Chapter 35: A Second Chance, or a Cruel Twist?

Katie Smith rested her hand on her stomach, feeling the soft, steady curve that marked twenty weeks of pregnancy. The baby stirred faintly beneath her palm, a gentle flutter like the brush of butterfly wings. Her heart swelled with quiet joy as she gazed out the car window, watching the late-afternoon sunlight dance across the trees lining the road. The rhythmic hum of the tires on the asphalt was soothing, a meditative sound that lulled her into calm reflection.

She turned her head, glancing at Josh, who sat behind the wheel. His dark hair, perpetually tousled, caught faint glints of sunlight as the car sped down the road. One hand gripped the steering wheel; the other rested lazily on the gearshift, his fingers tapping out a rhythm only he could hear. His green eyes held the same mischievous spark that had drawn her to him years ago. Though his driving often made her stomach flip, she found herself oddly comforted by his confidence.

Katie broke the comfortable silence. “You know you’re speeding, right?” she teased, her lips curling into a soft smile.

Josh glanced at her, his grin widening. “Only a little.” He leaned back, feigning nonchalance as the speedometer hovered well above the limit. “Come on, Katie. Live a little. What’s the point of these open roads if we can’t enjoy them?”

Katie rolled her eyes, though her tone was gentle. “You’ve got two lives to think about now, mister.” She placed her hand over his on the gearshift, giving it a light squeeze. “Don’t make me regret letting you drive.”

Josh laughed, a warm sound that filled the car. “Alright, alright. I’ll behave.” He eased off the accelerator, though his grin suggested he wasn’t entirely repentant.

“You okay?” he asked after a moment, his voice softening.

Katie nodded, her fingers tracing idle patterns over her belly. “Just thinking about how different everything is going to be soon. Us, a family.” She let out a small, breathy laugh. “It still doesn’t feel real sometimes.”

Josh’s eyes softened as he glanced at her. “Oh, it’ll feel real. Trust me. Knee-deep in diapers and sleep deprivation? You’ll be begging for a time machine.”

Katie laughed, a sound as light as the breeze. “As long as I’ve got you, I’m not worried about anything.”

Josh’s grin faltered slightly, his eyes flicking back to the road. “Always,” he murmured, his voice so low she almost didn’t catch it. Before she could comment, his expression shifted. His brow furrowed, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“What is it?” Katie asked, her voice laced with concern.

Josh didn’t respond immediately. His eyes were fixed on something ahead, his body stiffening. “Hold on,” he said abruptly, his voice tinged with alarm.

Katie’s heart skipped a beat as she followed his gaze. A wall of silver materialized in the road. The deafening horn of a dump truck blared, startling them both. Josh jerked the steering wheel sharply to the left.

“Josh!” Katie’s scream mingled with the screech of tires. Her hands flew instinctively to her stomach as the world seemed to tilt. The impact came with brutal force, a sickening crunch of metal and glass that swallowed everything.

For one horrifying second, Katie caught a glimpse of Josh’s face—his green eyes wide with fear, his mouth forming a word she couldn’t hear. Then, everything went black.

Katie’s awareness returned in fragments. Sounds reached her first: the distant echo of tires screeching, the metallic groan of bending steel, and the sharp crack of shattering glass. Each sound lingered, stretching endlessly before dissolving into silence. Her body felt weightless, as if suspended in a vast, formless void.

Slowly, she blinked, her vision swimming in shades of gray. The world around her was dim, a soft, pulsing light emanating from nowhere and everywhere at once. She tried to move, but her limbs felt impossibly heavy, bound by invisible chains. Panic surged as her mind clawed through the haze, searching for answers.

“Where ... am I?” she murmured. Her voice sounded distant and unfamiliar, as if it belonged to someone else.

Memories surfaced in jagged fragments: Josh’s panicked face, the blur of silver, the life growing inside her. The baby. Her heart clenched painfully as the thought crystallized. “The baby,” she whispered, her hands flying to her stomach. She felt nothing. Her breath hitched, and a sob tore from her throat.

Katie’s despair filled the emptiness, but the void seemed to absorb it, offering neither comfort nor explanation. Then, faintly, she felt it—a warmth brushing against her like a whisper of sunlight on her skin. The sensation stirred something deep within her, a fleeting sense of familiarity and solace.

A voice, soft and echoing, reached her ears. The words were indistinct, carried on a breeze she couldn’t feel. She strained to hear, clinging to the sound like a lifeline, but it faded as quickly as it had come. The light around her began to swell, growing brighter and brighter until it consumed everything.

For a fleeting moment, Katie thought she heard her mother’s voice calling her name, full of love and worry. And then, she fell.

Katie woke with a sharp gasp, her body jerking upright. Her chest heaved as she fought to steady her breathing, the echo of her mother’s voice lingering in her ears. She blinked rapidly, her vision swimming before settling on her surroundings.

The lavender walls of her childhood bedroom came into focus, adorned with curling posters of bands she hadn’t thought about in years. Her twin bed, covered with the quilt her grandmother had made, felt impossibly small beneath her. Even the faint scent of lavender potpourri was painfully familiar.

Katie’s heart pounded as disorientation gripped her. She pressed her hands to her face, her fingers trembling against her cheeks. This wasn’t her room. It couldn’t be. She hadn’t seen this place since she was nineteen, the year she moved out to start college.

“Katie, honey, get up! You’re going to be late for school!”

Her mother’s voice rang out from downstairs, light and cheerful, as if nothing had changed. Katie froze, her breath catching in her throat. She hadn’t heard her mother sound like that in years. The woman she remembered carried a quiet sadness, her voice tinged with the weight of time and loss. But this ... this was the voice of a mother whose world hadn’t yet been touched by tragedy.

Katie swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet brushing against the scratchy carpet. The sensation grounded her, but the surreal nature of the moment made her stomach churn. She stumbled toward the door, her hand trailing along the wall to steady herself as she stepped into the hallway. The faint glow of the bathroom nightlight guided her path, and she flicked on the overhead light as she entered.

Standing before the mirror above the sink, Katie blinked at her reflection, her breath hitching. The face staring back at her wasn’t the one she remembered. Gone were the faint lines etched by sleepless nights and years of worry. Her skin was smooth, untouched by time, her auburn hair longer than it had been in years. Katie’s breath came in shallow gasps as she touched her face, her fingers trembling. “No,” she whispered. “This isn’t real. It can’t be.”

Her hands moved instinctively to her stomach, pressing against the flat surface where the swell of her pregnancy should have been. A sharp, panicked sob escaped her lips as she staggered backward, her mind reeling. “Where is my baby? Where is Josh?”

The small room seemed to close in around her, the tiled walls and cold fixtures suffocating her with their familiarity. The weight of it all was too much. The dizziness overtook her, pulling her further from reality. She tried to steady herself, gripping the edge of the sink, but her vision darkened, and the last thing she felt was the cold press of the floor beneath her before everything went black.

Katie’s consciousness drifted into the void once more, but this time, it wasn’t devoid of sound. Murmurs of voices surrounded her, though they were indistinct and soothing. One voice, particularly low and resonant, resonated deeply within her.

“You have another chance,” it said, the words cutting through the fog. “Don’t waste it.”

Katie wanted to speak, to beg for answers, but the words slipped away like sand through her fingers. The gray light returned, pulling her into its embrace, and she surrendered to it, unsure of what awaited her on the other side.

Katie stirred, her head pounding and her body stiff as consciousness returned in waves. Her eyes fluttered open, and the bright light overhead pierced through the fog in her mind. She blinked, her surroundings sharpening into focus. The sight before her sent a jolt of confusion coursing through her. Her mother, Judith, knelt beside her, her face a mixture of worry and disbelief.

“Katie? Sweetheart?” Judith’s voice wavered, thick with concern. She reached out, brushing Katie’s auburn hair away from her damp, tear-streaked cheeks. “What’s wrong? I could hear you crying all the way from the kitchen.”

Katie tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. A wave of grief threatened to pull her under as the memories of the accident surged back—Josh, the baby, the crash. Her trembling hands flew to her stomach, searching for the reassuring curve of her pregnancy. She felt nothing. The emptiness hit her like a physical blow.

Fresh tears welled in her eyes, and she pressed her hands to her face. “Mom,” she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t ... I don’t know what’s happening.”

Judith’s expression softened, though her worry deepened. “Shh, it’s okay,” she murmured, pulling Katie into a gentle embrace. “You’re scaring me, honey. Please talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”

Before Katie could respond, the bathroom door burst open. Her older sister, Hannah, barged in, her tone equal parts irritation and impatience. “What’s going on? Katie, you’re hogging the bathroom! I need to get ready for work.”

Judith turned to Hannah, her tone firm but calm. “Go use my bathroom. Katie’s not feeling well.”

Hannah crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. “I need my stuff! My makeup’s in here, and my shampoo.”

“Hannah, please. Just for today.” Judith’s patience was visibly thinning. “Go use my bathroom. Katie needs some privacy.”

Hannah huffed, but her irritation gave way to curiosity as she stepped closer and took in Katie’s crumpled form on the floor. Her expression softened, and a flicker of concern crossed her face. “Wait ... what’s wrong with her?”

Judith shook her head, her voice low and trembling. “I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out. Just let us have a moment, okay?”

Reluctantly, Hannah backed out of the room, muttering under her breath as she closed the door behind her. The bathroom fell silent except for Katie’s quiet sobs. Judith knelt beside her again, gently rubbing her back in soothing circles.

The warmth of her mother’s arms slowly began to pull Katie out of her spiral. Her breaths came in shaky gasps as her sobs subsided enough for her to speak. “I ... I’m sorry,” she managed, her voice raw. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s okay,” Judith said softly, her own voice steadying. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Just breathe, sweetheart.”

Judith guided Katie to sit on the closed toilet lid, her hands lingering on Katie’s shoulders. Katie wiped her face with trembling hands, her eyes flicking up to meet her mother’s. The sight hit her like a bolt of lightning. This wasn’t the mother she’d known in recent years. The lines of age and stress that had etched Judith’s face were gone. Her auburn hair, which Katie remembered streaked with gray, was vibrant and full.

“Mom...” Katie whispered, her voice filled with awe and disbelief.

Judith smiled gently, her concern still evident. “I’m here, honey. What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

Katie shook her head, struggling to process the impossibility of what she was seeing. Her mind raced, grasping for an explanation, but none came. “I don’t know,” she stammered, her voice wavering. “I just ... I think I need the day off from school. I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t do it today.”

Judith frowned, her worry deepening. “Are you sure? You haven’t been this upset since you were little. It’s not like you, Katie.”

“I know,” Katie said quickly, her words tumbling out. “I just need some time to pull myself together. Please, just for today.”

Judith hesitated, her brow furrowing as she studied Katie’s tear-streaked face. Finally, she sighed, brushing a strand of Katie’s hair behind her ear. “Alright. But you can’t make a habit of this, okay? And I’ll be calling you from work to check in.”

Katie nodded, relief washing over her. “Thank you, Mom.”

Judith gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before standing. “I’ll go talk to Hannah. Try to rest, okay?” With one last glance, she left the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her.

Katie sat in silence, her mind racing as the echoes of their conversation lingered in the air. She took a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet, staring once again at her reflection in the mirror. This time, she studied it more closely. Her auburn hair, the clear skin untouched by stress, the clothes that felt too youthful for the woman she still felt like inside. It was unmistakable. She wasn’t just back in her childhood home; she was back in her childhood body.

Katie stepped into her bedroom, the familiarity of the space both comforting and surreal. Her backpack slouched against the wall, her clarinet propped in the corner, and sheets of music were scattered across her desk. She lingered, running her fingers over the papers, the memories of band practice and concerts flooding her mind.

Her gaze drifted to her computer. She crossed the room and nudged the mouse, the screen flickering to life. The date in the corner confirmed what she feared: August 25, 2005.

Her stomach dropped. “I just turned fifteen,” she whispered, sinking into the desk chair.

The last thing she remembered was sitting in the car with Josh, her hand on her pregnant belly. Now she was here, in her childhood bedroom, in a time and body that felt impossibly distant from the life she’d been living. And then there was the voice she’d heard in the void—low and resonant.

“You have another chance. Don’t waste it.”

Katie’s heart pounded as the weight of it all settled on her. Another chance for what? And why now? She closed her eyes, gripping the edge of the desk as she fought the rising tide of emotions. If this was a second chance, she had to figure out what to do with it. But first, she needed to survive the day.

Her thoughts spiraled as she wondered what she could possibly do now. She had lost her child and her husband, and the grief was almost too much to bear. Then, an idea struck her: Josh. If she was back in this time, maybe she could find him. Maybe she could fix this, somehow.

Katie leaned forward, her pulse quickening as she opened a search engine. She typed “Joshua Harlow” into the bar and hit enter. The results loaded slowly, each passing second stretching endlessly as her heart thudded in anticipation. Finally, a headline caught her eye: Teen Prodigy Joshua Harlow Graduates High School at 14, Begins College.

Katie’s brow furrowed as she clicked on the link. “That doesn’t make sense,” she murmured. “Josh would just be graduating from high school now. He was held back in sixth grade.”