CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN – BABY’S DAY OUT

Over the next hour, Rebecca chased Helena from room to room, narrowly averting disaster after disaster. In the kitchen, Helena somehow managed to open a lower cabinet, pulling out pots and pans with gleeful abandon. "How did you even reach those?" Rebecca exclaimed, trying to corral the mess of cookware while keeping Helena from bonking herself on the head with a wayward spatula. In the study, Helena made a valiant attempt to scale a bookshelf, causing Rebecca's heart to nearly stop as she lunged forward to catch her daughter. "Okay, that's it," Rebecca declared, breathless from the constant vigilance. "We're going to find the most boring, padded room in this entire house and stay there until Daddy gets home." She carried Helena to the guest bedroom, which was sparsely furnished and devoid of any obvious hazards. Setting her daughter down on the plush carpet, Rebecca flopped onto the bed, keeping one eye on the exploring infant. "You know," she mused aloud, "when I dreamed of livi