When she wanted a bright pink volcano, he agreed that volcanoes rarely consulted anyone about acceptable color schemes.

After school, Sadie ran through the front door waving a small certificate.

Her project had won a creativity award.

She threw her arms around Callum and told him every detail, including the ones that mattered only to an eight-year-old.

I stood in the doorway and watched him listen.

Nothing about the moment erased the hospital bills, the appointments, or our fear.

But it was a kind of happiness we had nearly forgotten to notice.