Chapter 5

With Chris around, it felt like there was no place for me anymore. Watching them through the glass left me with a heavy heart, so I decided to leave the hospital and find something else to do.

Yesterday, while lingering near the door of his room, I heard Saul say he wanted chicken. I went to the supermarket, picked up the ingredients, and spent the afternoon cooking.

Just as I finished packing the chicken in a thermal container, Chris called. "Saul says he's bored and wants me to take him out for a walk. Is that okay?"

Her tone sounded like she was asking for permission, though she didn't need to. She could have taken him without checking, and I wouldn't have said anything. But that simple question made me feel like I mattered, even if just for a moment.

"Sure. Don't go too far, and make sure to be back soon," I said.

I could hear Saul's voice urging her in the background. Chris explained quickly, "We'll go to park. I promise we'll be back by three."

I nodded, placed the chicken aside, and decided to rest before returning to the hospital. That nap was the first decent sleep I'd had since the accident, though my dreams still haunted me.

In the dream, Saul held Chris' hand and walked away. No matter how loudly I called his name, he didn't look back.

I woke up to Chris' voice on the phone. "Saul is gone!"

Her panic instantly jolted me awake. "What do you mean?"

"He said he wanted water. I turned to buy some, and when I looked back, he was gone. I searched the entire park and couldn't find him anywhere!"