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She didn’t give hiravel and the windshield wipers squealed to life Dr Begbie rolled up her ith a friendly wave, using her other hand to steer the car back and pull out of the parking space The little green numbers on the dashboard read 2:45 am

"Try to cover your face ason the radio I didn’t recognize the song, but I recognized David Gilmour’s voice, and the ebb and flow of Pink Floyd’s synthesizers

She turned the volu a deep breath as she turned out of the lot Her fingers tapped out a nervous rhyth wheel

"Coain There was a line of two cars in front of us, each waved forith agonizing slowness I thought she was going to crawl out of her skin by the tibie hit the gas too hard and the Jeep lurched forward The seat belt snapped into a locked position when she sla the air out of my chest

She rolled the n, but I was too tired to be afraid I pressed ical ers hoet her passes--"

"It’s fine I have you on the schedule for tomorrow at three pm, is that correct?"

"Yes Thank you Please indicate Dr Rogers will not be in"

"Understood"

I was too tired to try to control ain, brushing the hair out of e bloo broadly, with his ar her, and spinning her, until I could hear her delighted laughter inby brought in the scent of rain and carried me quickly into sleep

SIX

IT WAS STILL DARK OUT when I openedat the little yellow cardboard tree hanging down froly sweet and so overwheler crooned next toabout war and peace and shelter--those kinds of lies I tried to turnfroainst theand strain ray seat belt

We weren’t in the Jeep anyht ca all at once The glow of the green dashboard lit the scrubs I wore, and that was enough to flood my mind with the reality of what had happened

Srowth lined a road that was cohts For the first time in years, I could see the stars that Thurhts had faded into nonexistence They were so bright, so clear that they couldn’t have been real I didn’t knoas --the endless stretch of road or the sky Tears pricked at the back of et to breathe, Ruby," caical bie’s blond hair was around her face, sweeping against her shoulders In the tiet from Thurmond to…wherever ere, she had stripped off her scrubs and changed into a black T-shirt and jeans The night stained the skin under her eyes like bruises I hadn’t noticed the sharp angles that made up her nose and chin

"You haven’t been in a car for soht I was more aware of the forward lurch of the car than I was of bie--"

"Call me Cate," she interrupted, a bit harsher than before I don’t know if I reacted to the abrupt change of tone or not, but she i night and I could use a cup of coffee"