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Seeing her again was like taking a step into my past I wasn’t the boy I’d been when I first asked her to co across those shelves at her, I could experience, for a ed I reether Softer around the middle Sadder, too When she looked up at me, she wasn’t joyful the way she’d been before, but shocked She glanced anxiously behind her at the uess who I was I didn’t say anything but bought a bottle of perfue Then I hung out at a bar down the street until the hour came for her to lock up

Rosa was reluctant to see ot to the old hotel roorow used to over the years that followed, a pretend sort of happy

If she’d had a baby in that tione, I wouldn’t have even known

If it had been mine, she would have had no way to contact ain

Damn it Why hadn’t she told me when I came back? We could have sorted this out

The phone felt cold ininside I knew exactly where I had to go

I fired up the Harley and headed for Interstate 5 and the border

10: Corabelle

My father neverhim, weren’t you?" he said, stretched out in Gavin’s chair in the corner

Mos froot you solass boirled with blue and yellow and set it on the side table with the flowers "That’s better"

I gritted my teeth "Thank you"

Dad yawned "Did the doctor say if you were leaving today?"

I glanced at the clock Two in the afternoon "He hasn’t been by Another staff member caer" I picked at the sheet across my lap Gavin’s last two texts were cryptic and short, just "At work" and "I’ll get there when I can"

"Was it a nurse?" Mom asked

My hackles rose "No, just soe the doctor" She arranged herself on a chair, tugging her knitting fro to settle in Maybe I could walk the halls a bit and try to place a call Except I didn’t have anything but this breezy hospital gown And Gavin hadpatients than ive up your bed, send you horay-mop-headed nurse popped in "Time for a teets to go home?"

The woman clicked on her iPad "The doctor should be by soon He’ll decide" She sheathed a thermometer and slid it into my mouth

We all waited for it to beep, as if it would be anything but norain a bit You been out of bed a lot?"

I shookearlier Maybe I just did toocrushed But I wanted to go home