When I placed my hand against Noahâs forehead, intense heat struck my palm.
He barely responded when I picked him up.
Emily was burning with fever as well, but she wouldnât wake regardless of how firmly I shook her shoulder.
I screamed for my mother.
Both she and Ashley hurried toward the doorway, but their reaction horrified me most.
Neither one rushed toward Emily or attempted to take Noah.
They simply stood frozen like people suddenly facing evidence they never imagined another person would discover.
My mother insisted Emily had appeared fine the night before, while Ashley nervously suggested that Emily might be exaggerating everything for attention.
Hearing those words while my wife and newborn son burned with fever nearly broke something inside me forever.
I wrapped Noah inside my hoodie, lifted Emily into my arms, and rushed barefoot outside while yelling for help.