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 unwavering certainty—"You said we'd be a family under the stars."—and his sketch of the Paris skyline with the looping symbol echoed in her mind, intertwining with Lily's hope to be a family again, Sophie's fragile fight, and Ethan's resolve to join her in Paris. 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. With Ethan's court date behind them—charges reduced to community service—Sophie's trial showing early promise, and David's commitment to Paris, their flight was set for today. 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 the journey and solidify their bond before they boarded the plane.
The kitchen was quiet, the morning light slanting through the windows, casting soft shadows across the table. Ethan was already up, his backpack packed, his sketchbook open to a drawing of a Paris skyline—the Eiffel Tower glowing, three figures with bracelets bearing the looping symbol, labeled Ethan, Lily, Noah. The keychain lay beside him, its symbol glinting, his face calm but resolute, the weight of Sophie's fight and the journey ahead etched into his features. Emma sat across from him, her heart swelling at his quiet strength, so like Noah's trust, Lily's hope.
"Ethan," she said, her voice soft but urgent, "our flight's today. We're going to Paris to find Lily and Noah. Are you ready?"
Ethan's eyes flicked to her, steady and determined. "Yeah," he said, his voice low but firm, adjusting his backpack. "I checked on Sophie last night—Dr. Larson says she's stable, fighting hard. I told her I'd be back soon, with answers." He touched the keychain, his fingers steady. "I keep feeling them—Lily, Noah. Like they're waiting for us."
Emma reached for his hand, her fingers brushing the keychain. "They are," she said, her voice fierce, pulling the bracelet from her pocket, its looping symbol glinting. "Lily said you gave her one like this in the hospital, where I was your doctor. Noah said the same. You're all drawing Paris now, Ethan. We're going to find them."
Ethan's breath caught, his eyes locking on the bracelet. "I still don't remember a hospital," he said, his voice soft, "but it's like… they're in me. I drew this last night." He opened his sketchbook, revealing a new detail—a hospital ward, three beds, three children with bracelets, and Emma standing beside them, her face kind. "Was this us?"
Emma's throat tightened, a flood of images—hospital beds, three small faces, her own hands slipping bracelets onto their wrists—surging through her. "It was," she said, her voice breaking. "You were so strong, Ethan. Lily was brave, Noah dreamed of stars. I promised you'd find each other again."
Ethan nodded, his jaw set, his eyes glistening. "Then let's do this," he said, his voice steady. "For Sophie, for them. For us."
The front door opened, and David entered, his face weary but determined, two suitcases in hand. "Flights are confirmed," he said, setting the suitcases down. "We leave in a few hours. Ethan, you good?" His eyes fell on the sketchbook, softening. "That's… Paris, isn't it?"
Emma stood, her resolve unwavering. "It is," she said, her voice steady. "Ethan remembers them, David—Lily, Noah, from the hospital where I was their doctor. This bracelet—" She held it up, the looping symbol glinting. "I gave it to them. They're waiting for us in Paris."
David's eyes flicked to Ethan, who nodded, his face resolute. "I felt them, Dad," Ethan said, his voice firm. "They're real. We're going to find them."
David exhaled, his hands steadying on the table. "I don't fully get it," he said, his voice low, "but I trust you. Both of you. We're doing this together."
Emma's heart pounded, Ethan's trust and David's faith a lifeline. She looked at Ethan, his eyes steady, his sketchbook a map to their future. "We'll check on Sophie one more time before we go," she said, her voice fierce. "Then we board that plane—for Lily, for Noah, for her."
Ethan nodded, standing, his backpack slung over his shoulder. He pushed the sketchbook toward her, revealing a final detail—a hospital bracelet with the looping symbol, and beside it, in his jagged script: "You said we'd be whole again." Emma's breath caught, Noah's words—"You said we'd be a family under the stars."—echoing. 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 Ethan, to find Lily and Noah, to ensure Sophie's fight wasn't in vain, no matter how close her reality came to breaking.