The entire hallway seemed to be waiting for something no one could explain.

Michael glanced through the small glass window in the hospital-room door. Dr. Collins carefully adjusted Emily’s blanket before checking another monitor. The room looked peaceful, but the silence carried a weight that settled over everyone nearby.

Then the elevator doors opened.

A little boy stepped into the hallway.

He couldn’t have been older than nine.

His oversized gray hoodie hung loosely over worn blue jeans, and his sneakers carried the dust of someone who had walked much farther than a child his age should have. His brown hair was slightly messy, and his tired blue-gray eyes looked as though they hadn’t stopped crying for days.