Page 6 of Revived

“Rachel! I’m back!” Grayson shouts, halfway scaring her as her hand finds her chest and her eyes widen in surprise.

“You are! I’m so excited! Are you ready to have fun?” She asks as she stands and then her line of sight focuses on me. That green—it’s like freshly cut grass on a warm, spring day—vibrant and stark and completely mesmerizing.

“Yes! And we brought hotdog buns so we can feed the ducks some more!”

She eyes me curiously as I shrug. “The gas station was out of bread. This is for you too,” I add, handing her the hot chocolate as she accepts it.

“Got it and thank you,” she flashes me an easy smile and then crouches down to Grayson. “Let’s get to it then, Grayson!”

“Are you sure about this? You really don’t have to…”

“Nonsense.” She stands up again. “I had nothing else to do today, so this is perfect. I’m glad I made a new friend.” She reaches for Grayson’s mitten-covered hand as he finds hers.

“Go teach, Daddy. I’ll be fine,” my son declares confidently, not bothering to turn around to say goodbye to me as they begin to walk off.

“You know where I’ll be!” I shout as Rachel turns to look at me.

“We know. Now go,” she demands with a flick of her head, and then turns back to Grayson, the sight of the two of them walking together bringing up all sorts of feelings in my chest.

I make my way to the classroom and settle back in, rearranging papers and writing a few notes on the board, turning to look out the window over my shoulder every few minutes. But all I see is my son with the biggest smile on his face as he chases Rachel around, his arms spread wide as he pretends to be a bird while he chases the birds, laughing and completely immersed in being a kid. It’s a beautiful sight, and yet another reminder of how much Hannah is missing of his life. So I commit the moment to memory, for the both of us.

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