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I press ether and nod "That’ll do Yeah Send him in"

Thirty-Five

He peeks his head in the door, and it’s so weird to see hi here all vulnerable like this His dark hair is disheveled and he’s wearing an Angotti’s shirt, as if he caht from work

There’s a look on his face that is so pained, I al to kick in, nu some of my aches

He sees my eyes are open and he stops and just stands there, six or eight feet away, like he’s feeling bad for intruding "Hey," he says, and his voice cracks on that one syllable, and then he’s bringing his hand to his eyes, and his shoulders start to shake I watch him react, and a lump rises to my throat I am overcome

"Oh, hell, Jules," he says after a minute "Oh my God" It’s all he can say

"I et that reaction," I say, slurring s "Come and sit Aren’t you supposed to be at the dance or so?"

He comes over and eases into the chair by the bed and just looks at o away

"Hey" I reach out ht hand toward him "Why so serious?" I tease

He takes my hand in his, holds it to his warently strokes the hair off my forehead

"I just--" he says, and the words are so hard for him that I want to find my Crescent wrench and yank them out But I stay quiet Because the truth is, he thinks he owes me this I understand that And he does oweelse

"I--" he starts again, and this time he continues "I’, and I didn’t believe you and I should have, and I feel soso guilty about it, I feel terrible about everything About not believing you, and about the last few years, which" He sighs and shakes his head "I’s have been, andthe way I treated you"

I touch oes on "When they couldn’t get you out at first, you almost died, and they had to use the Jaws of Lifeand Trey was begging the paramedics not to take him away because he couldn’t leave youI mean, I just wanted to die too And I can’t believe I let this happen because of our stupid families"

I blink hard Jaws of Life? I al," Ito get sleepy again "In the final vision, there were still two body bags in the snow, but one of theain "That must have been ainst hts and words I mean to say are jumbled up in my head, and none of theain

• • •

The third time I wake up, I see the face I’ve needed to see this entire tireen"

"That’s not nice," I say, grinning sleepily "That’s a great, um" I point to his neck "What’s the word?"