The medical suite had returned to its muted calm. The twins had been wheeled back to the nursery, but the brief, life-affirming visit had done more for Isabella than any medical intervention. She was physically exhausted but spiritually lucid. She lay back on the pillows, her hand resting gently over her heart, a faint, lingering trace of the boys’ warmth still clinging to her linen gown.

I was back in my chair, holding her hand again, this time with a shared, quiet strength. The earlier ...