On the bed, Leonard lay with his head tilted slightly back, lashes brushing against his cheeks as he slept, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm. His arms rested protectively over the small bodies pressed into him. Maya had curled into his side, her tiny hand gripping the fabric of his shirt as though afraid he'd disappear if she let go. On his other side, Nathan had burrowed closer, his cheek resting against Leonard's arm, his breathing soft and uneven from the remnants of his fever.
The sight was so heartbreakingly tender Katherine thought her lungs might crack from holding in the swell of emotion. For years, she had carried the weight of secrets, shouldering the silence alone while pretending everything was normal. But here this picture of what had always been missing was more than she had ever dared to imagine.
She pressed a hand to her chest, not because it hurt, but because it felt too full with warmth, sorrow, relief...
