By the time I reached urgent care, Henry and Theo were sitting in the waiting room trading quiet theories about fractures, while Wyatt had convinced a vending machine to surrender two packets of crackers and was attempting to retrieve a third.

Lauren stood at the reception desk with her hair escaping its clip.

Her hand shook as she signed a form.

“He’s okay,” she said when she saw me.

“He’s scared and in pain, but they think it’s a straightforward break.”

I wanted to ask why nobody had called sooner.

The question formed in my throat before I recognized its unfairness.

Lauren had acted quickly, just as she always did.