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"Maybe they’ll understand"

Her eyes filled with tears for the dozenth ti time"

The nurse knocked on the door, her short blond hair bouncing "Good et much," Abby said as I handed the nurse the equipment and container

The nurse held it up and narrowed her eyes then smiled "It’ll do He’ll be a happy boy"

"Can we see hiht after you get so," I said

"Not a problean

"Unless so comes up Yes, ma’am" The nurse closed the door behind her, and I settled back into the recliner

Abby turned off the light above her, and except for the sunrise peeking through the edges of the blinds, it was dark The birds were chirping, and I wondered if I would ever sleep again

"I love you," Abby whispered from her bed

I wanted to crawl into her bed with her, but the IV hed, the bed crinkling as she settled in

I closed , the IV pu outside So that I was lying next to Abby for the first tioing to keep her

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SHEPLEY

AMERICA HELD MY HAND, pulling h Abby’s hospital room doorway It slad Aavebadfor the ti with ot into that bad car accident with Mackenzie and again with Caood memories I have of Mercy Hospital hen Ezra and then Travis and Abby’s tere born

"Hi," Abby said with a s

"You look so good!" A the phrase every postpartunext to her She held her friend’s hand "That’s good"

There was an elephant in the rooht Abby came to s froht America and I had several conversations about how the FBI seeotten about Travis’s involvement with the fire, how the questions and the suspicion stopped And then the weirdin St Thomas when he was so upset he couldn’t speak That was it That hen it happened Thoiven him an ultimatum