Emma woke to the familiar brick walls of Ethan's reality, the faint scent of coffee and motor oil grounding her in the house that felt most like home. Noah's fierce conviction—"They're waiting. In Paris."—and his sketch of the hospital ward with the looping symbol echoed in her mind, intertwining with Lily's confession that Emma was their doctor, Sophie's fragile fight, and Ethan's vision of Lily and Noah. The keychain in her pocket, its looping symbol matching Sophie's bracelet, Lily's, and Noah's drawings, pulsed like a heartbeat, tying her children to a past she was beginning to reclaim. Ethan's court date was tomorrow, Sophie's trial had begun, and Paris—where Noah said they'd all meet—loomed as a destination she could no longer avoid. She slipped out of bed, the hardwood floor cool under her feet, David's steady breathing beside her a constant in her fractured world. She needed to reach Ethan, to prepare him for court and confirm his connection to Lily and Noah.
The kitchen was quiet, the morning light slanting through the windows, catching the dust motes in the air. Ethan was at the table, his sketchbook open, his pencil scratching over a drawing of a Paris skyline—the Eiffel Tower glowing, the looping symbol in the sky, three figures labeled Ethan, Lily, Noah. His face was pale, his jaw tight, the weight of the court date and Sophie's trial etched into his features. The keychain lay beside him, its symbol glinting.
"Ethan," Emma said, sitting across from him, her voice soft but urgent, "we need to talk. About court, about Sophie, and… about this." She pointed to the sketch, her heart racing. "You drew Lily and Noah. You said you saw them in a dream. Do you remember anything else?"
Ethan's pencil paused, his eyes flicking to her, raw and uncertain. "I don't know," he said, his voice low. "It's like… a memory, but not mine. I saw them—Lily, Noah—in a hospital, with you. You were… helping us." He swallowed, his hands trembling. "But I don't remember it, not really. And court's tomorrow, Mom. What if I can't help Sophie?"
Emma's chest tightened, his fear mirroring Lily's vulnerability, Noah's trust. She reached for his hand, her fingers brushing the keychain. "You're helping her by being there," she said, her voice fierce. "Dr. Larson said the trial's off to a good start. And court—we'll get through it. The lawyer's optimistic. But this—" She tapped the sketch. "Lily told me you were in a hospital with her, gave her a bracelet with this symbol. Noah said I was your doctor. You're all connected, Ethan."
Ethan's eyes widened, his breath shallow. "A hospital?" he said, his voice shaking. "I… I don't remember that. But Sophie's bracelet—she said it was from a doctor who saved her, years ago. You think that was you?"
Emma nodded, pulling the bracelet from her pocket, its looping symbol glinting. "I do," she said. "Lily had one, too. Noah draws it. I think I gave these to you, to keep you strong. And now you're drawing Paris, like Noah. Like Lily. They said we'd meet there."
Ethan stared at the bracelet, his hands clenching. "Paris?" he said, his voice barely audible. "You're really going? For them?"
"For all of you," Emma said, her voice steady. "After court, after Sophie's stable. You, me, your dad—we're going to Paris to find Lily and Noah. To understand this." She touched the keychain, her heart pounding.
The front door opened, and David entered, his face weary, legal papers in hand. "The lawyer's ready," he said, setting the papers down. "Ethan, just be honest tomorrow, and we'll get through this." His eyes fell on the sketchbook, narrowing. "What's this?"
Emma stood, her frustration flaring. "It's Ethan's drawing," she said, her voice sharp. "Paris, with Lily and Noah. The same symbol's on Sophie's bracelet, Lily's things, Noah's sketches. Ethan saw them in a dream, David. Lily and Noah remember a hospital where I was their doctor. We're going to Paris to find them."
David's jaw dropped, his eyes flicking to Ethan, who nodded, his face pale. "I saw them, Dad," Ethan said, his voice low but firm. "I don't know how, but it's real. Mom's right."
David sank into a chair, his hands trembling. "This… this isn't possible," he said, his voice hollow. "Emma, you're pulling him into this. You need help."
Emma's anger surged, but Ethan's voice cut through, steady and fierce. "She's not pulling me into anything," he said, standing, his sketchbook clutched to his chest. "I felt them—Lily, Noah. They're real. And if Mom says Paris is where we'll find them, I'm going."
Emma's heart swelled, Ethan's trust a lifeline. She turned to David, her voice steady. "We're going," she said. "For Ethan, for Sophie, for Lily and Noah. You can come or not, but I'm keeping my promise to them."
David stared at the sketch, the bracelet, then at Ethan, his resolve wavering. "I… I don't understand," he said, his voice breaking, "but I don't want to lose you. Either of you."
Emma's gaze fell to Ethan's sketchbook, the Paris skyline glowing, the looping symbol a beacon. Paris was no longer a hope—it was a collision point, where her past as their doctor, their mother, would converge with their present. She had to go, to keep her promise to Ethan, to save Sophie, to find Lily and Noah, no matter how much David feared, no matter how close her reality came to breaking.