Chapter 44 Where Were You?

• My breath catches in my throat as I search for something to say. I guess I wasn’t seeing things after all. I thought the medicine was too strong and had me hallucinating. I talked myself out of the possibility that I saw Evan the day the white van dropped me off. I did see him through the drug-induced haze, and now I’m face to face with my beautiful child.
• Cooper’s brown eyes are burning a hole in my head, and I have no idea how to feed his curiosity. I guess I will just have to tell him the truth and be sure that he keeps that truth to himself. I hate to ask a child to lie, but what other choice do I have? I just know that my being here is something that Evan is going to have to ease into, and even then, it won’t go well. As far as everyone is concerned, I ran out on Evan and my child, and nothing I say can make that better. I can and will tell the truth about it all, but there’s no guarantee that will make things any better.
• I take a deep breath and lick my lips. “Mommy? What makes you think I’m your mommy?” My voice is raspy due to not speaking for a while. My throat feels a bit scratchy, but I’m glad I’ve been drinking the water because it could be much worse. I know this is a dumb question, but I’m trying to stall for time. I may have dreamed about being with my child again, but I never honestly thought it would come to be.