The Sky And Its Stars

Chapter six: Adam

Brandon and I follow Hailey to the end of the hall, I have a hard time believing that what is happening is real. I am going to see my son! But what if he doesn't want to see me? What if...

"Hey. It's gonna be alright." Brandon cuts my lethal thoughts before they wipe me from the face of the earth, and I am more than thankful.

"How do you know that?" I ask, frightened to death.

"I don't." He answers honestly, sending a wave of terror through my body. Hailey stops at a room and turns to face us.

"Ok, this is it. I'll go tell him you're here." She tells me nervously.

"Wait. Did you tell him who I am?"

"No. I didn't. The only thing he knows is that you're the one who saved his life." She says, and I nod.

She pushes the door open and gets in. I hear her talk to him, but I can't make out the words. Seconds later, she is facing me again, telling me to get in.

"Good luck." Says Brandon with a nervous smile.

Everybody seems nervous and I don't get why. It makes me feel just a little bit more better, I like it that I am not the only one feeling this way, no matter how wrong that sounds.

I step inside the room, excitement taking over my nervousness. I look at the boy sitting on the bed and OH MY GOD, he looks just like Via. His pretty blue eyes, the way his mouth curves when he smiles...He smiles... He is smiling at me. I shake the thoughts away and give him the best smile I can find in me.

Hailey leaves the room, and I am left with my little hurt kid.

I don't know how, but it seems like I managed somehow to let out a "hey" that came out more like a whisper, which I didn't mean it to sound like that, but it did. I sit on the bed while he is saying a soft "hey" back, because if I keep standing, I am sure my feet will give up and I will find myself on the floor.

When I sit, I try to think of a way to start up a conversation, like, how's school?, or, what have you been up to lately? Finally I ask him how he is feeling because it sounds like the better way to start a conversation with someone you hardly know.

Suddenly, he throws his little arms around my neck and pulls me so close to him I can barely breathe.

At first, I am shocked, what is going on with him? Did he really like me that much? I stop thinking about it so much, afraid that I would ruin the moment, and hug him back instead.

"I missed you, dad. I missed you so much it hurts." He says in his soft voice.

Hearing the words makes me shiver, because I never thought that he would talk to me, let alone say he missed me.

Whenever I tried to imagine the moment I find my son, I imagined every terrible possibility, but not that, never. I don't know why, but I always thought that he wouldn't talk to me or tell me he doesn't want me anymore, but apparently, I spent all this time scaring myself in vain, and I got to the conclusion that my mind in super talented at imagining the absolute worse.

Some tears come to my eyes when I burry my head in his shaking shoulder realising that he is crying too. I try to push the tears back with all the strength I have left in me, and hold Drew so close to me that his tears are falling on my shoulder now. Moving my bruised hand up and down his back and holding his head with my other hand, I try to call him down.

"Oh, believe me, honey. I missed you too."

We sit in this position for what feels like forever, with me holding him and him caressing my bruised hand. I allow myself to feel happy and satisfied for the first time a very, very long time.