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I wince as they almost bump into a deliveryman pushing a big cart on the sidewalk. The kids run back to their mom and dad.

The dad ruffles the boy’s head. “Be careful. There’s a lot of people around. Don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Okay.” The boy pokes at his sister, and she pokes him back. They giggle loudly.

My chest hurts.Would my dad love me the way this dad loves his kids? I don’t know what it feels like. What does my dad look like? Why doesn’t he want me and Mom?

Mom says she and Dad broke up before I was born. It makes me sad sometimes, butI have the best mom in the world.

We walk up to the crosswalk, and I press the button, waiting for the walk signal to appear. It’s a bright and sunny day, and I can’t wait to stop by more stores after lunch. Mom says she’s going to buy me dresses, a new backpack, and a pair of sneakers that light up when I step. Some kids at my school have them. They’re so cool.

The walk sign appears with the countdown. “Mommy. Let’s go!”

A big truck flies past us and whams into a car. Boom! The loud noise makes me jump. The car flips a few times, and my heart pounds as two bodies are tossed out of the car.

I freeze from the scary accident.

Mom takes me to a nearby bench. “Stay here so I can see you. Don’tgo anywhere. I need to help them.” She gives me the shopping bag to hold.

I nod and sit while Mom speaks into her phone and rushes to help the two people on the ground. There were two other people in the car, but they look asleep. The man from the truck is on the phone, looking stressed as people crowd around him.

So much stuff is happening. Noises from people crying and cars honking echo around me.But then the ruckus stops when I see the blood pooling from the boy and the woman. My body shakes as the pools of blood grow. The red is so bright in the sun. I try to look away, but I can’t.

There’s so much blood. It’s so red. Are they okay? Tears fall down my cheeks. I don’t know why I’m crying. I can’t move my hands to wipe my tears. I’m scared for them.

Mommy can help them. She’s a great nurse. She always makes me feel better when I’m sick. The boy and the woman will be all right.

I should close my eyes, but they won’t listen to me. My eyes stay on the boy with blood surrounding him. Mom checks the woman, and she looks sad as she turns her attention to the boy. There’s blood all over my mom too. She’s wiping the boy’s face with her hand.

I don’t know why, but I walk over and give my mom the bag of clothes. “Use this, Mommy.”

Mom looks up at me with tears in her eyes and nods. She uses my Chococat shirt and presses it into a cut on the side of his head.

I stare at the injured boy and thewoman. She has scratches on her face and arm.

Blood is everywhere. My shoes haveblood on them. I shiver as the blood darkens like it wants to crawl up my legs. Something’s wrong with my body. I don’t know why my legs are wobbling. I try to call formy mom, but no words come out. She looks blurry. Everything looks blurry. I can’t hear any sounds. Everything spins, making me nauseous.

The pool of blood looks like a giant monster that gets bigger and bigger. I’m so scared. Then everything spins and turns sideways. I can feel the monster pulling me toward it.

I hear my mom calling my name as the blood monster pulls me into its bloody blackness.

I didn’t know I was crying until Forrest dabs my eyes with a tissue.

“Thank you.” I took the tissue from his hand and finished the job.

A relief settled in me, allowing me to breathe easier as though sharing this traumatic experience opened up space inside me.

My mom knew I’d developed an aversion to blood, but she didn’t know the extent of my fear. Not wanting her to worry, I’d kept it from her.

“So now you know.” I felt embarrassed. “This fear has kept me from going to the doctor’s office. I hate getting my blood drawn. Closing my eyes never helps.”

“How do you react to seeing a drop of blood? What are your symptoms?” There was so much understanding on his face that my embarrassment faded.

“Usually a slight chill runs through me, but that’s it. The big trigger is seeing a lot of blood. I think my body remembers that event. I can’t seem to remove it from my head.”

“Maybe you were meant to remember it,” he said in a low voice as his finger caressed my cheek, making me shiver.

It baffled me how he could shift my body’s mood so easily.