Dana closed her eyes in pleasure as she put the first spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “Oh my God, Shane, this is so good. You have no idea,” she said as she reached back into the container for more.

“Well, since you’re starting to eat normally again, I figured you might be craving some real junk food instead of this hospital shit they’re serving you,” Shane explained, grinning widely when she saw how much Dana was enjoying her treat. She hadn’t seen Dana this awake and engaged with anything for a long time; it was an enormous relief to see her finally on the mend.

As she sat down on the edge of the bed, she noticed a half-finished puzzle on the table beside Dana. “Is that Alice’s?” Shane asked.

“Yeah,” Dana confirmed around a mouthful of ice cream. “But I’ve been helping a little bit, too. Alice spends most of her time being annoyed by the fact that two pieces she thinks should fit together don’t.”

“God, you guys are such an old married couple,” Shane said laughingly. “It’s good to see some things never change.”

“Yeah,” Dana agreed, returning Shane’s chuckle. “Alice has been so amazing to me while I’ve been in here,” she added sincerely, her face assuming a thoughtful expression that Shane couldn’t help but notice. “I don’t know what I would have done without her.”

“Well, she cares about you,” Shane said. “We all do.” She sat silently for a few moments, reliving the uncertainty and terror of the past nine days in her mind. “You scared the shit out of us, do you know that?” she added, nudging her friend lightly.

“I know,” Dana replied softly, gazing at Shane with an understanding smile. “I kind of scared the shit out of myself. But, I knew that you were all pulling for me. I could feel it all the time, even when I was at my worst.”

“Well, I’m glad the worst is over now,” Shane said, squeezing Dana’s leg gently through the thin blanket covering her.

Dana swallowed her ice cream with some difficulty, then handed the container to Shane. “Have some,” she said, in an obvious effort to change the subject. Although she hoped that what Shane had said was true, she couldn’t help but be aware that, despite getting over the infection that had threatened her life, she was still sick. At the back of her mind, she knew that the infection had set her cancer treatment back by a few weeks. Soon, she would have to resume the chemo that had ultimately led to her infection, and she dreaded that prospect more than she wanted anyone to know.