I glanced down at her, noting that she still wore the afterglow of our evening’s activities, and I felt a ridiculous burst of pride that I’d given her that sleepy-eyed sated look.

“If you walked into a room like that, I’d probably keel over dead of a heart attack,” I said. She laughed but I’d only been partly kidding.

We ordered piles of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and orange juice to wash it all down. Annabelle kept up with me in the food department, and I started to look forward to going home so we could work it all off.

We were slumped in our seats on either side of the booth, waiting for the waitress to bring the check, when I happened to glance out the window. The usual midnight fare of drunks, hipsters, and dates that didn’t want to end filled the area, but amid all of that, I still saw them.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as I watched the family drama play out in the parking lot. A feeling of déjà vu hit me so hard, I couldn’t breathe.

The man appeared strung out, and the woman was crying. The children—oh god, the children—a boy standing beside his mother, visibly trying not to cry, and a baby in the mother’s arms, fussing because she looked exhausted. I watched as the husband threw his hands in the air and started to walk away. The mother shoved the baby into the boy’s arms and ran after the man. I watched the boy comfort his baby sister, looking scared, lost, and confused. I thought I might throw up.

“Nick, are you all right?” Annabelle reached across the table and patted my hand. I realized she’d been speaking but I’d missed it.

“Yeah, come on,” I said. I slid out of the booth, and with a surprised look, she followed. I grabbed our waitress on the way out and shoved a fistful of bills at her. “Will that cover it?”

“More than,” she said. She went to hand me back a twenty but I shook her off.

“Keep it.”

Her eyes went wide. “Thank you!”

I barely heard her as I was already shoving my way out the door, past the line of people trying to get in.

“Nick, wait, what’s going on?” Annabelle asked from behind me. “Are you all right? Do you feel okay? Should I call Jackson?”

“I’m fine,” I said. The night air was chilly and not appropriate for two little kids to be out in. I strode across the parking lot. The husband was gone and the mother was coming back to her children. She was crying but she opened her arms and they clambered into the safety of her embrace. I felt the panic inside me ease, just a little.