While I Was In The Hospital Recovering, My Parents And Sister Gathered Around My 6-Year-Old Adopted... The first time Emma whispered “Mama,” it was Tuesday at the children’s home, her fingers tucked into the cuff of my sweater like a secret. Four years later, a neighbor stood at my hospital bed and said she hadn’t seen Emma in days. I’d gone in for what I thought was a bad stomach bug. It was appendicitis—peritonitis by the time I stumbled into the ER. They cut, cleaned, and hooked me to antibio