The closer she became, the less confidence radiated within her. She could tell he’d been crying from the puffiness of his eyes, and the redness of his cheeks.
Hearing her soft footsteps, Sephora gazed up at his sister. Before standing to his feet, he gave his face a quick swipe.
“Is it done?” he asked quietly.
Malina looked down at her hospital slippers and nodded. The surprise of the warm hug from her older brother, calmed some parts of her. But only the parts that she needed right then and there to be soothed. Other spaces, like the hollow she felt at the pit of her stomach, would last for a lifetime.
“Let’s get you home,” he told her.