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“I wasn’t planning to.”

That surprised me, and it must have shown on my face because Tahari shrugged.

“Mr. Browne got enough shit going on.”

I looked back toward the building too. Somewhere upstairs, Pops was with Ma and my little brother. His hip still needed to be checked after that fall, and he was probably already trying to figure out how quickly he could get everybody home.

For once, he could worry about them. I’d worry about this.

“When Penelope’s people get that plate,” I said, “we find him.”

Tahari looked at me for a moment before nodding.

“We find him.”

And for the first time since Ghost brought this shit to our family, I wasn’t waiting to hear what everybody else planned to do about it. By the time Tahari and I got back upstairs, Maliah had finally given in to how tired she was. She was curled against the side of the waiting room couch with her eyes closed and one hand tucked beneath her cheek.

Tahari slowed when he saw her and went back to sit beside her without waking her.

I kept going. Ma’s door was partially open, and I could see Pops before I stepped inside. He was still in his wheelchair beside the bassinet. One of his arms rested along the edge while he watched my little brother sleep. Ma was awake too. She was propped against her pillows with her eyes on them both. I stood outside the door for a few seconds longer than I needed to.

My phone felt heavy in my pocket. All it would take was walking in there, pulling up that picture, and handing it to Pops. I could already imagine the change in his face. That alone kept my phone where it was. I knocked lightly before stepping inside. Ma looked over and smiled. “There goes your brother,” she said out loud like the new baby would understand.

I walked farther into the room.

“He asleep?” I asked lowly.

“Finally,” she responded.

“He wasn’t doing all that crying Pops said he was doing?”

Ma rolled her eyes.

“Your father exaggerates.”

Pops looked up from the bassinet.

“I don’t exaggerate.”

I laughed and moved closer to the bassinet. It felt good hearing them go back and forth over something that didn’t mean anything. I leaned over the bassinet to get a better look inside. My brother was wrapped tightly in one of those hospital blankets with his face turned slightly to the side. His mouth was open a little, and his forehead was wrinkled like he had something serious on his mind. I stared at him.

“He looks like an old man.”

Ma burst out laughing. The laugh had barely gotten out before her hand flew to her stomach.

“Oh!” Her face twisted. “MJ!”

“My bad!” I started laughing too. “I forgot you can’t laugh like that.”

“That hurt!”

Pops shook his head at me, but he was smiling.

“See what you did?”

“I ain’t know she was gonna laugh that hard.”

“Because you caught me off guard.” Ma carefully shifted against her pillows, still smiling even though she was holding her stomach. “Don’t make me laugh again.”