"I was very frightened after the fire."
The boy listened.
"I made a mistake by staying away when you needed me."
His expression tightened.
"Eleven days."
The mother nodded.
"Yes."
He looked toward his blanket.
"I counted."
Her heart broke.
She lowered herself into the chair.
"I know, sweetheart."
The boy's eyes filled.
"I thought you didn't want me."
The mother shook her head immediately.
"No."
She reached toward him.
Then stopped.
"May I hold your hand?"
The child hesitated.
For a moment, she feared he'd refuse.
Then he slowly extended his fingers.
She took them.
Very gently.
"I love you."
The boy looked down.
She continued.
"I loved you before the fire. I loved you every day I wasn't here. And I love you right now."
His lower lip trembled.
"Then why didn't you come?"
The mother swallowed.
"Because I was scared and didn't know how to handle it."
She took a breath.
"That was my mistake, not yours."
The boy stared at her.
Then whispered, "I was scared too."
The mother closed her eyes.
"I know."
His voice broke.
"I wanted you."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry."
The child began crying.
Then he said something she would remember forever.
"I thought maybe if I got better faster, you'd come."
The mother made a small, broken sound.
She leaned forward.
"Oh, sweetheart."
He looked up.
"You don't have to get better to deserve me being here."
The boy wiped his face.
She continued.
"You don't have to be brave. You don't have to stop crying. And you never have to earn a visit from your mother."
His eyes filled again.
"Promise?"
The mother nodded.
"I promise."
For a moment, he remained still.
Then he raised both arms as much as he comfortably could.
She looked toward the nurse, who helped them find a safe position for an embrace.
The mother leaned close.
The boy rested against her.
He was smaller than she remembered.
His breathing was soft.
His familiar warmth reached her through the hospital blanket.
And for the first time in eleven days, she felt her child holding her again.
He began crying against her shoulder.
The mother held him gently.
"I'm here."
He clutched her sleeve.
"Don't go."
She closed her eyes.
"I'll be here for the rest of today's visit, and we'll make a plan together for tomorrow."