Nearly an hour had passed, and Mark sat up, startled. He looked around the empty room, then his phone rang for the second time.
“Hello?” he answered in a daze.
“Mark? This is Sherrie from the Carolina Veterinary Clinic.”
“Hey, how are ya?” he replied cheerfully. “I didn’t forget to pay my last bill, did I?”
“Oh, you’re fine. That’s not why I called,” Sherrie said.
“Is something wrong?” Mark asked.
“Um, I really don’t know what to say . . .”
“What? Where’s Nicole?” he said raising his voice.
“Oh, God. Mark, I’m so sorry. She was in a wreck. She’s at Williams Memorial,” Sherrie said nervously.
“No. No! Is she doing okay? What happened?” He began sobbing.
Sherrie began crying, too. “I’m not sure. Dr. Smith called and they wouldn’t tell him much other than where they took her. I’m so
