(Caroline's POV)
By Thursday the routine disruption has spread.
Rose's after-school quiet time, which she has maintained with almost religious consistency since early March, starts fragmenting. She comes home and instead of going to the playroom with Charlie, she stands in the hallway for extended stretches, stimming — running her thumb along the edge of the hallway shelf in a specific repeated motion that I know means she's troubled.
But by what?
Helen is usually home when we arrive. She is always doing something useful — unloading the dishwasher, tidying the living room, something that keeps her in the common spaces and available for visibility. She says hello to the children warmly. Rose doesn't respond.
I watch Rose stand in the hallway and move her thumb along the shelf and I fee
