Lily survived surgery. She was injured but stable. When a social worker arrived to discuss placement, Evan listened in silence until she said the words that mattered.
“You will need to go to emergency care tonight. Your sister will stay here.”
“No,” Evan said immediately.
Before anyone could react, he slid off the chair and hurried down the corridor. He climbed onto Lily’s bed and wrapped himself around her, his small body forming a barrier.
“I am not leaving her,” he said, voice shaking but resolute.
Finley stepped forward. “He stays,” he said firmly. “He has been her guardian longer than any of us.”
Rules bent that night. Blankets were brought. Lights dimmed. Evan did not sleep. He watched the door until morning.
Three days later, the siblings were placed with a foster guardian named Rachel Monroe. Her house sat on a quiet street near the coast, filled with soft light and the scent of baked bread. She showed them a room with two beds placed close together.
“So you can hear each other breathe,” Rachel said.
Evan did not respond. He checked locks. He checked corners. He slept on the floor until exhaustion won.
On the fifth night, Rachel sat outside the door with a mug of tea.