Hannah and the twins stayed with Megan while the criminal proceedings moved forward.

Megan’s house was not large.

There were beds to arrange, clothes to wash, meals to plan, and three people whose lives had arrived without the belongings and habits that usually make a move manageable.

She cleared a room for them and borrowed what she needed.

A friend brought a small table.

Someone found another set of sheets.

I offered groceries and waited for Megan to tell me which things would actually be useful.

I did not arrive with a car full of surprises and assume gratitude would make the disruption welcome.