Part V — What We Kept

In the middle of the chaos, I suddenly remembered how quiet the second floor had been.

Cedric.

I turned from the kitchen and hurried up the stairs. I found my son sitting on the edge of his bed in his green dinosaur pajamas, fully awake, holding his stuffed brown bear tightly against his chest.

A small blue backpack sat on the floor beside him.

My heart tightened painfully. I walked over and sat down beside him. “Sweetheart, who packed your backpack?”

He looked toward the open door with wide eyes. “Grandma said I might be going somewhere with Dad today,” he whispered.