I smile, nod. I can't bring myself to speak. I know tears are only inches away. He nudges my hand to his head, and I run my fingers over his frame. What he must have been, so beautiful, so grand, so full of love.
Tests are over, and it's time to go.
I carry him to the van and crawl back in with him in my lap. He balks at the cage. I don't blame him, it's dark now, and darkness brings fear. He's seen enough darkness to last him two lifetimes. I pick him up and sit him in my lap in the driver's seat.