The DNA Test
I requested a DNA test. Two long, silent weeks later, I got the answer.
Yes.
Ava was mine.
I sat in my truck for an hour just trying to breathe. Why didn’t Natalie tell me? Did she try and I missed it? Was she protecting Ava… or me?
Back at the hospital, I brought Ava a teddy bear and crayons. Her smile broke me.
I asked gently, “Do you know where your mom is?”
“She was home,” Ava said quietly. “I tried to wake her up. She didn’t come out.”
The fire team had recovered one adult. A woman. The match was obvious now.
I wanted to scream. But all I could do was hold Ava’s hand.
She looked up and said, “It’s okay. Mommy told me not to be scared. She said you’d come.”
