Chapter 2: The Basement
Chapter 2: The Basement
I rushed down the narrow wooden stairs two at a time.
The air grew colder with every step.
"Noah!" I shouted.
A weak voice answered.
"Dad..."
He was curled up on an old blanket in the corner beside a stack of storage boxes. His face was pale, his lips were dry, and his small body trembled uncontrollably. A plastic bucket sat nearby, half-filled with vomit.
Emily reached him first, dropping to her knees and wrapping him in her arms.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
Noah clung to her without saying another word.
I took off my jacket and wrapped it around him before lifting him into my arms. He felt frighteningly light.
"What happened?" I whispered.
His voice cracked.
"I told Aunt Sarah my stomach hurt. I wanted to call you... but she took my phone away. She said I was ruining Matthew's birthday."
Emily couldn't hold back her tears.
Behind us, Sarah stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs.
"I didn't think it was that serious," she said quietly. "I thought he was pretending."
I looked at her without saying a word.
Some apologies come far too late.
We drove straight to the emergency room.
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Hours later, doctors told us Noah had been severely dehydrated from a stomach virus. If he'd been left alone much longer, the outcome could have been far worse.
That was the moment everything changed.
