Vicky walked toward the road to hail a cab, the weight on her chest a little lighter than before.
"Everything will be fine," she whispered to herself. "Mama will be with us again. All I need is faith… and hope."
As she reached the sidewalk, she felt a small hand slip into hers. She looked down, surprised.
"You?" Vicky asked, her voice soft with recognition.
"Yes, me!" Kenneth beamed. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart. And you? Did you get treated?"
"Yes! The doctor said I'm completely fine!" he said, his joy contagious.
Vicky's eyes sparkled. "You are? That makes me happy. My friend is happy!" she laughed, playfully tickling him.
Kenneth giggled loudly. For a moment, the world was right.
Then Vicky remembered. Her eyes darted around. "Where's your mother?"
Kenneth pointed behind her. Vicky turned—and froze. Kenneth's mother stood there, silent, watching them.
Nervously, Vicky folded her hands and lowered her head. "Ma'am… I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I didn't mean—"
The woman raised a hand to stop her. "No. Let me speak," she said gently.
She stepped forward, her expression softened, marked by something older than regret—grief.
"Kenneth lost his best friend… his father, two years ago. I'm a soldier. I'm hardly ever home," she began, voice catching slightly. "After his father died, Kenneth fell into depression. Anxiety. He never smiled. And then, one day… he was kidnapped."
Vicky's eyes widened in shock.
"He hasn't been the same since. Scared of everything. Everyone. But today… today he found the courage to smile again. Because of you."
The woman paused, tears threatening to fall. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you earlier. You didn't deserve that."
Vicky took a step closer, her voice calm and kind. "You acted out of love for your child. There's no shame in that. I have a sister the same age as Kenneth. If anyone even looks at her wrong, I show them my left side," she said with a teasing smirk.
Kenneth and his mother laughed.
"Please forgive me," the woman said again.
Vicky turned to Kenneth. "Tell Mommy she didn't do anything wrong. Right, Mommy?"
The woman blinked, stunned by Vicky's grace.
"Thank you, Mommy," Kenneth said, hugging his mom.
Kenneth's mother looked at Vicky with admiration—and a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, my dear. May you get everything you seek in life."
"You deserve the happiness you're chasing. No more tears," Kenneth added brightly.
"She was crying?" his mother asked, surprised.
"Yes. I found her crying outside the hospital."
Vicky turned away quickly. "No, no… ma'am, it's nothing."
But Kenneth's mother wouldn't let it go. "Let me help you. You helped me with something I can never repay. Please, give me the chance to try."
Vicky shook her head. "I've helped people before, and they never looked back. I don't do it to be paid. I don't need anything in return."
"I'm not paying you back. I'm just… asking to stand with you," Kenneth's mother said sincerely.
"I don't need your aid, madam!" Vicky snapped, louder than she intended.
Both Kenneth and his mother flinched. Vicky turned and walked away.
As she walked, her thoughts drifted into a dark corner of her mind.
A vision—unwelcome and sharp—emerged: a girl kneeling, screaming for help as her father lay trapped beneath rubble. Flames burst from the building. The girl watched helplessly as her father and grandmother burned alive.
Back in the present, Vicky stopped and stared up at the hospital. Her eyes brimmed with tears—but something within her refused to break.
"If I can save a child just by playing with him, just by being kind," she whispered, "then I can save you, Mama."
She placed a hand over her heart. "Every mother cares deeply for her children… but Mama, when will I get to walk beside you, free from fear, with you healed?"