Chapter 10 - The Garden of Tiny Suns
On a warm midsummer evening, we hosted a backyard celebration for Hazel’s sixteenth birthday. The garden was glowing with warm fairy lights strung between the old oak trees. Friends, neighbors, Dr. Cortez, and Detective Miller were all there, laughing and sharing food under the open sky.
At the center of the yard, the wooden planter of yellow daisies was in full bloom, a dazzling sea of bright gold petals swaying gently in the evening breeze.
Hazel stood at the head of the table, holding a slice of mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. She raised her glass of lemonade to toast the crowd.
"Six years ago, I woke up in a room full of machines," Hazel said, her voice steady and full of life, her eyes shining in the golden hour light. "I thought I was lost in the dark. But when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw were yellow daisies. And the first people I saw were my mom and my brother, who fought for me when I couldn't fight for myself."
She looked over at Colton and me, her smile bright enough to light up the night.
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"They saved my life, and they gave me a world where I am loved every single day."
We gathered into a warm embrace in the middle of the garden. As the sun set over the ocean, casting pink and gold light across the blossoms, I looked at my children—healthy, whole, and completely free. The dark times were over forever, and our garden was finally bathed in endless sunlight.
