The brick walls of Ethan's reality surrounded Emma, the faint scent of coffee and motor oil grounding her in the house that felt most like home as the clock ticked toward their afternoon flight to Paris. Noah's unwavering certainty—"You said we'd find the stars together."—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 the journey. 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, the plane was set to leave in hours. She stood in the kitchen, the morning light slanting through the windows, her heart racing with anticipation. She needed to reach Ethan, to finalize their preparations and solidify their bond before boarding.
Ethan was at the table, 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 focused, 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 to Paris is today. We're going 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 called Sophie this morning—Dr. Larson says she's stable, still fighting. I told her we're going to Paris, that I'll be back with answers." He touched the keychain, his fingers steady. "I keep feeling them—Lily, Noah. Like they're calling me."
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 don't remember a hospital," he said, his voice soft, "but I feel it—like they're part of me." 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. "I drew this last night. It's us, isn't it?"
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 is," 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 eyes glistening, his jaw set. "Then let's go," he said, his voice steady. "For Sophie, for them. For us."
The front door opened, and David entered, his face weary but resolute, two suitcases in hand. "Everything's ready," he said, setting the suitcases down. "Flight's in a few hours. Ethan, you set?" 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 trust you," he said, his voice low. "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 last time before we go," she said, her voice fierce. "Then we board that plane—for Lily, for Noah, for her."
Ethan stood, his backpack slung over his shoulder, and 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 a family again." Emma's breath caught, Noah's words—"You said we'd find the stars together."—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.