Chapter 14 - One Year Later
Leo turned one on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Our backyard was full of people.
Not dozens.
Just the ones we trusted.
Daniel and his wife.
Susan.
Elena's parents.
A few close friends.
Children running through sprinklers.
Music.
Hamburgers on the grill.
A ridiculous blue birthday cake Leo mostly wore instead of eating.
Elena stood beside me.
She looked different.
Not physically.
She looked free.
“Remember his first month?”
I groaned.
“Unfortunately.”
She smiled.
“I don't think about it much anymore.”
That surprised me.
“I do.”
“I know.”
“You almost died.”
“I didn't.”
“But—”
She touched my arm.
“Michael.”
I stopped.
“I don't want Margaret to own that memory forever.”
I understood.
That week had been terrible.
But it wasn't our entire story.
Leo took his first steps that afternoon.
Three wobbly steps from Elena toward me.
Everyone cheered.
I picked him up.
He laughed.
Elena cried.
So did I.
Daniel pretended he had something in his eye.
Later, after everyone left, I found Elena sitting on the porch.
Leo slept against her chest.
I sat beside her.
“Happy?”
She looked at our son.
“Very.”
Then she handed me an envelope.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
Inside was a photograph.
The three of us.
Taken that afternoon.
Elena laughing.
Leo covered in frosting.
Me looking at both of them.
On the back, Elena had written:
This is what family feels like when nobody is afraid.
I couldn't speak.
She leaned her head against my shoulder.
For the first time, I realized something.
I had spent months thinking I saved Elena that night.
May you like
But that wasn't completely true.
We saved each other.
