Chapter 13 - THE LITTLE GIRL WHO CAME HOME
Hope came home after forty-six days in the NICU.
She weighed five pounds, seven ounces.
She had a tiny pink hat.
A car seat that looked enormous around her.
And a stubborn habit of grabbing my finger whenever I tried to move away.
Paige helped carry our bags.
Captain Brennan waited outside.
Several firefighters stood beside the ambulance bay.
I stopped.
“What is this?”
Mike smiled.
“An escort.”
I began crying.
The firefighters stood in a line.
Not formal.
Not ceremonial.
Just people who had loved Owen.
One of them stepped forward.
He held a small wooden box.
“Owen asked us to keep this until the baby came.”
My hands trembled.
Inside was a tiny firefighter helmet.
Painted yellow.
With the words:
HOPE REED – FUTURE HERO
I covered my mouth.
Mike's eyes filled.
“He bought it the week before the fire.”
I began sobbing.
Paige wrapped an arm around me.
Hope slept through everything.
When we reached home, I carried her into the nursery.
The crib was assembled.
The walls were painted pale yellow.
A photograph of Owen stood on the dresser.
I laid Hope down.
Then sat beside her.
“Hi, baby.”
She opened her eyes.
“Welcome home.”
I looked at Owen's photograph.
May you like
“We made it.”
And for the first time in months, the house didn't feel entirely empty.
