“I wanna make him a card with glitter,” Tommy said, eyes sparkling.

They were so excited. So pure. All they wanted was to make their dad feel special. And I helped them, my heart swelling with love and hope.

We made cinnamon sugar French toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, coffee — all his favorites. And I even bought tickets to the local classic car show Brad always said he missed.

I pictured his face when he woke up: sleepy-eyed, touched, maybe even teary. I imagined hugs and thank-yous and a family day out in the sunshine.

But what we got… was silence.