The hospital called and said a little boy had listed me as his emergency contact. I laughed nervously and said, “That’s impossible. I’m 32, single, and I don’t have a son.”

The hospital phoned to say a young boy had named me as his emergency contact. I gave a nervous laugh and replied, “That’s impossible. I’m 32, single, and I don’t have a son.” But when they said he wouldn’t stop asking for me, I got in my car… and the second I stepped into his room, everything in my world came to a halt…

The call came at 11:38 on a Tuesday night. I nearly ignored it—I was in my kitchen in Portland, Oregon, barefoot, worn out, trying to convince myself cereal qualified as dinner. Unknown numbers after ten usually meant spam or a coworker forgetting boundaries. Still, something made me pick up.

“Is this Ms. Nora Ellison?” a woman asked.

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