Micah never left his side. He became Zayden’s shadow, his protector. If someone teased Zayden at school, Micah was there. If Zayden forgot his lines in the school play, Micah whispered them from behind the curtain.

It was heartwarming—but it was also a lot for a child to carry.

One evening, I gently pulled Micah aside. “You know it’s okay to just be a kid sometimes, right?”

He looked down. “I made a promise.”

“To who?”

He shrugged. “To God. When I saw Zayden at the hospital, I promised that if he ever came home, I’d protect him forever.”

My heart cracked wide open. In that moment, I saw so much of myself in Micah. The way we take on more than we can bear, simply out of love.