A chart where they could mark whether they felt dizzy, tired, hungry, or comfortable, without worrying whether the answer disappointed their father.

Mason liked drawing boats.

Owen preferred puzzles and asked questions that startled me with their seriousness.

“If the doctors don’t know what’s wrong, why do we have to stay here?” he asked one morning.

“Because they know enough to help with the problems you have right now,” I said.

“And because the place where you slept may not be safe until it’s checked.”

“Are we in trouble because we lived there?”