I had just been in the shower when I heard the baby cry. Keane, my autistic brother who rarely speaks, was in the living room as usual. Rushing out, I found the baby asleep, curled on Keane’s chest, with Keane gently rocking him and our cat purring on his lap. For the first time in years, Keane whispered, “He was scared. I made him a heartbeat.”
Keane stopped speaking when he was young, communicating mostly through gestures and sounds. Growing up, I struggled to understand him and sometimes felt ashamed. But after our mother passed away, Keane moved in with us, and slowly, he began to connect more—especially after our baby Milo was born.
One morning, Keane asked for coffee and offered to watch Milo alone. Over time, he helped with caring for the baby…
