodore was gaining weight.
His breathing had strengthened enough that the neonatal team had reduced the support twice, his temperature remained stable for increasingly long periods without intervention, and his feeding tolerance had improved to the point that the physicians were already discussing when he might leave the incubator entirely.
Every report was positive.
Dean still waited for the sentence that started with however.
It had not arrived.
By the end of the second week, he had finally stopped expecting it every morning.
