Emma woke to the cedar-scented air of Noah's reality, the green walls and botanical prints grounding her in their familiar strangeness. Lily's fierce resolve—"It's true, Dad. Mom's right."—and her sketch of the Paris skyline with the looping symbol echoed in her mind, intertwining with Ethan's trust, Sophie's fragile fight, and Noah's confession that Emma was their doctor. The bracelet in her pocket, its looping symbol matching Sophie's, Lily's, and Noah's drawings, pulsed like a heartbeat, tying her children to a past she was beginning to reclaim. Noah's words—"You said we'd always find each other."—and his sketch of the hospital ward with Ethan, Lily, and himself burned in her heart, pulling her toward Paris, where their shared truth awaited. She slipped out of bed, the plush carpet soft under her feet, David's steady breathing beside her a constant in her fractured world. She needed to reach Noah, to prepare him for Paris and solidify his belief in their reunion.
Noah's room was lit by the soft glow of his telescope, the dawn sky a fading canvas of stars. He sat at his desk, his notebook open, sketching the looping symbol with a quiet intensity, surrounded by constellations and the names Ethan, Lily, Noah. His glasses slipped down his nose, his small frame tense, but his eyes held a flicker of hope, as if he sensed the journey ahead. Emma knelt beside him, her heart aching at his quiet strength, so like Lily's resolve, Ethan's desperation.
"Noah," she said, her voice soft but urgent, "we're going to Paris. To find Ethan and Lily. Are you ready?"
He paused, his pencil hovering, his gray eyes meeting hers, cautious but brightening. "You mean it?" he asked, his voice quiet but steady. "We're really going to find them?"
Emma nodded, pulling the bracelet from her pocket, its looping symbol glinting in the lamplight. "Yes," she said, her voice fierce. "Lily remembers you, in the hospital with Ethan. She said I was your doctor, gave you these bracelets. You said the same. We were all together, Noah, and I promised we'd meet again. Paris is where we'll keep that promise."
Noah's breath caught, his eyes locking on the bracelet, a mix of fear and wonder crossing his face. "I knew you'd remember," he whispered, his voice trembling. "You were… everything to us. You made us feel like we could fight. Ethan was so strong, Lily was so brave, and I… I just wanted to see the stars." He touched the sketch of the looping symbol, his fingers steady now. "You said this would bring us back together."
Emma's throat tightened, a flood of images—hospital beds, three small faces, her own hands slipping bracelets onto their wrists—surging through her. "I'm starting to remember," she said, her voice breaking. "But I need you, Noah. Tell me more about Ethan and Lily, about that time."
Noah hesitated, then opened his notebook, revealing a new sketch—a hospital ward, three children in beds, each with a bracelet, and Emma standing beside them, her face kind but tired. "Ethan was always talking about getting out, seeing the world," he said, his voice soft. "Lily drew pictures to keep us happy. I… I told them about the stars, how they're always there, even when you can't see them. You listened to us, made us believe we'd be okay."
Emma's heart pounded, Lily's words—"You made us feel safe."—echoing. She reached for Noah's hand, and he let her take it, his fingers small but firm. "You were all so strong," she said, her voice fierce. "And we're going to be together again. In Paris."
David's voice interrupted, calling from the kitchen. "Emma, Noah, breakfast!" His tone was warm but strained, a familiar edge of worry.
Emma helped Noah to his feet, her resolve unwavering. "We're telling your dad," she said. "He needs to come with us." In the kitchen, David was setting out plates, his face bright but weary, the coffee pot steaming.
"You two look serious," David said, glancing at them. "What's going on?"
Emma sat, setting the bracelet on the table, her hands trembling. "Noah remembers," she said, her voice low, urgent. "He was in a hospital with Ethan and Lily, and I was their doctor. This bracelet—I gave it to them. We're going to Paris, David, to find them."
David's face fell, his hands pausing on the counter. "Emma, please," he said, his voice breaking. "Noah, you don't believe this, do you? It's just… imagination."
Noah's voice, small but resolute, cut through. "It's real, Dad," he said, his eyes fixed on David. "I remember Ethan, Lily, the hospital. Mom was there. She saved us." He pushed his notebook toward David, the hospital sketch stark, the looping symbol glowing.
David stared at the sketch, his jaw dropping, his hands trembling. "Noah, you're… you're just a kid," he said, his voice hollow, but his gaze lingered on the bracelet, doubt creeping into his expression.
Emma stood, her frustration boiling over. "He's not just a kid," she said, her voice fierce. "He remembers, David. Lily remembers. Ethan saw them in a dream. They're real, and Paris is where I'll find them. We're going—all of us."
David's eyes glistened, his voice shaking. "I don't understand," he said, but he looked at Noah, whose steady gaze held no doubt. "But… I don't want to lose you. Either of you."
Noah stepped closer, his voice steady. "We won't lose each other, Dad," he said. "Mom's keeping her promise."
Emma's heart swelled, Noah's trust a lifeline. She turned to David, her voice steady. "We leave after Ethan's court date, after Sophie's trial stabilizes," she said. "For Noah, for Lily, for Ethan. For Sophie. We're going to Paris."
David stared at the bracelet, the sketch, then at Noah, his resolve wavering. Emma's gaze fell to the notebook, the looping symbol a beacon. Paris was no longer a dream—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 Noah, to find Ethan and Lily, to save Sophie, no matter how much David feared, no matter how close her reality came to breaking.