Her parents sat in the corner, Mom watching an HGTV show that droned on from a television mounted to the wall and Dad flipping through an issue of Forbes magazine. They’d only been there about ten minutes when Cody and his mom and sister walked in. Time stopped. He looked concerned, a line of worry deeply etched in his forehead.

He met her eyes. “Any word?”

“Not yet. We can’t go back because we aren’t family.”

His nod was followed by an unbearable beat of awkward silence.

“Do you mind if we wait with you?” he finally asked.

Louisa’s eyes drifted from Cody to his mom (who wasn’t looking at her) to Marley. “Of course not.” She motioned toward an empty row of chairs. Marissa and Marley sat.

“Should I get us coffee?” Cody asked.

It was strange, having a stilted conversation in front of the rest of them. She hated this distance between them. Hated that he was right in front of her and just out of reach.

“Do you guys want coffee?” she asked her parents.

“I’m okay,” they both said.

She turned back to Cody. “I guess we’re okay.”

“You’re okay?” His question was so earnest, it nearly broke her heart. She wasn’t okay. Not even close.

She nodded and sat down next to her mother, aware that her family was on one side of the room and his was on the other. Marissa whispered something to Marley, and JoEllen looked from the television to the pair of them. Never in her life had Louisa experienced this kind of tension. They sat in silence for what felt like hours but was, in reality, only minutes. She worked hard to avoid Cody’s eyes, praying silently that Maggie would be okay. She wasn’t ready to lose her yet.

Did anyone else in the room remember how it had felt to love each other? Did anyone else have memories of the good times? The laughter? The endless days and nights they’d spent together? Did anyone else want that back?

After about twenty minutes, Dr. Smithton Jeffries entered the room. A white coat covered his dress pants, shirt, and tie, and his face looked weary.

Louisa stood.

He met her eyes, and his face fell. “I’m sorry, Louisa.”

“No.” She heard the word in her own voice, but it sounded muffled and quiet, like she was underwater again.

“I think she was just ready to go home,” the doctor said.

Then she was underwater again, the waves knocking her over, stealing her breath. She tumbled upside down as her knees buckled. Cody was at her side in a flash, catching her, righting her, saving her.

No. No. No. No. Not today. Not Maggie.

Her mind spun. Her heart broke. The old woman was her touchstone—God couldn’t have needed her more than Louisa did.