Chapter 14
The sun gave ground to clouds and drizzle. Vin’s breath hung in the air, moist and foggy. Above and around the smell of pollution, the grinding gray of huge heating units, and the sting of antiseptic, was the tang of snow on the wind. Vin huddled closer to the brick pillar and lit his cigarette, away from the main doors of the hospital in the designated smoking area. There were a few other die-hard smokers, defiantly or desperately puffing on their cigarettes. No one made eye contact; the area was rife with fear, anxiety. Nobody wanted to ask and have to listen to someone else’s loved one’s medical history.
“Hey, kid,” Shan said. She ran one hand through her rain-slicked green hair. “Thought I might find you out here. Your bookend wouldn’t let me in to see Beau—said he’s sleep
