“Mrs. Thompson, could you please read me the batch number on the label?”
Rachel read the numbers. A long silence followed on the other end of the line.
“Mrs. Thompson,” Janet’s voice was now tense. “Could you come back here? Right now?”
Rachel’s stomach dropped. “Why? What happened?”
“Just please come, and bring the bottle.”
At the pharmacy counter fifteen minutes later, the manager was waiting. Her name was Patricia, and Rachel had never seen her so pale.
“Mrs. Thompson,” Patricia began, her voice cautious. “There’s been a very serious error. It’s the wrong medication.”
Rachel felt the world tilt. “What do you mean?”
“There was a mix-up in the system. It’s rare, but it happens. The problem is that the medication in your bottle conflicts with your blood pressure and medical history.” Patricia hesitated. “If you had taken your regular dose, you would have had a very severe reaction, possibly requiring hospitalization.”
Rachel could barely breathe. “I almost took it this morning. The only reason I didn’t is because my son…” She stopped. How could she explain?
Patricia quickly prepared a new, correct prescription, checking it three times before handing it over. In the car, Rachel sat for ten minutes before she could drive. Her hands trembled on the steering wheel. When she got home, Ethan was playing with his toy cars in the living room. He looked up as she walked in. Rachel knelt down and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you, my love. Thank you.”
That night, the conversation with Michael was different.
“Twice, Michael. Two situations where he knew impossible things.”
Michael ran a hand over his face, clearly disturbed. “What are you suggesting here? That our three-year-old son is… what? Having visions? Actually talking to the Virgin Mary? When said out loud, it sounded absurd, completely impossible. But they couldn’t deny the facts.”
“I don’t know what to believe,” Rachel admitted. “But I can’t ignore it either.”
Weeks passed. May turned into June. The weather grew warmer. The rose bushes in the garden bloomed in explosions of color. Ethan continued his daily conversations with the image. Rachel and Michael watched, now with a mix of reverence and fear of what might come next.
It was on a Friday morning that the third situation happened. Michael was in his home office preparing presentations for an important meeting in Chicago the following Monday. He planned to leave Sunday afternoon, drive more than ten hours to Chicago, and have time to prepare before the meeting. Ethan walked into the office that morning. Michael was so focused on his computer screen that he barely noticed.
“Dad Michael?”
Michael looked up. “Hey, champ, everything okay?”
Ethan hesitated. “The Lady in Blue said something important.”
Michael felt something tighten in his chest. After the gas leak and the switched medication, he had developed a cautious respect for Ethan’s messages. “What did she say?”
“She said you can’t go on the road you always take. There’s danger. A lot of danger.”
Michael frowned. “Danger? What kind of danger?”
“She said it’s very bad and that you need to take another way.”
Michael looked at the three-year-old standing in the doorway. Part of him wanted to laugh. Part of him felt genuine fear. “Ethan, that’s the most direct route I always take.”
“But you can’t this time.” Tears began to form in Ethan’s eyes. “Please, Dad Michael, please. She said it’s very important.”
Rachel appeared behind Ethan. She had heard everything. She and Michael exchanged a long look, one of those looks couples share that carry entire conversations without words.
“Michael,” she said softly. “After everything…”
On Sunday afternoon, Michael left. He kissed Rachel and Ethan at the door. The trip was uneventful. Michael arrived in Chicago at 4 AM, exhausted but safe. On Monday morning, while having coffee at the hotel before the meeting, he turned on the TV and saw the news. A serious accident involving multiple vehicles had completely shut down the main highway the previous night for more than six hours. At least four people were critically injured when a truck lost control….
