In the center of the room, the crib parts waited in a wooden box.

Gavin wanted to help assemble it.

“I missed yours,” he said.

The words were quiet enough that I nearly pretended not to hear them.

Instead, I brought him the instructions and sat nearby.

He lowered himself carefully onto a cushion.

The cane rested within reach.

I handed him the bolts in the order the diagram showed, and he checked each piece before fitting it into place.