In the end, I barely have time to twist myself in knots over Daniel's reaction. We smooth our clothes into place, exchange hushed words and soft promises, then wander out of the hospital in search of decent coffee. And there, between two rows of glossy cars...
"Max? Theresa?"
The man I grew up with grins broadly, waving from twenty feet across the parking lot. He's standing with a tall, strong-looking young lad who's got his eyes on Theresa like a hawk's. Daniel heads toward us now, worry visible in the tired lines on his forehead. "Good Lord. Is everything alright? Casey told me you've been in there a while..."
It takes a few seconds for him to notice, but I see the exact moment something clicks in Daniel's brain. It clicks the same in Casey's, the lad's mouth falling open. Daniel's fr
