Some days he was awake for an hour and wanted to hear Harper describe her school project.

On other days, he slept through our brief visits.

We did not turn either kind of day into a test of how much he loved her.

I never left Harper alone with him.

Not because I thought he would hurt her, but because trust was still growing and she deserved the chance to become comfortable at her own pace.

Sometimes she sat beside the bed and drew.

Sometimes she greeted him from the doorway and asked to leave five minutes later.