Tobias hung out in the hospital lobby with Maddox until Jada and Maya came down. Then they all went to dinner. When they returned to the hospital, they were hoping Susan would be gone, but they could see her car in the parking lot.

“Maybe she’s going to stay all night,” Tobias complained.

“She can’t stay all night,” Jada said. “If she doesn’t get some sleep, her lupus might flare up again. She pushes herself too hard as it is. I worry about her—despite how she feels about me.” She touched his forearm. “Let me go see what’s going on.”

Maya decided to stay in the waiting room with them. They teased her about some of the boys she knew from New Horizons, and she joked right back, but Tobias guessed she felt the tension. She was close to her grandmother, helped out at Sugar Mama all the time, but she loved them, too, which was why she hadn’t gone back up to Atticus’s room when Jada did. Her grandmother hated them so much it made her defensive. No doubt Maya was staying in case Susan came down and saw them; she knew Susan would be less likely to make a scene if she was there.

When Jada returned, she looked relieved. “He’s doing better,” she said. “The doctors are saying he must’ve hit his head in the accident, because his brain is bruised. But he’s going to be okay, so my mother should feel reassured enough to leave soon.” She looked at Tobias. “I’m sorry it’s taking so long. Would you rather go home and try again tomorrow night?”

“No, I’ll wait.” He didn’t have anything better to do. If he went home he’d just start thinking about Harper—or maybe he’d kick Carl’s ass, which would provide an outlet for the anger, frustration and concern that was roiling around inside him but certainly wouldn’t improve his reputation in Silver Springs.

Maddox and Jada left around nine. They had to take Maya home; she had school in the morning. Tobias considered leaving when they did. He didn’t want to confront Susan on his own, but he also refused to be that big of a coward.

He hung out for two more hours before deciding to give up. It was getting late, and he had to work in the morning. He’d just stood up to get the keys out of his pocket when he heard the ding of the elevator around the corner.

Sitting down as fast as possible, he lifted a magazine to cover his face, just in case, and, sure enough, when he peeked around the edges, he saw Susan pass by.

Fortunately, she didn’t so much as glance his way. She stared straight ahead as she moved tiredly toward the exit.