Over time, Thomas’ hip improved, though little could be done for his heart. Tina, who was not Chyna’s mother, recognized a helplessness in Isaiah for having lost his younger sibling in particular. “He was like the protector of his little sister,” she says. “I kept saying, ‘It’s not your fault.’” In difficult moments, James would grab hold of Isaiah and dig deep for words of encouragement: “It’s gonna be all right. We got to stay together. We got to get over this wall,” he would say. “We’ve been through it before. Not through this, not through death, but through the walls coming up.” Thomas’ path had been full of them, and more stood ahead.