It took some time, but Alice managed to get her middle finger up enough for me to get the point. I laughed and leaned over to kiss her cheek, and she sighed. “She’ll be all right,” I assured her. “And when we get you home you can make fun of her in sign language or something.” Alice sighed again, and I squeezed her hand. “It’ll be all right. Physical therapy shouldn’t take too long.”

Alice made a frustrated sound and turned her head away from mine, making the sign for “wheelchair” very awkwardly. “It won’t be so bad!” I tried to comfort her. “I’ll push you around anywhere you need to go.” She just looked sad, and I felt helpless as to what to say to make her feel better. There really wasn’t anything I could say.

We sat in silence until Gemma came back with the change of bags for Alice’s IV. She also had a Styrofoam cup full of chicken soup, which she said Alice could drink. Kallie was trailing behind her, carrying a cup of apple juice. Gemma asked if we could leave the room so she could change Al’s catheter bag, and Kallie and I decided to go up to the cafeteria. She begged off getting something to eat by telling me that she was taking Gemma to dinner in half an hour when her shift ended, but she did agree to let me buy her a cup of tea. I bought the same for myself, and when she looked at me worriedly, I assured her that Shane and Jenny would probably be bringing my dinner. And if they didn’t, there was no reason I couldn’t come back up here.

We sat in silence most of the time we were up there. I would have liked to ask Kallie exactly how things were going with Gemma, but I refrained. Kallie’s always been fairly private, and I knew she’d tell me in her own time. She was being cautious since her last relationship had ended so badly, and I was sure she didn’t want to jinx this one.

It was hard for me to think back on how heartbroken she’d been when it had ended. Kallie had had a few girlfriends here and there throughout her life, but nothing had really seemed serious until Amanda. They were basically inseparable from the day they met, and Kallie had been completely head over heels with her. Even Charlie, who had teased his sister mercilessly during her previous relationships, seemed to understand that it was something special. He joked with Amanda but in a gentle way, and it was obvious that he liked her.