They changed things after that. Shoes stayed on outside. Hands were scrubbed clean before meals. The garden was fenced, the soil turned and replaced. Eleanor followed every rule without question now, watching instead of guiding, asking instead of assuming. Love, this time, came with listening.
Some nights, Mike still woke to check Maxine’s breathing. Some days, Carrie caught herself counting meals, counting hours, counting signs that everything was still all right. But slowly, the fear loosened its grip. They had learned something none of them would forget.