YOU ARE MY SON, FREDDY

YOU ARE MY SON, FREDDY
Ayla

“Freddy!”

My voice cracked through the woods as I ran, branches scratching at my arms and the cold wind biting my skin.

But I did not care, all that I wanted to do was get to my son.

I had many things scaring me, he was out here alone, and angry, anything could happen to him out there and I was really worried.

“Baby please come back let’s talk about this”

The echo carried away my words.

My heartbeat thundered louder than my feet hitting the earth, faster than the wind blowing past me.

All I could think about was his face—tight with pain, eyes wide and shimmering when he whispered, “You’re replacing me.”

How would he even say such a thing…? No. Never.

I wouldn’t let him believe that.

Not for a second.

I paused by a clearing, catching my breath. My fingers clutched the rough bark of a tree as my eyes scanned the entire place.

My ears perked up and I looked up, towards the source of the sound.

That’s when I saw him—perched on a thick branch, half-hidden in the shadows. He looked so small, knees tucked to his chest like he was trying to disappear into himself.

My sweet little boy.

Slowly, I walked closer. “Freddy…”

He didn’t move. Just kept staring out into the woods, pretending he couldn’t hear me.

“I was so worried,” I said gently, stepping closer but not too close. I didn’t want to startle him. “You ran off so fast.”

Silence.

I glanced up again. “You picked a good hiding spot. Took me a while to find you.”

Still, he didn’t speak.

“I know that you are sad, about the baby.”

His shoulders tensed.

I bit my lip and placed a hand on the tree trunk. “You know, when I found out I was pregnant, you were the first person that I wanted to tell about it.”

That got his attention. His head tilted slightly, but he still wouldn’t look at me.

“I thought of you,” I whispered. “Your smile, your laugh, you will be so excited to have your own little sibling.”

A small scoff escaped him, but it wasn’t cruel. It was quiet… almost fond.

“Freddy,” I continued, swallowing the lump in my throat, “you are my first child. Whether I gave birth to you or not. You were the first person I ever loved like this. You’re a part of me—the part of me that kept me going when I had nothing else. That will never change.”

He blinked down at me, his eyes glassy but guarded. “But you’re going to have a real family now.”

“You’re my real family,” I said, stronger this time. I looked deeply into his eyes… I had to make sure that he believed it.

“You’ve always been my family.”

He hesitated, lips trembling.

I climbed up onto the lower branch beside his tree and sat cross-legged, keeping my balance steady. “This baby isn’t replacing you. You’re getting a sibling. Someone who’s going to adore you. Look up to you. Think you hung the moon.”

“Really?” he mumbled.

I smiled. “Yes. And you’re going to be the best big brother. Just like you are the best son to me.”

He finally turned to look at me fully, and the pain in his expression made my heart twist. “I didn’t know how to say it. I came back… and everything was different. I was different. I thought that you did not need me anymore, now that you have your own family”

I reached over and took his hand. “I still mourned you every single day. Just because I am pregnant now, doesn’t mean I ever stopped loving you. My heart is big enough for all of you.”

A tear slipped down his cheek. “I thought maybe… you didn’t need me anymore.”

I squeezed his hand. “I need you. I always will. But more than that—I want you. You belong, Freddy. In our home. In our family. In this future we’re building. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.”

His lip wobbled, and he suddenly launched himself into my arms.

I caught him, wrapping him tightly in my embrace as he shook with quiet sobs. I didn’t say anything—just rocked him, holding him like I had when he was little and scared of thunder. My own tears fell freely into his hair.

“You’re my baby boy,” I whispered. “My heart.”

“I love you,” he choked.

“I love you too. So much.”

We stayed that way for a long time, time stretching like the wind around us, the forest growing quiet in reverence.

Eventually, Freddy pulled back, wiping his face. “I guess… having a sibling could be cool.”

I smiled through my tears. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. As long as I get to name them.”

I laughed. “Let’s see if Darius agrees.”

Freddy grinned—his first real one since he came back. It wasn’t the same boyish grin I remembered. It was older, wiser, tinged with something heavier. But it was still him. My Freddy.

He glanced up at the darkening sky. “We should probably head back. Dad is going to think you fell into a hole chasing after me or something”

I nodded. “He’s definitely worried…. Your dad is obsessed with me” I said.

He laughed “I know that for sure”

Freddy slid down the tree, landing softly on the ground. I followed, and together we walked back through the woods, side by side.

The silence between us this time wasn’t heavy—it was comforting.

As the lights of the pack house came into view, Freddy glanced up at me. “Hey… can I still sleep in your room tonight? Just for a while?”

My heart swelled. “Of course darling.”

Darius came into view and rushed to hug him “my boy, I am so sorry I did not mean to make you feel like your mum was hiding things from you” he said.

Freddy hugged him back just as tightly.

I smiled.

As l looked at the both of them together, I just knew that everything was going to be okay.