The Hospital Called—A Little Boy Listed Me as His Emergency Contact. I Laughed: “Impossible, I’m 32, Single, and Don’t Have a Son.”

lit up every room she walked into, who could turn a bad grade into a joke and a rainy weekend into an adventure on the rooftop. But beneath that shine, she carried shadows I had been one of the few people to see. She flinched at sudden movements. She wore long sleeves even in summer. She made excuses for the bruises on her arms and legs.