Dr. Keller glanced between us but asked nothing. I left before Ethan could say anything else.

The hallway felt too bright. Nurses moved between stations. An orderly wheeled an elderly patient toward radiology. A phone rang twice before someone answered.

The ordinary rhythm of the hospital continued, indifferent to the fact that my carefully constructed life had just split open.

Chapter 8 — Surprised Funny

Ava sat behind the nurses’ desk with a pudding cup and a math workbook open under her elbows. Mrs. Harris, the unit secretary, was showing her how to fold a paper napkin into a flower.

Ava looked up as I approached. “Was that man sick?”

“Yes.”