Alice caught the look exchanged between her friends, but remained quiet. But, after Shane had left, she couldn’t hide her curiosity. “What was that all about?” she asked.

“Oh, you know Shane,” Dana replied unconvincingly. “She, uh, doesn’t like people to leave puzzles unfinished.”

“Well, neither do I,” Alice said, sitting down at the foot of Dana’s bed and positioning the nearby table between her and Dana. Given what she had heard Shane say as she came into the room earlier, she was sure her friends had been talking about more than puzzles. But, as curious as she was about their conversation, she knew now wasn’t the time to press the issue; that discussion could wait until Dana was back home again.

“See, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m sure these two pieces are supposed to fit together,” Alice said, picking up two puzzle pieces that she’d been working on earlier in the day and trying desperately to jam them together. “I think the manufacturers must not have cut the pieces properly,” she muttered as she twisted the pieces in a vain effort to slide them together.

Dana watched her with a bemused expression for a moment before taking one of the pieces out of her hand. “Al, stop it,” she said with a laugh. “You just need a bit of patience, that’s all.” Looking closely at her section of the puzzle, she finally fit the piece snugly into place, and then looked up at Alice proudly.

“Well, I still say it would have fit with my piece, too,” Alice said defiantly, drawing another smile out of Dana, which was almost immediately followed by an exaggerated yawn.

“Do you want to take a nap?” Alice asked, her voice suddenly tinged with concern. Despite Dana’s apparent recovery from her infection, Alice knew her body still wasn’t completely healed, and that she needed to rest regularly to maintain her strength.

“I think so,” Dana agreed, shifting back slightly in bed. “Sorry, Al. I guess all the excitement has worn me out.”

“Well, puzzles are pretty thrilling,” Alice joked.

“Har-har,” Dana replied softly, as her eyes began to shut almost despite herself. “Don’t destroy any more puzzle pieces while I’m sleeping, ok?” she warned as she started to drift off.