Page 133 of Sparking Sara

While Denver and Joey play with the truck, I pull the social worker aside. “What will happen to him?”

“As it turns out, there is a friend of the family who takes in foster kids. We’re putting through the paperwork now. It will be nice to place him somewhere with people who know him.”

“You haven’t found any family yet?”

She shakes her head. “Not yet. We’ll keep trying.”

“What happens if you can’t find anyone?”

“He’ll be placed in a long-term foster home.”

“The friend of the family isn’t that?”

“No. They take emergency cases like Joey until we can find a more permanent placement.”

“I feel so bad for him.” I look over at the sad little boy and see myself, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind. I pray that he’s still young enough that he won’t remember anything. “Please let us know if there is anything we can do. I’m happy to contribute monetarily for his needs.”

The social worker puts a kind hand on my arm. “You are a dear.” She glances over at Joey. “Oh, wow, would you look at that.”

My jaw drops in surprise when I see Joey holding up his arms to Denver. Denver looks at the social worker, who nods her head encouragingly. Then Denver picks up the boy.

Once Joey is in Denver’s arms, he points to his new toy. “Tuck,” he says.

“That’s right,” Denver tells him. “You’re a smart little guy, aren’t you?”

A half-hour later, Denver and I walk out of the hospital with the social worker’s business card. She told us she would be happy to keep us updated on the case.

“That was incredible,” Denver says. “It was almost like … You don’t think he remembers me from the fire, do you? That’s not possible, right?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I didn’t remember you from my accident, yet I felt an instant connection with you. And I painted the eyes. Obviously, my sub-conscious remembered you. Maybe his does, too.”

“Poor kid,” he says, looking back at the hospital when we reach the street corner.

I grab his hand. “You and I turned out okay. Joey will, too.”

He nods. “I really hope so.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

I put down my phone, having recorded a bit of Aspen as she played the piano. She’s very good.

She sits down next to me, nodding to my phone. “You take a lot of videos. I saw you recording earlier today when I first got here.”

When Aspen arrived home this afternoon, I finally understood what it truly means to have a sibling. The look on her face when she walked through the door and saw her brother, alive and well, is something I always want to remember. I think I might even want to paint it someday. After she wrapped him in her arms, I didn’t think she was ever going to let him go.

“People think I’m strange,” I tell her, fiddling with my phone. “But I just want to remember everything.”

She smiles in understanding. “Of course you do. After what you went through, it’s perfectly understandable.”

I look over at Denver and Sawyer as they’re discussing tonight’s baseball game. Denver couldn’t go, but we did watch it on TV after he napped all afternoon.

“I never want to forget him,” I say. “I know it’s silly and maybe even a little paranoid of me to want to record so many things, but the doctors really scared me when they told me how careful I needed to be, especially the first year after my accident. They said if I got another head injury, even a small one, it could be catastrophic. And then after what happened to him yesterday.” Denver catches me watching him and gives me a wink. “I just … I just love him so much.”

Aspen wraps an arm around me. “We’re going to be sisters one day.”

I’m surprised by her presumption.

“Oh, please,” she says, laughing at my expression. “Everyone can see my brother is head-over-heels for you. The two of you are perfect for each other.”

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