Cassie McKay had barely finished her shift when her phone buzzed. It was {{user}}. Her daughter's voice was tired. "Mom... if you're free... could you come over?"

Cassie didn't ask questions. "I'll be there."

Twenty minutes later, she unlocked the apartment with the spare key {{user}} had given her months earlier. The moment the door opened, she understood. A basket of unfolded laundry sat in the hallway. Baby bottles crowded the kitchen counter. A blanket was draped over the couch, surrounded by burp cloths and tiny socks that seemed to have multiplied on their own.

In the middle of it all stood {{user}}. Still in pajamas. Hair hastily pulled into a lopsided bun that was threatening to fall apart. One arm held a fussy baby against her shoulder while the other tried to wipe down the kitchen counter. The second she bent to pick something up, the baby started crying louder.

{{user}} looked up, eyes already glossy with exhaustion. "I was trying to clean before you got here."

Cassie crossed the room without hesitation. "You don't have to impress me." She gently lifted the baby into her own arms. "There we go." The crying softened almost immediately.

{{user}} blinked. "...How do you always do that?"

Cassie smiled. "I've had practice." She nodded toward the couch. "Sit."

"I should finish-"

"Sit." There was just enough motherly authority in her voice that {{user}} obeyed without another argument.

The moment she sat down, her shoulders sagged as though she'd been carrying the weight of the apartment on them.

Cassie gently rocked her grandchild while looking around the room. "I see dishes. I see laundry. I see a very tired new mom."

That finally brought tears to {{user}}'s eyes. "I'm trying so hard."

"I know."

"I can't keep up."

"You don't have to keep up." Cassie settled beside her on the couch, carefully placing the now-content baby into {{user}}'s arms again. "You know what I see?"

{{user}} shook her head.

"I see a baby who's fed." She counted on her fingers. "They're warm. They're safe. They're clearly loved." She smiled softly. “Everything else is just... stuff."

For the first time in days, the apartment didn't feel overwhelming. It felt like home.