I rushed out, shampoo still in my hair, and stopped frozen at the nursery door. Keane was in the armchair, holding Milo with one arm and gently patting his back with the other. Our cat Mango rested in his lap. Then Keane looked up at me and said his first words in over 20 years: “He was scared. I made him a heartbeat.” Tears overwhelmed me.
The next morning, Keane followed me to the kitchen and asked for “coffee.” Then he looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I will watch Milo.” For someone who had always avoided eye contact, this was deeply moving. Milo’s presence changed Keane in ways I never imagined. He found connection, purpose—and his voice again.