She cried because she was frightened, because she had been alone, and because the impossible thing she’d imagined every night had finally become possible.

“Can I tell him something?” she asked when her breathing steadied.

“Of course.”

Ashley wiped her nose with the sleeve of her pajamas.

“Tell him Buddy waited too.”

PART 13

The news spread faster than the official statement.

Someone at the regional hospital recognized Andrew’s name and mentioned it to a relative.