Chapter 6
I did not sleep well that night.
Vivian knew Noah was staying with Simone. She knew Pascal and I were arguing. Yet she had called his school instead of asking either parent whether he was safe.
In the morning, I went to the school office. I checked Noah’s contact list, removed Vivian’s number, and gave the staff Simone’s information for the week. I told them to call me before making any change.
The secretary asked whether I wanted a note added to Noah’s file.
“Yes,” I said. “Please.”
When I left, Pascal was waiting by my car.
“I should have told you I was coming,” he said.
“Did Vivian send you?”
“No. I came because she told me she spoke to the school.”
“You knew last night.”
“I did. I’m sorry.”
He held out his phone. Vivian had sent him a message that morning. She wanted him to bring Noah to her house after school so they could “talk sense into him about his real family.”
I looked up sharply.
“Did you tell her no?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“That I’m letting you make every decision.”
“And what do you think?”
“I think Noah is your son. I think I frightened him when I packed his things. I’m not asking him to take sides with me.”
I took a long breath. The answer mattered. I still wished he had reached it before Noah saw his bag outside.
Pascal told me he had arranged his first counseling appointment. He showed me the date because he wanted me to know he was going.
“You don’t need to prove it with your phone,” I said. “Go because you mean it.”
“I do.”
At the hospital, Andre was sitting up when I arrived. Leila had brought Noah’s card, and he had placed it beside Captain the bear.
“He drew Pascal too,” Andre said.
“He did.”
Andre studied my face. “You two having trouble?”
I had not planned to tell him. He was recovering from surgery, and he had enough to worry about.
“We’re living with Simone for now,” I said. “Pascal and I have things to work out.”
Andre nodded slowly. “Noah can love him. I know that.”
“I know you do.”
“I hope Pascal knows I’ve never asked Noah to choose.”
I pulled up a chair.
“He’s beginning to understand.”
Andre reached for his water. I helped him steady the cup, then let him drink on his own.
“I told Ms. Brooks everything I remember about the platform,” he said. “I went to it because Martin said it was fixed. Rosa was beside me. It shifted, and I tried to get clear.”
“You don’t have to talk about it with me.”
“I want to. I keep hearing people say I made a mistake. I need you to know what happened.”
“I believe you.”
His eyes filled, and he looked away.
Later, Ms. Brooks told us the company had put Rosa on leave while it investigated the accident. Rosa worried she would lose her job. Ms. Brooks was helping her find independent advice about her rights.
I called Pascal.
“Rosa’s been put on leave.”
He sounded stunned. “I saw her at work yesterday.”
“She spoke to Andre’s attorney.”
“I’ll find out who made that decision.”
“Be careful. I want you to tell the truth, but I don’t want you promising me you can fix the company.”
“I know.”
That evening, Noah asked whether Pascal could visit. I called him and stayed at Simone’s while he came over. They played a card game at the kitchen table. Pascal let Noah explain the rules twice.
Before he left, Noah asked, “Do you still want me in my room?”
Pascal set down his cards.
“Yes,” he said. “I want you there. I was wrong to put your bag outside.”
“Mom says we’re staying here.”
“For now,” Pascal said. “I’m working on being someone she can trust with both of you.”
Noah thought about that, then hugged him.
After Pascal left, Simone touched my arm.
“He said the right thing,” she said.
“He did.”
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know yet.”
The next morning, Pascal called from work. Martin had ordered Rosa’s leave. The written reason said she had refused to follow a supervisor’s instructions on the night of the accident.
“That’s why she was there,” I said. “She warned him about the platform.”
“I’ve told our safety officer what I know. Rosa deserves the chance to answer it.”
“Did you speak to Vivian?”
“Yes. She told me to stay out of it.”
I heard a door close on his end of the line. Pascal’s voice dropped.
“Alexa, Martin’s report says the platform passed an inspection the morning of the accident.”
May you like
“And?”
“The name of the person who signed it belongs to a mechanic who was away that entire week.”
