I didn't expect to spend my entire day in the hospital, yet here I was.

It had been five hours since I arrived as I waited to hear back from a worker. The ghastly white light shone over the faces of waiting people, which only fed my increasing anxiety. I could see the dark bags under the eyes of the people around me. There was no doubt they might have been waiting longer than I had, yet I wanted to see Caleb as soon as possible. My heel bounced against the floor and my mind was fixated on the worries and possibilities surrounding him.

"Mr. Alves?"

My eyes slowly focused onto the nurse in front of me. I didn't realize that the room was now nearly empty. The nurse looked me in the eyes with mild concern, as if she was wondering if I should be medically treated too.

"Yes, that's me." My voice cracked. My mouth was dry, and I was in desperate need of a drink.

"I'm sorry to tell you but your partner... Caleb didn't make it."

The hours of anxiousness and worried thoughts came to a sudden drop and my body tensed. My eyes stung and I shut them tight. Nothing felt real in that moment. Caleb was like a part of me that held everything together. Without him, everything felt lost. I didn't want to lose him. I couldn't possibly lose him.

"What?" That was all I could manage to say.

"On the bright side, your son will make it." The nurse put a gentle hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish for all the love and support to come to you and your son."

Instead of the sadness that should have come over me with the news, a wave of confusion clouded my mind.

I didn't have a son.

"Would you like to see him?"

I must've nodded yes because she led me through the winding corridors of the hospital before we stopped in front of a room. The nurse made sure to give me a hug and parted with more condolences before leaving me alone with the situation at hand.

The hospital bed was propped up slightly and there laid a sleeping kid on the bed. He looked to be around the age of five and my confusion intensified. There was a chair next to the boy and I debated to sit there for a few seconds. I eventually decided it was better to sit there instead of standing awkwardly by the door.

I looked at the kid and I pressed my lips together in thought. He looked familiar. His coiled hair was closely shaven, and his hands were clenched as if he was desperately holding onto something important. It took me a moment, but I realized he looked so much like Caleb.

Maybe... it was Caleb.

My eyes became fixated on trying to find any feature to tell me that I was wrong in thinking that the kid was Caleb. My mind might have been deluding me from the hours of waiting. I probably just really needed a drink and a meal. I kept thinking of other possibilities and explanations until I saw the small scar on his jaw. Caleb had the same scar.