“Because I had to!” Evelyn’s face was scarlet.

“Six years I sat across a table from you.

Six years of birthdays and Christmases and listening to you talk about that woman’s parakeets.

Do you think that was free?”

“You came to the hospital,” Maya said.

“You held my hand for three hours.”

“I was waiting for you to sign!”

Somewhere behind her, Ruth Ferreira very slightly turned her head toward the charge nurse, and the charge nurse gave a small nod, and both of them made a note of the time.