A medic is sent to an elderly woman’s home to assist her grandson, who notices images of himself as a child hanging on the walls. Rick Olson had committed his life to assisting others, but he never anticipated his work would lead to the answer to his life’s greatest mystery: his mother’s death. Rick’s father, Frank Olson, told him that his mother, Blanche, died in a vehicle accident when he was two years old.

Blanche’s car spun out of control on a rainy night, and rescue arrived too late. Rick promised himself that he would do everything he could to prevent another little kid from curling up in bed crying for his mother, holding a scarf that smelled like her. He was determined to make a difference, so he became a paramedic—one of the finest.

It was not the easiest of duties. Rick saw individuals at some of their darkest times, broken and hurting, but knowing he was helping them and saving lives made it all worthwhile. One afternoon, Rick and his colleague Bob received an emergency call from the dispatcher, which sent them to a suburban address. A little child called 911 to report that his grandmother had fallen and was unable to get up.

“Damn,” Bob remarked. “Another slip-and-fall. Let’s hope the lady isn’t wounded!” “Yeah,” Rick replied. “Imagine the poor kid alone and calling 911…”Bob activated the siren, and they sped away to the destination, following the route predetermined by their inbuilt GPS. Ten minutes later, they were parking up in front of a gorgeous red brick house with a meticulously maintained lawn.

They parked the ambulance, stepped out, and pressed the doorbell. Within minutes, a little voice on the other side of the door inquired, “Are you the police?”Then he said, “No, we’re the paramedics, we’ve brought the ambulance to help your grandmother.” There was a brief pause before the sound of the door unlocking. A boy around five years old opened the door. “Please,” he blurted out, “you have to help my granny!”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Bob remarked kindly. “What’s your name buddy?” “I am Eric. “My grandmother’s name is Mrs. Garrow,” he said gravely. “She is in the lounge.” “Please help her!” Bob and Rick led tiny Eric through the magnificent house to an excellent lounge. In the center of the floor lay a woman in her mid-sixties. She lay flat on her back, deathly pale.

Rick instantly knelt beside her. “Ma’am,” he answered. “Can you hear me?” The woman opened her eyes and gazed up at him. She nodded and attempted to speak. Rick began taking her pulse, and Bob rapidly inspected her. Rick shined a light into the woman’s eyes and was relieved to see her pupils respond normally. “Mrs. Garrow,” Rick spoke softly. “Can you tell us what happened?”

Mrs. Garrow nodded and said, “I was standing on the chair to change a lightbulb, but I slipped…””I think I broke my leg!””Ma’am,” Bob answered. “We are going to load you up on the gurney and take you to State Hospital…” “No!” Mrs. Garrow exclaimed frantically. “Please, call my daughter. Eric cannot stay here alone! There’s an address book in the corridor, and her number is right on top!

“Bob got up and went into the hallway to hunt for Eric’s mother’s phone number, while Rick prepped Mrs. Garrow for transportation. Then he looked up and saw a photo of a mother and a toddler, which he recognized. It was the last snapshot he’d taken with his mother, and he treasured it! How did this photo end up in the Garrow house? Mrs. Garrow whimpered in pain, and Rick knew he’d have to save his queries for later.

People who do not believe in angels refer to coincidences as miracles.Rick sat with Mrs. Garrow the entire way to the hospital, holding her hand and peering into her eyes. She didn’t look like the woman in the photo, did she? The color was the same, and the eyes… At the hospital, the physicians discovered that Mrs. Garrow had fractured her leg three times and would require surgery, so Rick decided to return in a few days to find out who she was.

Could she be a relative or distant cousin of his mother’s? His father informed him that after his mother died, he moved away from Arkansas and lost touch with Blanche’s relatives. Three days later, Rick was at Mrs. Garrow’s bedside, with a large arrangement of flowers. Mrs. Garrow sat up in bed, looking much better. She smiled when she saw Rick, and it tugged on his mind.

“Hello!” Mrs. Garrow sobbed. What a surprise! Do you send flowers to all the folks you rescue?”Rick was ready to respond in a flippant manner when he changed his mind. “No,” he replied gently. “I’m coming to ask you about a photograph you have in your residence. A photograph of a young boy with his mother. Mrs. Garrow sat up straighter. “That is none of your business! It’s private; please leave.”

Rick shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You see, that’s a photograph of me and my mother taken just days before she died, and I’d like to know why you have it. Mrs. Garrow was extremely pale. “Your mother?” she whispered. “A photo of your mother?” “Yes,” Rick answered. “I have the right to know who you are and where you got it!”

Mrs. Garrow was trembling, and her eyes were filled with tears. “Ricky?” she whispered. “It’s you?” Rick felt like he’d been hit with a sledgehammer. “Do you know me? “How do you know me?” “Oh baby, it’s me, it’s mommy…” Mrs. Garrow wept and extended her arms. “No,” Rick replied, stepping away. “My mother is dead; she has been dead for 23 years…”My father…” Rick then hurried out of the hospital, leaving Mrs. Garrow behind.

That night, he went to see his father. Frank Olson opened the door with a cheery smile. “Hey, Rick!” he exclaimed. “This is a nice surprise!”Rick didn’t have time for small talk. “Dad, why did you tell me mom was dead?” Frank Olson’s jaw dropped open, and a blank expression spread across his face. “Your mom…Your mom is dead!” “No, Dad,” Rick answered. “She isn’t. I saw her today. She’s alive, and she recognized me. “Why did you tell me she died?”

Frank sat on his sofa and rested his head on his hands. “She was going to leave me, Ricky, she was going to take you away…” He raised his head, and his eyes gleamed coldly. “So I took you first.” “You let me cry for my mom, you let a two-year-old believe his mother was dead?” Rick gave a gasp. He saw Frank attempt to stand up and open his lips to make excuses, but he simply turned his back and went away.

He drove back to the hospital and stood beside Blanche Garrow’s bed. “He told me you were dead,” he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. “You don’t know how I cried for you…” Blanche extended her arms, and Rick stepped into her embrace. “I cried for you, too,” Blanche said quietly. “I never stopped looking for you, even after I remarried and had your sister, I never ever forgot you!” Rick and Blanche reconnected by the weirdest of coincidences, or perhaps something else. Perhaps coincidences are what nonbelievers refer to as miracles.