Page 63 (1/2)

Miles cairl,” he said, and he broke

Jude wanted to comfort him, but she couldn’t

“The last thing I said to her was that I didn’t forgive her Oh my God, Miles—”

“Don’t,” he said simply

If Miles hadn’t been beside her, holding her up, she would have collapsed beside this girl who see so peacefully Jude reine and love her before she’d ever even seen her, how she used to talk to the in her swollen belly like a pair of tiny fish, coiled together, always together …

Zach would be alone now An only child

Hoould they tell him this?

The world felt Bubble Wrapped and far away Jude didn’t focus on anything except her daughter In the next hour, calls wereWords caans Heart Corneas Skin Save people’s lives She nodded and signed and looked at no one and said nothing People pushed at her, jostled her as they ran tests on Mia More than once Jude snapped at sohter It was all she could do now She re off-key and hummed all the time, that she hated to be cold

No one seemed to listen They looked impossibly sad and lowered their voices to whispers At some point the chaplain sidled up to her, pulled her away from the bed, and tried to comfort her with rote words She elbowed him hard and rushed back to Mia “I’m here, Poppet,” she said “You’re not alone ”

She stood there as long as they let her, perfectly still, whispering words of love and telling stories and trying to re about Mia

Finally—and she had no idea when it was, or how long she’d been there—Miles came up to her

“Jude?” he said, and

she had the idea that he’d said it more than once, maybe even yelled it

She tore her gaze away from Mia and turned to her husband