The rest of her shift passed in a blur of sutures and triage forms, and when dawn arrived she drove through empty streets with the heater humming and a quiet determination forming with every mile, because she understood that comforting Jacob would not be enough and that something deeper needed to change.
When she opened the apartment door, Jacob was sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket with a mug of tea he had prepared himself, and the sight of him waiting without complaint made her chest ache more than any argument could have.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered as she sat beside him and pulled him close, though she quickly realized that apologies were hollow without action.
Jacob rested his head against her shoulder and said, “I thought I did something wrong, Grandma kept saying there was not enough space and Aunt Brenda said it would be easier if I stayed upstairs, so I figured I should leave before dinner started.”
Felicity swallowed hard and answered, “You did nothing wrong, and no one has the right to make you feel like you do not belong.”
He nodded but his eyes carried doubt, and that doubt became the spark that pushed Felicity toward a plan.