I looked through the thin slit in the bookshelf I knew was on the other side of this wall, watching as she threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him over. I pressed on the wall, about to open it, but…I stayed, watching. His arms hung limply at his sides for a minute, but then he snapped out of it and wrapped them around her, squeezing her tight. She sobbed quietly, pressing her lips to his cheek as he closed his eyes, smiling—really smiling—for the first time since I’d been here. My heart ached. “I missed you, kid,” he said. She nodded, still hugging him. “We’re going home.”
