My 22-Year-Old Son Brought a 62-Year-Old Woman Home and Said, “Mom, Meet My Girlfriend.” That Woman Began Secretly Visiting Our House, and One Night, I Overheard My Son Saying, “Linda, We Can’t Put This Off Any Longer. If My Mother Finds Out Why You Really Came Here, She’ll Never Forgive Me.”

For a short time, Jan tried to convince herself that everything would be fine.

Then Sunday arrived.

Luke became dangerously pale again, almost ghostly white. His body went limp, and the fear that had troubled Jan for days suddenly became impossible to ignore.

She and Paul called for emergency medical assistance.

Within a short time, their baby was in hospital, surrounded by medical staff and unfamiliar equipment.

The examinations were frightening. The uncertainty was worse.

Eventually, doctors diagnosed Luke with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain caused in his case by a viral illness.

He became deeply unconscious for periods, and his parents faced the terrifying uncertainty of not knowing how badly he might be affected.

Jan watched her baby lying in hospital, unable to understand why something so cruel could happen to someone so small.

There were moments when even the simplest signs of life seemed precious beyond words.