Sarah sighed. “Sarah?” he said. But she didn’t respond. He stroked her arm, stared at her face, looked for the smallest trace that she was in any pain or needed immediate medical attention.
James shook his head, blocking out the whispers coming from outside the room. When a blue-scrubbed nurse opened the door to check Sarah’s monitors, they stopped speaking. They didn’t need to bother, he thought.
“Is everything all right?” James asked.
The nurse nodded. She checked the numbers on the monitors, checked the IV bags hanging from the rack, checked the connection to Sarah’s arm. She didn’t seem nervous with James in the room. She didn’t hesitate or back away, but he knew there were others who were afraid.
The cell phone in his pocket vibrated and he looked at the number. Olivia.
“James, o
