“Shh, it’s okay. Momma’s here,” Alicia whispered, rocking her crying son Edduin who had woken in the middle of the night. She cleared her work off the couch, held him close, and sang softly until he finally calmed down. With a kiss on his forehead, she tucked him back in and tiptoed out of the room.
“How am I supposed to manage everything alone? I miss you, John,” she sighed, reaching for a cup of coffee before heading back to work.
Almost a year ago, Alicia and John, once told they couldn’t have children, had set off on adventures around the world. But just before their planned trip to the Bahamas, Alicia discovered she was pregnant. They returned home to Fayetteville, NC, overjoyed.
Orphans themselves, they had built a happy life—until tragedy struck. One evening, Alicia received a call from a police officer: John had died in a car crash. Devastated and seven months pregnant, Alicia went into labor and gave birth prematurely. With help from a neighbor, she made it through.
Taking over John’s company, Alicia worked from home to care for her son. With the support of John’s secretary, Madison, she set up a home office and refused to hire a nanny—determined to raise Edduin herself.
A year passed. But lately, Edduin had been waking up crying and seemed constantly tired. Doctors assured her it was just a phase, but Alicia remained uneasy.
One day, after putting Edduin to bed, she heard giggles from his room. She rushed in but found no one—just Edduin smiling in his crib. After a few nights of this, she installed a baby monitor. Watching closely, she finally saw something move in the room. Heart racing, she ran in—only to find a scruffy little dog by the crib.
To her shock, the dog had entered through an old dog door in what used to be their late pet Doblo’s playroom, now converted into Edduin’s nursery. Alicia had forgotten to close it.
The dog had likely been sneaking in nightly, playing with Edduin and disturbing his sleep. Feeling for the poor creature, Alicia adopted him and named him Casper.
Since then, Edduin sleeps peacefully, cries less, and has a new best friend in Casper—bringing joy back into their quiet home.
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