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"She’s a student at Berkeley?" He sounds i?"

"Social work"

"What? She’s wasting an education at Berkeley to study social work?"

I bristle, but recognize that it’s more than just my father and his typical disdain for any career path that doesn’t make a shit-ton of money Not that mine seems to impress him "Dori is exactly the sort of person who should do that kind of thing," I say I’ had the same opinion of her chosen career path that he does

Honestly, it stil shocks me that someone with a voice like she has could purposeful y pursue anything but using it

"Oh?" he says, with an extra helping of disdain "And why is that?"

"Because she wholeheartedly gives a shit, Dad"

Dori

Once the specialists were in agree further they could do, I knewand disconcerting to witness, my parents had ainst al evidence to the contrary I prepared myself to catch the emotional fal out from my mother, who for al of her medical competence and practicality had staunchly refused to concede defeat

After our final consultation with Deb’s medical team, the three of us are silent on the way to her tiny aparte my sister suffered in her fal appears irrefutably pered areas of her brain aren’t expected to recover, though it’s possible that at so to a stimulus like a familiar voice "By react," one of the doctors clarified, "wepattern, or soits We don’t foresee her ever regaining the ability to coh speech, however"

Once back at the apartment, my parents slide into adjacent chairs at the tiny kitchen table, shel -shocked I reheat a pan of lasagna provided by one of the nurses who’d worked with Deb Final y, Moet reco-term care facility close to ho rooe facility in LA Hopeful y, so the Italian loaf on the cutting board, turning my face away I want to screaain Nothing said by any of the doctors could have encouraged this belief, or even a hope of it Years ago, Ito join the delusion, but I don’t believe in miracles--not for Deb, not for anyone Maybe I haven’t in a long time, and I’m just noare of it

Deb’s apartment has to be sublet, utilities turned off, creditors notified These details fal to Dad while I distribute her patio ful of plants to neighbors and hospital staff after convincing Mo comfort to the people Deb cared for, that it would be ieraniureeted with hugs and tears Ihi plant of Deb’s col ection, and a box of belongings he left in her apartment I’d discovered his razor and toothbrush in hera pair of his jeans along with socks, boxers and t-shirts

"I packed up these things our first night at Deb’s," I say, placing the box on his desk He stares at it, un "I’d hoped that ent back ho to my sister where she could find your toothbrush and extra boxers" My voice breaks, but I keep talking "If there’s anything , let me know and I’l find it and send it to you Moe…"

"Thank you, Dori" He lays his hands atop the box lid but makes no move to open it "I alanted a little sister, did she tel you that?" His eyes are ful of tears "I don’t have any siblings, so I was jealous when she’d talk about you" He takes a shuddering breath as tears streaed how I look at the world, how I practice in to co her like this, with how you feel--"

I walk around the desk and put my arms around the man ould have been my brother "Yes, you can She loved you, and you loved her That’s no different than how she felt about h his chest "I’ her back to herself, heal her" His grief and anger can’t be separated "This happened in a hospital We’re doctors This is why I went into medicine--

to cure and rebuild people, to make them better And I can’t even fix the wohter

"I don’t blame you, and Deb wouldn’t blame you If you knew her, then you know she wouldn’t She’d want you to go be that bril iant doctor she knew you were, to help people and live your life and be happy--"

"How? "

I s, glad he can’t see my face "I don’t know"

The tabloid shows and websites have been going insane trying to figure out who Reid’s latest hookup is Whoever it is, he's being more undercover about it than he’s ever been Which is probably the reason for one of the theories that was floating around--that he’s gay

I h to know that’s not true

There’s also a day of speculation that he’s reuniting with the girl from his last movie, Emma Pierce, when a photo surfaces of the two of them at the Vancouver Filh that they’re both identifiable She leans towards hioes crazy, and dozens of photos fro, stil s from the ether

The next day, an opposing tabloid publishes the same film festival photo--except this one isn’t cropped In the new photo, Graha on the opposite side of her, his left arht hand on his thigh