CHAPTER 23 —

Time in the hospital had become a thing you could feel in the bones of the ceiling fan. It turned so slowly the blades looked like they belonged to a forgotten fair. Nicole watched it spin and felt the ninety minutes die down to a smaller animal — ten minutes, then five, then the taste of last-minute coffee.

“You look like you could use a war helmet,” Camille said, trying for a joke and landing half a smile. She’d braided her hair like she was getting ready for a ...