Quickly I took out my phone and went to Caleb's Facebook page. I took a shaky breath before rapidly scrolling through the feed. When I found the picture, my heart sped up and I could feel my throat tightened.
There Caleb was in a life jacket holding a fishing pole as he sat beside his grandfather. His bright blackish brown eyes stared at the camera in joy while I looked back with disbelief. It was barely visible, but the scar was there. Same size, same shape, and exact same face.
It wasn't a coincidence. The boy on that bed was Caleb.
The kid turned in his sleep and his fists uncurled to reveal something in his palms. The puzzle piece tumbled onto the ground and my eyes followed it. Hesitantly, I picked it up and turned it over with my fingers a few times, analyzing it for any clue. "C. M." was written on the back in a messy curl that Caleb was known to have.
I knew where this was from.
A yawn caught my attention and I quickly pocketed the item. The kid rubbed his eyes sleepily and his eyes soon focused on me. He slowly sat up on the bed and gripped the covers tightly as he looked at me with fear.
"Hey, there." A small cough escaped my mouth and I raise the back of my hand to it. "What's your name?"
"C... K?" He seemed uncertain. "It started with a K sound."
My heart sank. It was Caleb. His name was Caleb.
He twirled his fingers on the sheet, trying to distract himself. His mouth formed a grumpy pout and I gently placed my hand on his back, giving him a small pat.
"I'll just call you Kyle." The words left my mouth unexpectedly and he nodded his head. "Do you know where your parents are?"
He tilted his head and gave me a confused look. "Aren't you my dad?"
It was official. I was a father. I never thought I would have a child produced from unprotected sex, especially since I never had been with a woman before. On the other hand, nobody told me adults could turn into children.
"Yes, I am." The words were stretched out and slow but that didn't seem to faze him. "Do you... remember anything? Any other adults you know?
He looked at me blankly before shaking his head.
At this point, it was no longer the Caleb I knew. Caleb had a rough childhood. He struggled so much to try and achieve his goals, only to fail and I could see that sadness whenever I talked to him before. C... Kyle was someone else. He didn't have the same sadness but was blissfully ignorant like any other child.
He glanced over to the television across the room and pointed at it. "Can I watch it?"
"Uh, sure." I grabbed the remote before fumbling with it to get it to a kid's appropriate channel. The screen lit with brightly coloured characters and Kyle watched the television with glee.
I leaned back in the chair, feeling the weight of the situation on my shoulders. Caleb was gone. His experiences made him who he was and that was taken away. Kyle was someone completely different or he will be.
At least I'll get the chance to make things right and give Caleb the childhood he deserved.
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