Chapter 4 - The Price of Eight Years
Roman was a near-perfect match.
The transfusion began that evening.
I sat beside Noah while Roman occupied the chair on the opposite side of the bed.
Neither of us spoke.
Noah woke shortly after midnight.
His eyes moved toward me.
“Mom?”
I squeezed his hand.
“I’m here.”
Then he noticed Roman.
“Who’s that?”
Roman froze.
I had rehearsed this conversation in my imagination a thousand times.
None of those rehearsals mattered.
“Noah…”
Roman stood.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“Let me.”
He approached the bed slowly.
“My name is Roman.”
Noah studied him.
“You look like me.”
Roman swallowed.
“So I’ve been told.”
“Are you family?”
Roman glanced at me.
I nodded.
He pulled the chair closer.
“I’m your father.”
Noah stared at him.
“But my dad died.”
Roman’s eyes closed briefly.
“That’s complicated.”
Noah looked at me.
“You lied?”
My chest tightened.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I was scared.”
“Of him?”
Roman’s expression hardened with pain.
I answered carefully.
“Of what could happen because of who he was.”
Noah returned his attention to Roman.
“Are you a bad guy?”
One of Roman’s guards outside the room coughed awkwardly.
Roman almost smiled.
“I’ve done bad things.”
“At least you didn’t lie.”
That one hurt.
Roman looked at me.
“Noah.”
I touched his forehead.
“You need to rest.”
Instead, he reached toward Roman.
Roman hesitated before taking his tiny hand.
“You gave me blood?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean I have your blood now?”
“You already did.”
Noah thought about that.
Then he whispered:
“Okay.”
And fell asleep holding Roman’s finger.
Roman stared at their joined hands.
“I missed everything.”
His voice was barely audible.
“First word.”
I looked down.
“Flower.”
“First step?”
“Eleven months.”
“First day of school?”
“He cried.”
Roman smiled faintly.
“No.”
“I cried. He ran inside without saying goodbye.”
Roman laughed.
It was quiet.
Broken.
Human.
Then his expression changed.
“You stole those years from me.”
I looked directly at him.
“And your world stole my ability to trust you with them.”
May you like
Neither of us had an answer for that.
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