We met at their kitchen island, where the three of us had once celebrated a positive pregnancy test with sparkling apple juice.

The counselor helped them sort essential expenses from debts, identify accounts that needed urgent attention, and list the documents required for conversations with lenders and the hospital billing team.

She didn’t promise an easy rescue.

She didn’t suggest they simply work harder and stop buying coffee.

She asked questions about income, benefits, insurance and repayment options and told Lucas to stop pretending he could solve everything alone.

When the call ended, Hannah pointed at a spreadsheet.