CARL

I slipped past her and walked into the ward. Linda had already sat down with a poker face, looking at me with so much guilt in those eyes that if I hadn't eavesdropped on the phone call, I'd be questioning my own sanity by now.

My mother nudged me when I just stood there, staring at Linda without being able to decide the right words to say to her. Seeing her look that fine, and in the blink of an eye, she was back to being a pitiful mess. It made me think of how much longer she'd been ...