Chapter 6

The hospital room had its own rhythm. The quiet beeping of the IV machine, the soft squeak of nurses' shoes on linoleum, the occasional muffled voice from the hallway. I lay still and let it wash over me. The pain had receded to something dull and distant, managed by whatever they were putting into my veins. My mind was clear for the first time in days.

Ivey arrived at exactly 2:17 p.m. I knew because I was watching the clock on the wall when she appeared in the doorway. She carried two large coffee cups, a yellow legal pad tucked…