Chapter 14 - 3:12 A.M. AGAIN
Anna saw the monitor.
Her scream never came.
She went completely silent.
I stood.
"Call the police."
"Ethan."
"Call them."
I crossed the hallway slowly.
Every instinct told me to run.
Another instinct told me that my mother was holding my seven-week-old son.
I opened the nursery door.
Mom stood near the window.
Noah was awake in her arms.
She had tears streaming down her face.
"Give him to me."
She shook her head.
"I only wanted to hold him."
"Put him in the crib."
"He's my grandson."
"Put him down."
Her face crumpled.
"You've kept him from me for almost two months."
"You entered my house in the middle of the night."
"I knew you wouldn't let me in."
"That's why you weren't supposed to come."
Behind me, I heard Anna speaking softly to the dispatcher.
Mom looked toward her.
Her expression hardened.
"You called the police on me?"
Anna's voice shook.
"You broke into our home and took our baby out of his crib."
"I didn't take him anywhere."
"Mom."
I held up my hands.
"Look at me."
She did.
"If you love Noah, put him somewhere safe."
Her mouth trembled.
"You're taking everything away from me."
"No."
I moved one step closer.
"I'm asking you to put a baby back in his crib."
For several terrifying seconds, she did not move.
Then Noah began to cry.
Something changed in her face.
Mom looked down at him.
Slowly, she walked toward the crib.
She placed him on the mattress.
The second her hands left him, Anna moved.
She lifted Noah and backed away.
I remained between them.
Mom looked at me.
"You really think I'm dangerous."
"I think you are not respecting reality."
Sirens sounded outside.
Mom closed her eyes.
"I raised you."
"I know."
"I gave you everything."
"I know."
"And you're doing this to me?"
I felt tears in my eyes.
"No."
My voice broke.
"You did this."
The police entered minutes later.
We showed them the security footage.
Mom admitted entering through a basement window that had not been properly latched.
She insisted she only wanted to see Noah.
The officers escorted her outside.
She turned before entering the patrol car.
For once, she did not look angry.
She looked small.
Lost.
And strangely old.
Part of me wanted to run after her.
That was the son she had trained me to be.
Then Noah cried behind me.
I turned around.
May you like
Anna stood in the doorway holding our child.
And I went back inside.
