The word barely existed.
Soft.
Broken.
Almost swallowed by the steady beeping of machines.
But Lena heard it.
Alex heard it.
And the room changed.
Noah’s lips moved again, weak and trembling.
“Mom…”
Lena leaned forward instantly, her fingers tightening around his hand.
“Noah? Sweetheart, I’m here.”
His eyelids fluttered, heavy like they weighed too much for his small body. His pupils struggled to focus, drifting slowly across the room.
Searching.
For someone.
For something.
And then they stopped.
On Lena.
Relief filled his tiny face.
“Mom…”
The word hit her chest like a physical blow.
Her throat closed.
She had never asked him to call her that.
Never encouraged it.
But hearing it now—hearing it while he lay pale and fragile in a hospital bed—broke something deep insi
