Bob ended up being the one to quickly wrap it, as Bridget could only use one hand. He finished with a square knot directly on top of the cut. He hated making her wince, but the pressure would encourage it to start closing on its own.

When he finished, she looked at his ankle and then his face. “Do you think you could put any weight on your foot? Just for a second?”

He shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t hold me up.” Then he said what needed to be said. “Look, Bridget. You need to get out now before it’s too late.”

“I can’t leave you.” Her voice broke.

“But you can’t save me. I can’t walk. I don’t think I could even crawl. It doesn’t make any sense for us both to die when you don’t have to. Listen to me.” His heart cracked open. “Save yourself. I order you to leave me.”

“I won’t.” She raised her chin. “Would Rowan leave Car Umass? Would Margarit leave Jancy?”

“Bridget,” he said gently, “they’re imaginary. And you’re real. You’re alive. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

“And you’ve made my life worth living. Just like you did for my mom.”

He gripped her uninjured hand. It was warm and dry, a sharp contrast to his own cold, clammy hand. “And if your mom could come back, she would kill me for getting you mixed up in this. You can’t save me, child. Save yourself. And if you can, take the book. I’m not worth saving. But that book is. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written.”

BRIDGET

Until They Were Dead

Two could play at being stubborn. Bridget set her jaw. “I won’t leave you. So you’d better help me get you out of here. Sit up.”

Bob didn’t move. “I can’t walk, Bridget.”

“All we need to do is get you outside. Then I can drag you on the quilt.” She imagined how that would work. How quickly the quilt would soak through. How the snow would start to stick to the fabric, making it heavier and harder to move.

“I’ll be right back,” she said. “While I’m gone, sit yourself up.”

With Bob still protesting, she peeked out into the hall. The smoke was thick as fur, but the flames hadn’t reached the hall quite yet. After closing the bedroom door, she scurried deeper into the cabin, doubled over and coughing. She trailed her fingers along the wall until she reached the bathroom. Gathering the shower curtain into her arms, she bent her knees to put all her weight on it.

Pop! Pop! Pop! It tore from the rings.