Her strokes were slow and deliberate.

She hadn’t touched me since the day I was admitted.

“Your sister sends her love,” Linda said.

“She has a very important exam on Monday.

We couldn’t pull her away from her study schedule.”

Linda brushed a tight knot out of my hair.

She let the brush slide all the way down to my shoulders.

“We just needed a little time to process everything, sweetie,” Linda said.