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The school assembly was loud—the kids were bouncing off the walls—but Tobias wasn’t bothered. He was in his own world, watching Casey kneel beside a kindergartner with a loose shoelace. Her voice was soft and bright as she tied it for her. Then the child hugged her legs; Casey laughed, squeezing her tiny hand.
Tobias swallowed, a peculiar sensation inside him - a longing for a future he once thought he would dread, now felt like a dream to him.
Casey stood up and caught him staring.
“What’s up, Dr. Carrick?” she teased.
“Trouble,” he swallowed. Big trouble.”