Michael’s pulse gave a little start. He loved books. There were none at his house. It wasn’t a question of affording them. They had money. Their real dad had left them money in his will. It was supposed to be enough for them to live comfortably, which, for Michael, included books. His mother just never saw the point.

He glanced at Dr. Dani to see her smiling at him. “You like books?” she asked.

He nodded. “I love the library at school. I go whenever I can. I take Joshua to the public library, too. We take the bus. Can I . . . can I read any of them?”

She grinned at him. “Take your pick.”

He reached for Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways, but yanked his hand back at the last minute. “What if I have to leave before I’m done reading it?”

Dr. Dani’s smile faded a little. “Then you can take it with you. I can get another.” She took the book from the shelf and placed it in his hands. “It’s yours.”

Holding the book to his chest, Michael stepped back as she made her way to the closet and started rummaging in the boxes she kept there. Coach Diesel had followed them into the room and now stood staring at the shelves of books. Kind of like he’d never seen them before. Michael wondered if this was the first time Coach had been here.

That was interesting. Watching the two of them might be more fun than TV.

Diesel pulled a sci-fi novel from a top shelf and showed the cover to Michael. “I like this one. Have you read it?”

Michael shook his head, unable to hide his surprise. “No. You like sci-fi?”

Coach’s lips twitched. “I do. I’m a gamer. I love sci-fi and fantasy stories. Books or movies or games, doesn’t matter to me.”

Michael perked up. “You’re a gamer? Me, too.”

“Tomorrow I’ll go home and get my system, if Dr. Dani says it’s okay.”

She looked over her shoulder at them with a nod. “Fine with me.” When she turned, she held pajamas, sweats, and an unopened package of briefs. She put them on the end of the bed.

“Coach, would you mind letting Hawkeye out? He can run in the backyard for a few minutes.”

Coach Diesel gave her a slow nod, some kind of unspoken, unsigned communication passing between the two of them.

When Coach and the dog were gone, Dr. Dani led Michael to the closet at the end of the hall. “Bathroom is first door on your left. Towels are in here. Hang them up if they’re still clean. If they need to be washed, take them downstairs to the laundry room in the basement. I’ll show you how to run the machine. You can wash your own clothes.”