Chapter 22 - LUCA’S FIRST MONTHS
Luca and Nico grew.
That was almost shocking.
The case consumed adults.
The babies ignored it.
At eight weeks:
Nico slept four-hour stretches.
Luca considered sleep a personal insult.
At ten weeks:
Both smiled.
At three months:
Nico rolled first.
Luca screamed until placed on his stomach, then refused to roll at all.
At four months:
They began grabbing each other’s sleeves.
Gianna stopped checking their ankle bands because there were no hospital bands anymore.
Instead she checked:
Birthmarks.
Feeding amounts.
Faces.
Then, gradually, not checking.
The first week home she woke six times one night to compare Luca’s heel mark with a hospital photo.
Nolan told her:
“You know who he is.”
She answered:
“My brain knows.”
Her body needed longer.
Therapy helped.
No dramatic cure.
Then the Mercers.
Their son grew too.
We received no updates unless legally relevant.
Good.
Not our child.
Not our story to follow.
The hospital reached a confidential civil settlement with them eventually.
We did not ask for terms.
May you like
Lucia’s restitution obligations would be addressed separately.
Respecting another family sometimes means not turning their healing into your epilogue.
