Leo stood outside Soline’s room with Toby beside him. Through the glass, he saw a thin woman lying under white blankets, an oxygen tube resting beneath her nose. She looked older and weaker than the woman in the clipping, but Leo recognized her eyes.
Toby took Leo’s hand and pulled him inside. Soline turned her head, expecting only her son. When she saw Leo, her breath caught. “Leo Dunne,” she whispered. Leo stepped closer. “Toby found me.”
Soline looked at Toby, stunned. Her eyes filled with tears. She had never sent him. She had never imagined he would take the clipping, leave the hospital, follow the route, and bring back the man from her story. Toby climbed carefully onto the bed, and Soline held him tightly while reaching for Leo with her other hand.