Susan looked confused, but she stood up and padded over to his bed in her bare feet. As she got closer, she moved from shades of gray and gold to full color, her face pink and freckled, her emerald eyes watching him intently. “Where’s Rachel?” she asked.

Archie didn’t even begin to know where to start. “She’s…”—he searched for the right words—“gone,” he said. “It didn’t work out.”

“I never liked her,” Susan said. She shook her head and groaned, “Blondes.”

She wavered slightly on her feet without seemingly noticing. “Leo and I broke up,” she said.

Archie patted the edge of his bed with his hand and she sat down, facing him. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“Not really,” she said. “Not yet. My mom brought caramel apples,” she added. “If you want one.”

“I’m not that hungry,” Archie said.

“They don’t have razor blades or anything,” Susan said.

“I didn’t think they did,” Archie said.

Susan struggled to hold back a yawn and lost, her mouth widening as she closed her eyes and emitted a silent yowl. Then she gazed at him blearily. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you a birthday present,” she said.

“I think I’ve had enough presents this year,” Archie said.

Susan scratched her arm. “I’m so tired,” she said. “They gave me a pill. How do you take those things?”

“Come on,” Archie said, moving over to make room for her in the narrow bed. Susan hesitated only for a moment before she folded herself on her side next to him. The bed was small, but there was room for both of them if Archie kept his legs straight and his arms at his sides, Susan on top of the covers, Archie underneath. Susan’s face was at his shoulder, her nose and lips almost grazing his skin. Her knees pressed gently against his stitches, but he didn’t move. She closed her eyes and he watched her as her breathing slowed and equalized. Her foot twitched and Archie saw that a small yellow leaf was stuck there, on the bottom of her foot, clearly the same leaf that Henry had finally lost off his boot.

Archie smiled at that, and maybe it was the morphine, but he felt strangely happy. Lying there next to her, he thought that maybe he could remember what Claire had said about Susan warming him with her body. He had a memory of being very, very cold and then there being a warm presence beside him.