They break. I was still standing in front of the monitor, with the gun hanging from my hand, and for the first time in a long time I didn't know what to do.
I lowered the gun. I did it without thinking, like someone dropping a weight they'd carried for too long. I sat down slowly, my legs going limp. Dominic cleared his throat beside me. "Do you want me to go check, boss?" "No," I replied, my voice sounding strange, hoarse. "Leave them." On the screen, Noah was already breathing calmly. Emma stayed by his side, lying on her side, with one hand on his back, until the boy fell asleep in her arms, more peaceful than she had seen him since before the bomb.
I didn't sleep that night. I lay watching the footage and going over every detail. Emma didn't move until dawn, and when the light began to filter through the window, she carefully got up, adjusted the blanket over Noah's shoulders, and tiptoed out. I had installed security cameras to watch for threats, and that morning I discovered that what I had never seen was my own son truly being cared for.
At seven o'clock sharp, I summoned her to my office. She entered with the
Same worn coat, soft dark circles under his eyes, and a steady gaze. “I know you were watching me,” he said before I could even open my mouth. “There are cameras in every corner of this house. I saw them the first day. I froze.” Dominic, standing by the door, his eyes widened. “You saw them?” I asked. “A person who has lived in hiding learns to see where they’re being watched. That’s why I didn’t care. I wanted you to see exactly what I do when I think no one is watching.”
I stood up and walked to the window, my back to her. “You went into his bed at three in the morning. Anyone else would have died for less.” “I know,” she replied calmly. “But Noah had been waking up at the same time three nights in a row, silently screaming. I heard him from the hallway. If I’d called a nurse, they would have given him a sedative and left him alone. I know what it feels like to wake up in the middle of a memory and have no one touch you.” Something inside me broke. “How do you know?” I asked without turning around.
