Jacob
Ruth was on her feet before Lizzie had fully crossed the threshold.
I had known Ruth Lockhart for most of my adult life, and I had never seen her move like that.
Fast.
Open.
Almost stumbling with it.
She gathered Lizzie in, and the sound she made was not a sound Ruth made in public. Lizzie held on and shook.
Daniel moved in next.
The family reassembled itself around her.
I stood.
Not entirely by choice.
Some part of me had been tracking the door since midnight, and when it opened, my body responded before I had decided anything.
I looked at Lizzie.
She was crying. Not carefully. Not prettily. Her face was pale, her hair loose and tangled at the ends, one hand still gripping the strap of her carry-on bag.
She was scared.
She had been scared on a flight for hours, and no
