Chapter 2 - The Shadow Inside His Mouth
Emma carried Noah into the bathroom where the lighting was brighter.
She switched on every light.
Holding a flashlight in one hand and trying to comfort a screaming toddler with the other proved nearly impossible.
"Please... sweetheart... just one second."
Noah cried harder.
Every attempt to look inside his mouth ended with him turning away, coughing, or clenching his jaw.
Emma searched online.
"Dark spot on roof of toddler's mouth."
Thousands of terrifying results appeared.
Tumors.
Blood disorders.
Rare infections.
Birth defects.
Every article seemed worse than the last.
She slammed the phone onto the counter.
"This isn't helping."
Her breathing became uneven.
Parents always imagined worst-case scenarios.
She knew that.
But once those possibilities entered her mind, they refused to leave.
Finally, Noah let out another piercing scream.
His mouth opened fully.
This time Emma saw it clearly.
A black circle.
Small.
Round.
Attached to the roof of his mouth.
It looked unnatural.
Almost like a hole.
Her knees nearly gave out.
She had never seen anything like it before.
Her fingers trembled so violently she almost dropped the flashlight.
"No..."
She whispered it to herself.
Maybe she was mistaken.
Maybe it was only food.
She carefully dipped a cotton swab in warm water.
Noah refused to let her anywhere near his mouth.
The moment she approached, he cried with renewed panic.
His reaction convinced her of one thing.
Whatever was there...
It hurt.
Emma quickly packed a diaper bag.
Extra clothes.
Water bottle.
Medical insurance card.
Favorite blanket.
She barely remembered grabbing her car keys.
Outside, rain had started falling.
Traffic crawled through the city.
Every red light felt unbearable.
Emma glanced repeatedly into the rearview mirror.
Noah no longer screamed continuously.
Instead, weak cries escaped between exhausted breaths.
That frightened her even more.
He was running out of energy.
She reached the emergency department twenty-three minutes later.
Parking illegally near the entrance, she rushed inside carrying Noah against her chest.
People turned to look.
His hoarse cries echoed through the waiting room.
The receptionist immediately noticed Emma's pale face.
"My son... something's inside his mouth..."
Her words came out broken.
"I think something is seriously wrong."
Within moments a nurse appeared.
She gently led Emma through double doors into an examination room.
For the first time all afternoon, Emma allowed herself to believe help had finally arrived.
But as she sat beneath the bright hospital lights...
She couldn't stop staring at the dark shape hidden inside Noah's mouth.
May you like
Whatever it was...
The doctor was about to see it too.
