I wanted to be patient.

But every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tiffany by the hallway, holding the orange bottle with her lips trembling around the words “I’m sorry.”

A day after I left the hospital, temporary arrangements were approved for me to stay with Colleen while officials evaluated the situation.

I rode to Columbus in the passenger seat of her old sedan, wearing a borrowed coat and my still-damp sneakers packed in a bag.

She stopped at a store and told me to choose slippers, a toothbrush, and pajamas without looking at the prices.