She left the door open exactly two inches.

I sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the squeak of rubber-soled nursing shoes on the polished hallway floor.

The afternoon light faded to a dull gray outside the window.

The room went perfectly quiet except for the hum of the fluorescent bulb.

I stared at the empty visitor chair and felt the last thread connecting me to the Barrett name finally snap.

At four o’clock, Ms.