Leo brought the boy into the kitchen and wrapped him in a dry blanket. Maya, one of the firefighters on duty, set warm chocolate in front of him, but he did not touch it. He only watched Leo’s face, then Leo’s wrist, where an old burn scar showed beneath his sleeve.
The boy tapped the scar, then tapped the same scar visible in the newspaper photo. Leo understood that much. The child had come looking for the man in the clipping.
Maya noticed a smudged hospital visitor sticker stuck to the boy’s sleeve. Leo gently asked, “Did you come from St. Anne’s?” The boy nodded quickly. “Is the woman in this photo there?” Another nod. Leo’s stomach tightened. He remembered her name then: Soline. He had pulled her from the Harren fire and never known what happened after the ambulance doors closed.