“It was them, Mom. Dad’s blue jacket. Grandma’s silver hair. I stopped my bike across the street and watched them walk in.”
I stared at my son, at his serious twelve-year-old face.
I knew he wasn’t making this up.
Noah was the kind of boy who reported every bad grade before I could find out on my own.
Before I could question him further, he doubled over and started coughing.
I knew he wasn’t making this up.
I moved to his side immediately.
“Sit down, sweetheart. I’ll pour you a glass of water.”
I guided him to the table.
He kept trying to speak between coughs.
“Calm down. There must be an explanation for what you saw.”
He sipped his water.
My phone buzzed on the counter.
He kept trying to speak between coughs.
Logan had texted me.
I read the message once.
Then I read it again.
Don’t wait up for dinner. Stuck at work, probably home late. Love you.
“Mom?” Noah’s voice was small, rough. “What does it say?”
I locked the screen and forced my face into something like calm.
Logan had texted me.
“He says he’s working late. That’s all.”
“But I saw him.”
“I know you did, baby. I believe you.”
The words came out before I could stop them.
I saw the flicker of relief in Noah’s eyes, followed almost immediately by fear.
Because if I believed him, then something was wrong.
“I believe you.”
I crossed the kitchen and pulled him into a tight hug.
“Listen to me. I’m going to figure this out. There’s an explanation, and I’m going to find it. But I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“I need you to stay right here. I’ll call Sarah to come over and sit with you for a little while. Don’t tell anyone else about this. Not your friends. Not anyone. Can you do that?”
“I’m going to figure this out.”
He nodded against my shoulder.
“Are you going to be okay?”
I pulled back and looked him in the eye.
My beautiful, watchful boy.
He’d been through more doctor visits in the last year than most children saw in a lifetime as his coughing fits became more frequent.
He didn’t need to carry this too.
