AUTHOR’S POV
Keir's mother staggered back, her mind reeling with horror and disbelief as her knees buckled and a sob escaped her throat. She reached for Keir and drew him into a desperate hug, her hands clutching his back as if he might slip away.
She cried openly, shaking with fear, her fingers digging into his shoulders even though he was standing alive and well in front of her. Keir's arms tightened around her, his own tears falling silently down his cheeks.
He reflected on how close he had come to never seeing her again, how she had tried to persuade him to stay home, but he refused. She would never have forgiven herself if he had been lost, and he could not bear the thought of her going through that pain.
They stood there, locked in their embrace for what seemed like an eternity
