I tucked her blanket around her, placed Captain Buttons within reach, and stood quietly in the doorway.

Downstairs, Elena made tea.

We sat by the kitchen window while rain tapped against the glass.

“Five years ago,” I said, “I thought the worst thing about losing you was that I’d never understand what happened.”

“And now?”

“Now I know how much mattered that I didn’t even know existed.”

Elena studied her cup.

“We can’t recover those years.”