Silence.
He fell asleep like he had found something he’d been looking for.
That was the first time I understood—this wasn’t about me being ready.
It was about me being there.
The inspections started two weeks later.
The caseworker—her name was Carol Jennings—had a way of walking into a room like she already knew what she was going to find. Clipboard in hand, pen ready, eyes scanning everything like she was assembling a case.