Neighbors volunteered.
David helped with the financial records.
I prepared meals for parents spending long nights at the hospital.
Caleb and Jasmine coordinated deliveries.
Every family reminded me of our own.
The exhaustion.
The fear.
The strange loneliness of sitting in a hospital while the rest of the world continued normally.
I couldn't save those children.
But I could make a difficult day a little easier for their parents.
And sometimes that mattered more than I once understood.
Caleb graduated from high school two years after Ethan died.
David and I attended the ceremony.
When his name was called, we stood and cheered.
Caleb spotted us in the audience.
He smiled.
Then raised one hand.
I began crying.
Afterward, he ran toward us.
“Mrs. Bennett!”
I hugged him.
“We're so proud of you.”
He looked toward David.
“Mr. Bennett?”
David pulled him into an embrace.
“Ethan would've been proud too.”
