After her bath, she was beat, so I pulled another one of my old tee-shirts on over her head and put her to bed. I climbed in and held her close until her breathing evened out and then waited for another five minutes, which I spent just watching her face in sleep.

It was some time before I, too, fell asleep, the night’s actions finally catching up with me. I’ll tell her about the kid in the morning when she was more cognizant. It was the last thought I had before ...