(Amelia)
It happened the one afternoon I let my guard down.
Ethan had begged for weeks to see where I worked. Not the wards, just the lobby, the big fish tank in the atrium, the gift shop with the stuffed bears. Liam was busy. My sitter was sick. And it was a Saturday, quiet, no reviews, no board, no reason for anyone from that world to be in the building. So I told myself it was safe. I took my son to see the fish.
He was thrilled by all of it. The revolving door, the tall ceilings, the tank full of bright fish that he pressed both hands against and named as fast as he could invent names. I stood behind him and watched him be happy and let myself have ten quiet minutes of it.
That was my mistake. Ten minutes.
Because the hospital had a donor thing that afternoon after all, a small on
