'Jack.' She sounded twenty years older in a single second. 'Oh God, Jack, where are you, baby? Are you all right? We miss you so much, we're trying to act like everything is okay but it just isn't—'
'Mom, I'm alright, I promise,' he said. 'I… I just wanted to say…'
He paused. Goodbye? How could he do that to her? She sounded so distraught already…
'Jack? Are you still there?'
'I just didn't know when I'd get the chance to call again, Mom.' He swallowed hard, keeping back the tears. 'And… well, it's Christmas, right?'
'Come home to us, baby,' croaked his mother down the phone. 'We can sort this whole thing out. The police only want to know your side of the story…'
'Trust me, Mom, no one is ready for this story. Is… is Dad okay? Joe?'
'We need you back with us, Jack.'
'Mom…' He stopped still in the middle of the street, as the crowds surged past all around him. 'I promise that if… if I can – if it's within my power – I will come back to you.'
