43 Jake raced over to Nurse Laura and snatched the remote control device from her hand. Within seconds, Daniel’s head disappeared and the narrator’s relentless lies were gone. “Are you all right?” Jake asked me. He peered intently into my face. “I’m fine,” I said, feeling irritated, but also...a little relieved. He was right. I shouldn’t have kept watching that once I knew how bad it was. Jake sat on the edge of my bed and reached out to smooth away a section of hair lying limply against my face. “Halli, you need to be careful—always. Didn’t the doctor tell you that? She told me.” “I’m not a child.” But the second I said that, I knew I sounded like one. “I’m perfectly fine,” I tried again. “Aren’t I, Laura?” “Perfectly,” she agreed, her mouth pinched with disapproval. Anyone could se

