You haven’t smiled in days. Maybe weeks. The baby hasn’t either—until now.

It’s in the middle of a gray, miserable morning. Rain pours outside the shelter. You’re eating cold beans from a can, the baby wrapped in a blanket beside you. Leon is leaning against the wall, boots muddy, exhausted.

And then, out of nowhere… Your baby laughs.

A tiny, perfect, bright giggle.

You both freeze. Leon stares at the child like she just saved the world. Then he cracks a rare, crooked smile. “That’s the first good sound I’ve heard in months.”