"She died last year."
This time, Daniel said nothing.
Emily continued.
"Cancer."
The anger did not disappear.
But it changed shape.
"How did you even know them?"
Emily looked at him.
"Because Elijah contacted me."
Daniel's head turned slowly.
"What?"
"After your second deployment."
Daniel stared.
"He reached out because he wanted to know how you were recovering."
"That was years ago."
"Yes."
"And you stayed in contact?"
"Not really. A Christmas message sometimes. A birthday message. That's all."
"Did I know about this?"
"I told you he sent Christmas wishes once."
Daniel vaguely remembered.
Maybe.
The years after that deployment had been blurry.
Physical therapy.
Pain medication.
His father's cancer diagnosis.
The miscarriage.
The failed fertility treatments.
Life had piled one thing on top of another.
Emily continued.
"After Elijah died, Tiana contacted me."
"Why you?"
"Because she found your name in some of his old military things."
Daniel frowned.
"Mine?"
Emily nodded.
"Elijah had letters from soldiers he served with. Pictures. Names. He talked about you."
Daniel looked down.
Emily's next words came carefully.
"Tiana said he always told Marcus stories about the soldiers he served with."
Daniel swallowed.
"So what does any of that have to do with Marcus living in our house?"
Emily looked toward the house.
"When Tiana got sick, she didn't have much family."
Daniel said nothing.
"Her parents were dead. Elijah's mother was in assisted living after a stroke. His brother was in prison."
Emily's fingers twisted together.
"She was terrified about what would happen to Marcus."
"And she chose you?"
"Not at first."
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
Emily took a breath.
"She asked me for help finding people from Elijah's old unit. She thought maybe someone knew his family better."
Daniel felt the answer approaching before Emily said it.
"She asked about you."
Daniel looked at her.
"I told her you were deployed."
"What did she want from me?"
Emily's eyes filled again.
"She wanted to ask if we would take Marcus."
Daniel stared at her.
The rain seemed to disappear.
The world became silent.
"What?"
"She knew we had tried to have children."
Daniel's voice dropped.
"How?"
"Elijah knew."
Daniel remembered drunken conversations years ago.
Barracks conversations.
The kind of things men said at 2:00 in the morning when deployment made everyone briefly honest.
He might have told Elijah.