“Some consequences happen even when nobody wants to punish you,” he said.

I knew he meant Gavin’s leg, the missed weeks of school activities, and the worry both families had endured.

I didn’t try to make those consequences sound noble.

They were losses.

We could acknowledge them without letting them define the boys forever.

That afternoon, Toby made a schedule for the work he needed to catch up on.

He asked me to review it before he showed his teachers.

It was a small request for assistance, but it meant more to me than any promise made under pressure in the hospital.