PART 21 – I Had Waited for Someone to Tell Me My Son Was Safe, but I Was Beginning to Understand That the Truth Would Take Longer

I was still standing near the examination room.

My legs were tired.

My hands were cold.

I had stopped trying to guess how much time had passed.

I only wanted someone to come out and tell me how Tommy was doing.

Lauren remained in the hallway.

Neither of us had much to say.

I thought about the bathroom explanation again.

She had mentioned a fall.

I wondered why she hadn't told me earlier.

I wondered why she had left without checking whether Tommy could manage the short walk to my front door.

I didn't have an answer.

And I didn't want to create one in my head.

I wanted the medical staff to establish what had happened.

I wanted Tommy to be given the chance to speak without pressure.

That was more important than anything I could say about Lauren.

A nurse came through the door.

I immediately stepped toward her.

I asked whether I could see my son.

She explained that they were still following the examination process.

I nodded.

I was disappointed, but I understood.

I returned to the wall.

For the first time that evening, I thought about what would happen when we eventually left the hospital.

Tommy would need somewhere familiar.

He would need his belongings.

He would need to know that he wasn't being punished.

I thought about his backpack.

It was probably still near the entrance of my house.

I had left it there when the ambulance arrived.

I pictured it sitting beside the door.

Such an ordinary thing.

Yet I couldn't stop thinking about it.

It had been the first thing he brought home that Sunday.

And it had been hanging from his shoulder while he struggled to stand.

I looked toward Lauren.

She was staring down at her phone.

I didn't ask what she was doing.

I didn't want another argument.

I had already made the decision that mattered.

I had called for help.

Now I needed to let the people responsible for his care do their work.

Click here to continue reading: PART 22: The Hospital Had Become the Place Where I Finally Stopped Making Excuses for the Silence That Had Been Growing in My Son