“It sounds like life is complicated.”

She considered this, then pointed her spoon at me. “You say that when you don’t want to tell me something.”

“I say it when something is complicated.”

“Same thing.”

Despite everything, a laugh escaped me. Ava smiled, pleased with herself, and went back to her pudding.

Chapter 9 — Daniel

I stood and found Daniel Pierce watching me from the end of the corridor. Time had softened him — silver at his temples now, the energetic young resident from the photographs grown into the director of cardiac surgery.