“I thought—” “I know.” That was all Jack could give him. Willow went into temporary care first, but she kept asking for the same two people. Eli. And Jack. It was Eli who said it first. One evening, standing in the kitchen while Jack dried dishes, he said quietly, “She shouldn’t have to lose everyone.” Jack looked at him. And understood. The paperwork took time.
But eventually, Willow came back through the front door with her rabbit in a cardboard carrier and a backpack too big for her shoulders. And this time, nobody was pretending she belonged there. She just did. It didn’t fix anything.