“I-I’m good, thanks,” I stutter after an uncomfortable length of time haspassed. My voice sounds small. Like I’m scared of speaking too loudly.Like I’m worried about taking up too much space.
“Suit yourself, dear. Dr. Saeder should be here soon.” Her forehead puckersand that smile dims. “I, um… I was real sorry to hear about your sister.”Her voice is tissue-paper soft and tender. “She was a lovely girl.”
“And I heard her… her husband passed away in the same accident?”
I swallow. It aches all the way down. “Yes.”
“I lit a candle in church for the both of them. I don’t know if you’rereligious or not, but —”
I blink away my tears. “I’ll take prayers any day, religious or not.”
Lory pats my knee. “I lost my mother a few years ago. The ye
