Chapter 11 - Luca Asked Me the Question That Broke My Heart: “Was My Mother Scared When They Took Me?”Luca was eight.
He had been through more than many adults.
He knew about his cast.
The infection.
The device.
The laboratory.
But he didn't know everything.
One afternoon, he asked me:
“Was my mother scared?”
I knew he meant Elena.
“Yes.”
“Did she cry?”
“Yes.”
“Did she love me?”
“More than anything.”
He looked down.
“Then why wasn't she there?”
I sat beside him.
“Because bad people took her away.”
He nodded.
Then he looked toward Vincent.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Did she die because of me?”
Vincent's eyes filled with tears.
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because she protected you.”
Luca hugged him.
“I wish she was here.”
Vincent cried.
So did I.
Later, we placed Elena's photograph in Luca's room.
The other children received similar memorials.
We wanted them to know where they came from.
Not to burden them.
To honor the people who protected them.
The foundation was created in Elena's name.
Then another in my mother's.
Together, they funded ethical pediatric research.
No hidden experiments.
No secret records.
No stolen blood.
No children without consent.
May you like
Just medicine.
The way medicine was supposed to be.
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