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Usually, Heather is a liar, because I norer than a second But today, I don’t feel a thing Too h

Ty

I don’t really like hospitals They re to a beeping sound in the ICU They re enough to recognize her My

I’o back in when I need to When Cass’s father enters through the sliding doors, I hold a hand up to get his attention before he veers off to the nurse’s station He caht, and I snuck back tobefore anyone ake He and I haven’t been alone once yet, and I haven’t really been looking forward to it I was braver over the phone with him Too brave, I fear But I wouldn’t take any of it back

"She’s just getting set up," I say

"Good, good," he nods, looking through the sh his graying hair He’s worried

"She kept this to herself Otherwise…I would have made her talk to someone I promise you," I say, because I still feel like maybe Cass’s parents hold me responsible for this Maybe I a at his daughter through the doorand pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans

"Yeah," I laugh once "You’re probably right"

"You…you want a coffee or anything from the nurse’s station?" he asks ood But go ahead," I respond

He just shakes his head, letting his gaze drift off "I’et too close, he halts me "It’s nice to finallyhis hand His grip is fir--as a father’s should be

"Thank you for letting me stay with you all It was really nice to be able to come here from my brother’s tourna, so…anyhow," I say, suddenly aware that I’ Yeah, I’m definitely braver over the phone I haven’t had to talk to ue coach, so…

"I wanted to tell you," he says, his eyes on me at first, but then at his feet He sucks in his lips to think, and his posture grows stronger He’s a prosecutor, and fro he’s about to deliver a closing argument meant just for me

"I appreciate what you said the other day…that you stood by Cass like that It was…," he says, his head cocked to the side as he looks atsmile, one eyebrow raised

"Thank you…sir?" I’m a dead man I feel like a dead , and please…don’t take this in a bad way, like I’hter ht be a whole hell of a lot ht you were, so I thought this was important for me to say," he says, and I can feel the sweat run down hter, with this Paul Cotteruy…they aren’t the easy route You insinuated I was taking the easy route, but letthat hter, and this case has been easy Every fiber in h court--to spread his story through every front page I can get to print it, to have hiht television shows I want to spendprivate investigators to uncover dirt, tothat there’s no doubt in anyone’s ht I know she is God, Tyson--I’ve known it all along But ould that do to her life? Dragging this story out, er, until it followed her forever? She’d have to live this So as much as it kills me to let that asshole off the hook, asheads at her high school district, I struck a deal, and paid thehter doesn’t deserve a o away"