Noah's Adventure - 32. The Bracelet

I lay there, glancing between my wrist and Shiloh, trying to figure out how to explain where the bracelet had come from.

The toilet flushed, and Little B came out, smiled at Shiloh, and hopped back into the bed with me.

“Hi, Shiloh,” Little B said with a grin. “Did you give him the gift from Silas yet?”

“Silas…” Shiloh whispered.

“After the accident, I went somewhere—not exactly sure where,” I began. “I met my father… and your brother.”

“That’s… a lot,” Shiloh said, tears starting to stream down his face.

Little B slid off the bed, gave Shiloh a hug, and gently guided him to sit beside me.

“That bracelet… it was mine,” Shiloh said. He carefully took it from my wrist and showed me the small engraved spot where his name had been.

“How did Silas end up with it?” I asked.

“Before the funeral, we were each allowed time alone with him. His bracelet must’ve fallen off in the ocean—he never took it off. So I put mine on him… so he’d always have me with him.”

My chest tightened. This kid had been through too much.

“I wonder why he gave it to me,” I said.

“Maybe… so I’d believe you really met him. Is he okay?”

“Yeah. He misses you—and Shane and Shaun.”

That brought a small smile to Shiloh’s face.

“I’ll be right back,” Little B said—and disappeared.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” Shiloh said.

I nodded. “Same.”

A moment later, Grandma and Uncle Matt walked in, with Taylor and Jay right behind them.

“Noah!” Taylor shrieked, rushing over to hug me.

“I’m okay, Tay,” I said, though she didn’t let go.

“You can let go now,” Jay teased, laughing. Taylor finally released me.

“Glad you’re okay, bro,” Jay said, bumping fists with me.

“You could’ve died,” Taylor added, pointing a finger at me.

“Someone tampered with the car,” Grandma said. “They’ve been caught, thankfully.”

Little B reappeared, holding something in his hand.

“Where have you been?” Uncle Matt asked, eyeing his son.

Little B walked over to Shiloh and placed a bracelet in his hand.

“What is this?” Shiloh asked, his voice shaking as he examined it.

“It’s Silas’s,” Little B said.

The room went completely still.

“How?” Shiloh whispered.

“Lots of looking,” Little B replied.

“It’s been years… that couldn’t have been easy,” Shiloh said.

“I had help,” Little B added, trailing off.

Shiloh stared at the bracelet, turning it over in his hands. The engraving was worn, but you could still make out Silas.

“I’m going to need this one,” Little B said, slipping Shiloh’s bracelet off his wrist. Then he disappeared again.

“Where did he go?” Jay asked.

“To return it,” I said.

“Alright, we need to get you dressed and ready for discharge,” Grandma said, taking charge.

“Uh… Shiloh, can you let me up?” I asked carefully.

He nodded and moved to the chair.

“Griff’s handling the paperwork,” Uncle Matt added.

“So what’s going to happen to Meadows and Watson?” I asked.

“Dr. Watson’s brother told the full story about the steering,” Uncle Matt said. “He’ll probably get a reduced sentence. But Meadows… she’s going away for a while. Watson too—he’s an accomplice.”

I got dressed behind the curtain, shooing everyone out for a minute. Once I was ready, I opened it again and everyone filed back in.

Griffin walked in with a group of doctors.

“Matt, these are our newest medical students,” Griffin said. “Everyone, this is Dr. Matthew Jacobs, Director of Mental Health at NIH.”

At that exact moment, Little B reappeared—right next to his dad—with a smirk that said he’d planned this.

“Where did he come from?” one of the students asked.

“I thought you were a doctor,” Little B shot back instantly.

“What?” the student said, confused.

“Daddy,” Little B said innocently, “can you teach the doctor where babies come from?”

The entire room erupted in laughter.

The student muttered something I didn’t catch.

Once Griffin regained his composure, he turned to me. “Noah, everything looks good. No overnight issues, and all your tests are clear.”

After Grandma wrapped up the paperwork, we headed out.

“We’re going home—not back to headquarters,” she said firmly.

Outside, several black SUVs waited, guards standing nearby.

“Shiloh and Noah are with me. Taylor and Jay, you’re with Matt,” Grandma instructed.

“What about me?” Little B asked.

“You, my adorable grandson, can ride wherever you like.”

“I’m riding with Noah and Grandma,” he said immediately.

Shiloh and I sat in the back, holding hands.

“Grandma,” I said, “my dad mentioned our family tends to be… a little hotheaded?”

Grandma burst out laughing, tears forming in her eyes.

“Oh, my dear boy—that’s a Matthews trait. I only wish it skipped a few generations. I don’t think my heart can take anyone else flying off the handle.”

“I don’t know… sometimes I feel this anger, and it just takes over,” I admitted. Shiloh squeezed my hand.

“I’ll speak to the elders about helping you manage that,” Grandma said, already mentally noting it.

“The elders… right,” I said. “Didn’t you have to talk to them about Tristan and Little B?”

Grandma sighed.

“I did. Smoothing things over with them isn’t easy. They’re all family—Trace, Jaxson, Tristan—you’d recognize them. The others are cousins from all over. Thankfully, Tristan Jr.—T2—helped explain things. Between that and T3’s reputation, they’re both getting a pass… especially since Little B is a minor.”

“Don’t even think about it,” she added, shooting a look at Little B.

He grinned—clearly he’d been about to say something.

When we got home, relief washed over me. My own bed finally.

Everyone else was already there. I got hugs from my cousins—and from Shiloh’s brothers.

We spent some time talking in the family room. It felt… normal.

“It’s been decided,” Uncle Matt said, “we’re ready to move to Annapolis. The renovations are finished.”

“Isn’t that a long drive?” I asked.

“It is—but I’ll have a driver if I need one.”

Things stayed calm for a while. Uncle Nathan and Uncle Luca said they’d be heading back to Pennsylvania soon, which meant Shiloh and I needed to prepare for that too.

We talked about long distance—maybe even going to the same school. I still hadn’t figured out teleportation.

Shiloh helped me look for a new car for Uncle Brody. After totaling his, I owed him. Finding a 1968 Super Bee turned out to be way harder—and more expensive—than I expected. I tried eBay, but kept losing auctions.

Then we found a lead: a massive car show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Chryslers at Carlisle was huge—rows and rows of cars, some identical at first glance. I learned pretty quickly about “clones,” but I wanted the real thing.

We found a 1969 model—same color, but with a 383 instead of a HEMI, and automatic instead of manual. Honestly, that might be easier for Uncle Matt anyway.

After some haggling, I bought it.

Shiloh stayed with the car while I rented a trailer. Once everything was hooked up, we drove to Annapolis to surprise Uncle Brody.

As we pulled into the driveway, Uncle Matt and Brody were already outside.

The second Brody saw the trailer… he burst out laughing.