The first thing he noticed was the sound; he crisp flutter of paper skimming across polished hospital tiles, breaking the sterile hush of the morning corridors. Michael Helwart had not expected to find anything of interest this early, least of all her. But there she was. Linsy.

She stood rigid, eyes wide, lips parted as if caught in some half-formed excuse. The registration form lay at his feet, like an exposed secret begging to be read. Confusion darkened his sharp blue gaze as he bent down ...